Launched last night on TF1, the new German version of the adventures of the young Austrian empress led by actress Dominique Devenport did not convince a part of the public, put off by the sulphurous bias of the series.
Thursday, December 23, viewers were able to discover on TF1 a new version of Sissi’s adventures transposed on the small screen. German production starring Dominique Devenport and Jannick Schümann in the roles of Elisabeth of Austria and her husband Franz Joseph I, this historical series revisiting an icon of the small screen did not convince everyone.
The reason ? A resolutely modern treatment of the life of the young Austrian Empress, immortalized by the actress Romy Schneider in three successful Austrian films released between 1955 and 1957. A version frequently broadcast during the holiday season on the small screen and difficult to forget for many viewers, who could not help but make the comparison with the new Sissi offered on TF1.
But more than the nostalgia for the star of Austrian origin, it was the resolutely modern and provocative tone of this reinterpretation of Sissi that shocked the public. More focused on the sex life of its characters, starting with the young empress, the series contains many sulphurous scenes showing the Emperor of Austria having fun in brothels, drug use, as well as a sequence where the the heroine masturbates.
What surprise many viewers who expected a more polished version of the cult saga in these end-of-year celebrations, some not hesitating to compare the TF1 series to the erotic saga Fifty Shades of Gray.
However, some Internet users welcome the fact that the bias of the series is more realistic than the films of director Ernst Marischka, showing that the marriage of Sissi and Frantz was not as magical as one might think. By infusing a good dose of modernity in this new Sissi, the series offers a feminist reinterpretation of the not so rosy life of the young empress, in touch with the challenges of her time.
The last three episodes of Sissi will be available on Thursday, December 30 from 9:05 p.m. on TF1 and in preview on SALTO.