Sissi: The Young Empress

I grew up with the Sissi movies and was a big fan of Romy Schneider in my youth. Later in life I researched the life of the Empress and the life of King Ludwig II a little bit more thoroughly. Of course I found out that the multiple movies made about these two popular royalties were all sugarcoated and in many aspects far from reality. This said, up to today I put on the Sissi movies to relax. I enjoy just about everything in it and like them as a fairy tale. A fairy tale with castles, kings, princesses and the wicked mother in law. I never visited Hungary and thoroughly get pleasure from the scenes showing this beautiful land. In many ways the movie is also realistic.

My father grew up under a Kaiser, so the lifestyle is not too far removed from what I experienced. Children of influential families were nearly always brought up by governesses and saw their parents only at "audiences". Duty to the Fatherland was something which was taught to everybody and of course even more so to the royalties. Marriages in high circles were always arranged and a marriage out of love practically unheard of. So the film paints also a picture of the time these people were living in.

I think the Sissi trilogy may be the only movies which stayed with me all my life.