Netflix in turn offers a re-reading of the life of Empress Elisabeth – nicknamed Sissi. Is it a wise and romanticized version à la Romy Schneider or sulphurous like the TF1 series?
What is it about ?
This mini-series will focus on the period immediately following the meeting between monarchs Elisabeth “Sissi” von Wittelsbach and Franz Joseph.
A faithful and not self-centered version?
Centuries after her death, Empress Elizabeth of Bavaria continues to fascinate. It must be said that the young woman was avant-garde, refusing to comply with the protocols of society and the court. Free, Sissi was as much in her words as in her gestures.
What attract the wrath of his mother-in-law but also the sympathy of his people who had, before his marriage, a very bad opinion of the family of the Emperor François-Joseph.
Netflix’s Empress is a 6-episode mini-series that recounts the beginnings of the young woman’s reign, from her meeting with the Emperor to her marriage. But these are just the outlines.
“There are historically interesting people who have great dramatic potential. Especially Emperor Franz Joseph who has never been described as a complex and fragile leader, but who has extremely shaped our European history“says the showrunner to the German site dwdl. The series tackles the conflict with Prussia and the creation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In the guise of actor Philip Froissant, the sovereign appears as a solitary man, in love, very unsure of himself. His chemistry with actress Devrim Lingnau accentuates these aspects.
Even though the series is called The Empress, it takes the time to explore the secondary characters in more depth, including Sophie, the Emperor’s mother played by the impeccable Melika Foroutan. Because behind her coldness hides a woman in pain…
“A Dark and Hidden Truth”
If the films on Sissi carried by the sweet Romy Schneider had this something romantic – and, let’s say it, a little silly – The Empress does not respond at all to her adjectives. We can see some scenes of nudity, without falling into the obscene.
If TF1’s Sissi series at the end of last year shocked viewers who called it an “erotic TV movie”, Netflix production does not want to be as sulphurous. No orgy, drug use or masturbation scenes. Nudity is filmed with tenderness, without ever provoking.
The Empress nevertheless scratches the image of Sissi, by addressing her fight against anorexia and her various depressions after her marriage. “Show a dark truth hidden behind a fairy tale and imperial propaganda“, that was the goal of showrunner Katharina Eyssen.