3X48m Documentary Serié 'Any hussar who is not dead by the age of thirty is a blaggard”, Comte de Lasalle, the so-called Hussaifant appearance makes them heroes for the ages. Dangerous but irresistable, they were in the thick of ft for some of the most important military actions for three centuries. Hussar exploits away from the battlefield ‘were almost as famous as their bravery on it. Their lust for life, even in rare times of peace, included gambling away fortunes, making love to other men’s wives and fighting numerous duels. Pistols at dawn, you bet. This makes them the perfect subject for a lavish, highly pictorial historical documentary series, don’t you think? HUSSARS — Tue INITIATION is a three-part documentary TV mini series called combi reconstructions, interviews and archival material, to maximum effect, ing reenactments, ~ PRODUCTION VALUES - As with successful series previously scripted by Scott Alexander Young, (Warriors Way & Footprints of Civi- lization) each episode will combine interviews with historical experts, narration, archive material and our own re-enactments and reconstructions. But what will make this series stand out; really stand out, like the ‘cherry-picker’ trousers of the 11th Hussars? Well, it must be as visually arresting as a Hussar uniform, graceful as a hussar horse performing dressage, exciting as a cavalry charge. We live in Hungary. The birthplace of the Hussar tradition, where Hussar customs are still revered and revived. There are weekend warriors, who live the part and look the part of Hussars, whenever they can. We can find the same enthusiasm over the border, in Poland, where enthusiasts relive the traditions of the leg- endary Polish Winged Hussars, There are accurate and atmospheric locations are all around us in Central Europe. Therefore, we can combine re-enactments, with a select few scripted dramatic scenes. “Re-enactment and reconstruction can be fleshed out, where appropriate, with archive material, such asithe,begin by defining our terms ~ What makes a Hussar? Because all Hussars are Light Cavalrymen, but not all it Cavalry are Hussars. Then, the Decisive Factor - Some notable occasions when the presence of Hussars changed | the outcome of a baitle. What was it about hussars as warriors that made them so useful to Generals in the 16th-19th centuries? How useful? Put it this way, Napoleon himself twice paid the ‘Hussar General’ Comte de Lasalle’s gambling debts, rather than lose him from the battlefield, and to a debtors gaol. (When asked why, the emperor replied “It only takes a stroke of a pen to create a prefect (government official}, but it takes twenty years to make a Lasalle"). You get the idea. Along with a visual introduction to hussars and their world, we establish something about their identity, and character. ‘Then - Horse and hussar ~ Like all mounted soldiers, hussars spent a great deal of time in the saddle. We'll look at the ‘ways in which a hussar was expected to care for his ‘mount’, and to make sure his steed took care of him, Hussar horses were subject to intense training, to ensure they were fast, brave and obedient on the battlefield. Then, it's time for a Blutfer’s History of Hussars — from the 1500s in Serbia, right up until the present day. For example, who were the Polish winged hussars, and what was the deal with the wings? Later, what role did hussars play in the doomed “Charge of the Light Brigade’? One thing all hussars had in common was their sartorial stylishness. (Jimi Hendrix was not alone in ‘repurposing’ the hussar uniform, he just did it better than anyone else.) Brightly coloured uniforms had a practical application in 16th-19th century warfare, but the splendour of these garments went beyond anything seen in uniforms, before or since. EPISODE Il - Death or Glory Tt is now more than a century since cavalry charges were a regular part of warfare. Yet its interesting to see that at Jeast on the parade ground, Hussar traditions are still going strong. Hussars go on parade in places far apart as Horse Guards Parade at Buckingham Palace and outside the Casa Rosada (Pink House) in Buenos Aires. Inevitably, these days we want to know, who were some famous hussars? Did you know that Winston Churchill was a hussar as a young man? He looked surprisingly dashing in his uniform too. Other men who were famous, principally for being Hussars, include yes, the Comte de Lasalle, but also Lord Cardigan and Andras Hadik. Lord Cardigan led the Charge of the Light Brigade and survived the Russian artillery. We will have plenty to say about him, ‘Andrés Hadik meanwhile was known in his time as the ‘Hussar of Hussars’. Hadik’s boldest manoeuvre came in 1757, when he successfully besieged Berlin in a surprise attack. Hadik then held the city to ransom for 200,000 ducats, As well as this princely sum, he demanded, wait for it, 24 pairs of gloves. And all of them had to be embroidered with Empress Maria Teresa's initials. It was this touch that set the hussars apart and created their reputation for gallantry. Hadik’s statue can be found near the entrance of Budapest Castle. But to give all sides of the story, we must also include the man they called the ‘Last Hussar’, August von Mackensen. Born a commoner, Mackensen rose through the ranks of the Black Hussars (famous for their skull & bones insignia)SODE IIf - Alls fair in love and war ‘This hardly surprising that the figure of the swashbuckling hussar, made its way into fiction. In Le0 Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace, characters Nikolai Rostov and Vasily Denisov are depicted as officers in the Pavlograd Life Hussar Regiment. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is most famous as the creator of Sherlock Holmes. But Conan Doyle was responsible for The Adventures of Gerard. In these spicy tales, Ettienne Gerard, a womanizing hussar colonel in Napo- Teon’s cavalry, fights and loves his way to glory during the French occupation of Spain. Then there are the Flashman books, featuring the lecherous Harry Flashman. He is with the 11th Hussars for a while under Lord Cardigan, before the he dismisses Flashman from the regiment for a crime against snobbery. (‘Flashy’ has married a tradesman’s daughter!) What's interesting is that these fictional depictions match the accounts we have of hussars as rogues, gamblers, philan- derers and duellists. Brigadier Gerard boasted that the Hussards de Conflans (an actual regiment) could set a whole population running, “the men away from them and the women towards them”. This had more than a grain of truth to it, The true-life amorous adventures, excessive gambling and duelling that was the Hussar way, is enthralling and sometimes appalling. These rock star warriors had dangerous pastimes. Somewhere in all of this, we also simply have to include the fact that high society women loved to dress up and pose in hussar uniforms, as pictured. But it went even further. For instance. The women’s Black Hussars of Death was an an actual Russian cavalry battalion that operated out of Baku (Ajerbijan) during World Wer I. There are so many stories to tell, even for an ‘initiation’ KEY PERSONNEL HUSSARS - The Initiation is a ravishing tribute to the days when history tipped its hat, and wore arose. Put together by a creative and production team with a record in factual TV, and a proven ability get their facts straight, but still tell 2 good story. WRITER/PRODUCER: Scott Alexander Young This writer and actor from Canterbury, New Zealand has written for Universal Studios, Fox Networks and Sony Television. As a freelancer his, ‘most recent work includes history documentary series Footprints of Civilization and Warriors Way for Picasso, KM Plus and Big Media TV. And as a late start character actor, Scott now: has some 40 television and film credits to his name, He is fortunate enough to live in Budapest. ‘ARCHIVE PRODUCER: Radek Houska Freelance Director, E dit or, Production Manager, with a background in journalism and media, great experience Ma { » the production of tv documentary series. e "Hei a self motivated content creator driven by the need for an effective and organized workflow able to run a is first experience with TY dates back almost 10 years with his work as a journalist for a small regi Republic, where apart from the daily news work, he got a chance to co-produce 2 regular pro, s been vin the documentary series peu for more than 5 years beginning as an editor," HUSSARS ~ THE INITIATION ~ Conceiven AND DEVESOFEn #Y: = © Scort Asexnuper-Youne, Marcu Stw-2020, Buonrest