Sissi (1955)

In the first of a trilogy of movies about Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria, the young vibrant princess catches the eye of her sister's fiancé, Emperor Franz Josef.

Director:

Ernst Marischka

Writer:

Ernst Marischka

Stars:

Romy Schneider, Karlheinz Böhm, Magda Schneider

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Romy Schneider	...	Sissi
Karlheinz Böhm	...	Kaiser Franz Joseph
Magda Schneider	...	Duchess Ludovika in Bayern / Vickie
Uta Franz	...	Princess Helene in Bayern / Nene
Gustav Knuth	...	Duke Max in Bavaria
Vilma Degischer	...	Archduchess Sophie
Josef Meinrad	...	Gendarmerie-Major Böckl
Erich Nikowitz	...	Archduke Franz Karl
Karl Fochler	...	Graf Grünne
Franz Böheim	...	Johann Petzmacher
Peter Weck	...	Archduke Carl-Ludwig
Hilde Wagener	...	Baronin Wulffen
Egon von Jordan	...	Graf Arco, Prime Minister
Richard Eybner	...	Postmeister von Ischl
Otto Treßler	...	Feldmaerschall Radetzky

Storyline

16 year old princess Elisabeth, 'Sissi', follows her mother and sister Helene to the Austrian court in Ischl, where the engagement between Helene and the young emperor Franz Josef will be announced. But he meets Sissi when she's out fishing and falls in love with her. Sissi also loves Franz Josef but a marriage with him comes with a bonus, his arrogant and headstrong mother.

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Plot Keywords:

princess | emperor | love | marriage | wedding | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History | Romance

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Details

Country:

Austria

Language:

German

Release Date:

22 December 1955 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

La principessa Sissi

Filming Locations:

Atelier Sievering, Vienna, Austria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Erma-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Agfacolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although he played her husband in this trilogy, Karlheinz Böhm is only 10 years older than Romy Schneider.

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Goofs

The Emperor Waltz is played as background music during Sisi and Franz Joseph's wedding dance in 1854. The Emperor Waltz was composed by Johann Strauss II in 1889.

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Connections

Referenced in Pension Hommeles: Gewoon als iedereen (1959)

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Soundtracks

"Polonaise in a major"
Written by Frédéric Chopin

User Reviews

A Delightful Romance for All Ages

"Sissi" is the first part of a trilogy about the Austrian princess/empress Elisabeth in Bavaria, aka Sissi (Romy Schneider). The teenage princess lives happily in Bavaria with her parents, Duke Max (Gustav Knuth) and Duchess Ludovika (Magda Schneider, Romy's real life mother), and siblings.When Ludovika is invited by her sister, Archduchess Sophie (Vilma Degischer), to take Helene, Sissi's older sister, to the Austrian court in Ischl, in order to arrange a royal engagement for Helene and the young emperor Franz Joseph (Karlheinz Böhm), Sissi goes along. However, nobody could imagine that Franz would fall in love with the spontaneous, childish Sissi, instead of the sophisticated Helene.

"Sissi" is nothing more than a naïve, romantic matinée – but a very well done romantic matinée! Romy Schneider shines as the young princess, she's the heart of the movie. It's impossible not to fall in love with her gorgeous smile and sweet manners.

Released in the same year as another unforgettable romance ("Picnic", with William Holden, Kim Novak and Rosalind Russell), "Sissi" may not be called a masterpiece. However, I cannot give anything less than a "10" to a movie that makes you feel good and smile even during the hardest times.