Congress of Love
1966 film by Géza von Radványi
Congress of Love or The Congress Amuses Itself (French: Le Congrès s'amuse, German: Der Kongreß amüsiert sich) is a 1966 historical comedy film directed by Géza von Radványi and starring Lilli Palmer, Curd Jürgens and Hannes Messemer. It was produced as an international co-production between Austria, France and West Germany. It was shot at the Sievering Studios in Vienna and on location across the city at Hofburg Palace, Schönbrunn Palace, and the Prater. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Hertha Hareiter and Otto Pischinger. It takes place at the Congress of Vienna in 1814, the same setting for the classic Weimar era 1931 film Congress Dances. It features many of the leading delegates to the Congress, with the exception of the British representative Lord Castlereagh.
Synopsis
Beginning with a framing scene in a museum, the story leaps back a century and a half to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the victorious allies and other powers father in Vienna for a major congress to establish the new borders of Europe in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. The cynical Austrian foreign minister Klemens von Metternich plans to manipulate the other delegates to his will, but faces complexities in his own private life.
Cast
Lilli Palmer as Princess Metternich
Curd Jürgens as Czar Alexander I
Hannes Messemer as Prince Metternich
Paul Meurisse as Talleyrand
Françoise Arnoul as Countess Kopinskaia
Walter Slezak as Wax museum guide
Anita Höfer as Rosa
Brett Halsey as Stefan Abonyi
Gustav Knuth as Mr.
“Congress of Love” enters the record as 1966 film by Géza von Radványi. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Congress, Love and film can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1194911. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1966, 1814 and 1931.
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