The Princess and the Warrior (2000)

Young nurse Sissi lives a secluded life, seemingly entirely devoted to her patients at Birkenhof asylum. Her first encounter with ex-soldier and drifter Bodo has a lasting impact. He causes... See full summary »

Director:

Tom Tykwer

Writer:

Tom Tykwer

Stars:

Franka Potente, Benno Fürmann, Joachim Król

6 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Franka Potente	...	Sissi
Benno Fürmann	...	Bodo
Joachim Król	...	Walter
Lars Rudolph	...	Steini
Melchior Derouet	...	Otto (as Melchior Beslon)
Ludger Pistor	...	Werner
Christa Fast	...	Sigrun
Susanne Bredehöft	...	Zewil
Gottfried Breitfuss	...	Paul (as Gottfried Breitfuß)
Steffen Scheumann	...	Bruno (as Steffen Schult)
Rolf Dennemann	...	Dieter
Ali Nejat-Nouei	...	Ali
Sybille J. Schedwill	...	Maria (as Sybille Jacqueline Schedwill)
Peter Ender	...	Thomas
Friederike Frerichs	...	Corinna

Storyline

Young nurse Sissi lives a secluded life, seemingly entirely devoted to her patients at Birkenhof asylum. Her first encounter with ex-soldier and drifter Bodo has a lasting impact. He causes an accident that results in her lying under a truck, unable to breathe. While he provides life-saving first aid, mesmerized Sissi begins to wonder whether he may be the man of her dreams. But when she tracks him down weeks later her affection is rejected, as Bodo is stuck somewhere between a traumatic past and a criminal future.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | nurse uniform | nurse outfit | caucasian | female nurse | 

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Taglines:

Irgendwo da draußen wartet die Liebe

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing images, language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

12 October 2000 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Princess & the Warrior

Filming Locations:

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,426, 24 June 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$871,058, 25 November 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

X-Filme Creative Pool, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The literal translation of the German title is "The Warrior and the Empress". The name of the main female character, "Sissi", refers to the nickname of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (1837-1898). There are several movies and television shows about the Empress Elisabeth, some with "Sissi' in the title.

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Goofs

When Bodo shoves Sissi into the mud during the rain storm, she gets up and turns slightly and the back of her raincoat and the back of her arms are covered in mud. A few seconds later she stands and walks away and there's almost no mud. It is raining but not hard enough to wash the mud away that quickly. If you compare the amount of mud on Bodo's face and shirt in the same amount of time, there's almost no difference.

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Quotes

Bodo Riemer: [laying on bead, Sissi has just sniffed him] What are you doing?
Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt: You smell good.
Bodo Riemer: What planet do you come from anyway?
Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt: This one. I was born here.
Bodo Riemer: In the nuthouse? What about your parent's?
Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt: My mother died, a hairdryer fell in the tub. My father is out there.
Bodo Riemer: What do you mean?
[she motions to the mental patients outside]
Bodo Riemer: One of the loonies?

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Connections

References One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

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Soundtracks

Pleiades: Maja
Composed by Urmas Sisask
Performed by Lauri Väinmaa, piano

User Reviews

Simply beautiful - Kieslowski in magnificent colors

Now, there was a pleasant Sunday evening.

I never got around to seeing it in the theaters, but just caught it by accident on tele, and even from the start. And it works perfectly on that media as well.

It is a rarely beautiful tale told in so few words, that tell so much. It is little wonder that Tykwer got to make Heaven (a script left by Kieslowski). Few has ever described the love between man and woman so catchingly and so real in so not so extraordinary circumstances. And these are the stories that sticks.

And Tykwer also always seems to get the music right, notice the elegance of the end-title number "You can't find peace" by Pale 3 feat. Skin. Thankfully they still show end-titles now and then on danish television.

There's lot more to write, but the morning a another day at work grows frightfully close.

This will be a fond memory.