Sissi: The Young Empress (1956)
"Sissi - Die junge Kaiserin" (original title)

The second in a trilogy of movies about Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria, the film chronicles the married life of the young empress as she tries to adjust to formal and strict life in the palace and an overbearing mother-in-law.

Director:

Ernst Marischka

Writer:

Ernst Marischka

Stars:

Romy Schneider, Karlheinz Böhm, Magda Schneider

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Romy Schneider	...	Empress Elisabeth / Sissi
Karlheinz Böhm	...	Kaiser Franz Josef
Magda Schneider	...	Duchess Ludovika / Vickie
Gustav Knuth	...	Duke Max of Bavaria
Vilma Degischer	...	Archduchess Sophie, Franz Josef's mother
Walter Reyer	...	Count Andrassy (as Walther Reyer)
Senta Wengraf	...	Gräfin Bellegarde
Josef Meinrad	...	Major Böckl
Iván Petrovich	...	Dr. Max Falk
Helene Lauterböck	...	Gräfin Esterhazy
Erich Nikowitz	...	Erzherzog Franz-Karl
Hans Ziegler	...	Dr. Seeburger
Karl Fochler	...	Graf Grünne
Franz Böheim
Hilde Wagener

Storyline

Sissi is slowly adapting to life as empress of Austria but finds it hard to live with her mother-in-law. The arch-duchess Sophie is a genuine busybody who constantly interferes with how the emperor rules the empire and how Sissi brings up her first-born daughter.

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Plot Keywords:

mother in law | daughter | countess | motherhood | local blockbuster | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Country:

Austria

Language:

German Hungarian

Release Date:

December 1956 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Sissi emperatriz

Filming Locations:

Atelier Rosenhügel, Vienna, Austria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Erma-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perfectone Klangfilm)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The war that Franz Joseph mentions to Sissi just before he's about to receive the Hungarians is the Crimean War.

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Goofs

When Sissi and Franz Joseph waltz in the beginning of the ball Sissi has organized for the Hungarian exiles, the song played is the Kaiser-Walzer. However, Strauss didn't write this Waltz until 1889, while this ball is at least before 1867, the year in which Franz Joseph became the King of Hungaria.

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Quotes

Major Böckl: [after Emperor Franz Joseph makes a misstep on a mountain trying to pick Edelweis for Sissi, and almost falls to his death] Is he still up there?
Hüttenwirt: For the time being!

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Connections

Referenced in Runaway: A Road Adventure (2002)

User Reviews

19th Century Hapsburg history served "light"

Contemporary critics, including ones on this site may describe as "kitsch" the Sissy series (Princess of Bavaria, Queen of Hungary, and Empress Consort of the Hapsburgs). But this is unfair. Everything must be seen in its time frame, and not retrospectively. The fact is this three part series was highly successful. So much so, it has been available in subtitled video in at least three languages I speak, Spanish, French, and English, for years. Speak to any older movie goer, who was a kid in the late 50's from Buenos Aires to Montreal to Paris, and he or she will remember Sissy fondly. I have seen many tourists in Vienna using the Sissy series as their total source of references while touring this city. This movie and the others, not only provided popular entertainment, historical education, and restored pride in German speakers in the post-war period. It made an international star of Romy Schneider, while she was still in her teens! The trio of Sissy features, prominently including the installment this IMDb page describes, made between 1955 and 1957 were edited together in 1962 into a 140 minute feature. I had previously seen all three individual installments about the Elizabeth (Sissy) and Franz Josef of Austria, dubbed in Spanish. They are beautiful films, recreating the entire period of history of the romance between young Sissy, Princess of Bavaria and the young Franz Josef, from the very beginning to the period after the "Ausgleich" (establishment of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary). It ends on a high note, while all involved was at its peak, leaving out the all the subsequent tragic events that marred Sissy's life, and that of Franz Josef, indeed the entire Empire. While some historic details are simplified, the bulk of the story is pretty well told, despite the teenage puppy love and later melodramatic elements thrown in to please the audience, and make the most of Schneider's incomparable charm, youth and beauty. See the condensed video if you are an English speaker. In fact I believe that is your only option. The three separate films, as described on this site are available in Spanish, French, Italian, and German only to my knowledge. But the 140 minute English-dubbed version is even available in NTSC now. It is sold in the USA. I hope American Amazon.com soon offers it, hopefully once this comment appears. Enjoy it! It's a classic.