The actor, best known for the TV series ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and ‘The Wizards of Waverly Place’, accompanied by his father, Jim Henrie, his brother, Lorenzo James Henrie, who has also appeared in several productions as an actor, and Austin Wright, a politician and entrepreneur, had a tour of our office and viewed some of the interesting items in our collection. The subject of the meeting was a forthcoming overseas movie about Blessed Charles I (IV), the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, in the preparation and production of which our guests are playing a key role.
It may seem surprising at first glance that the last ruler of the Monarchy enjoys such renown in the United States that a film about him not only promises to be a lucrative venture but could also become a means of a remarkable cultural mission. However, the former WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) country has undergone significant changes, where, in contrast to secular cultural patterns, there is a steadily growing youth movement towards traditional Catholicism and its associated piety practices. As our guests confirmed, the Friedenskaiser is a leading example of how this can be experienced and practised authentically. However, his oeuvre can be an influential point of reference for the Catholic ‘subculture’ but also a powerful emanation for the wider Christian community.
Last year, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death, the Otto von Habsburg Foundation devoted special attention to the life and memory of the late monarch, who was beatified in 2004. In addition to events exploring and promoting his life and legacy, we have published several books on Charles I (IV), including a comprehensive sourcebook on the final months of his life on the island of Madeira, which will soon be released in English as well. In light of all that, the members of the delegation behind the development and realisation of the project were not only seeking historical details of Charles’ life but also asked for our professional opinion and assistance in understanding the more intricate historical and social context, which can often be difficult to disentangle from the perspective of the United States.
