Sissi: The Fateful Years of an Empress

In the first half, Sissi: The Fateful Years of an Empress seems to be more of a continuation of the first part of the trilogy. This is because of the return of Néné (played by Uta Franz) to the stage, which was missing in the middle film. But Néné's presence really only serves as a side-storyline in the section about the lonely Franz Joseph I during his Elizabeth's stay in Hungary. And at that time I couldn't even see Romy, perhaps because she was shooting these scenes already inoculated? Regardless, given the great success of the Alpine reconciliation of the second film, the private imperial honeymoon is repeated here too in a small sequence. Fortunately (for the plot of the film), these are soon clouded by Sissi's illness, and that's when a great dramatic breakthrough occurs thanks to an emotional triangle, as Franz's mother Sophie informs her son about her suspicions of Sissi's early demise. Thus, the Empress's fateful years are finally becoming the old familiar genius Marischka at the level of par excellence! Sissi is sick in Madeira, Ludovika's mother comes to see her, and suddenly a trip to Corfu is possible. Sissi then recovers and nothing prevents the final victorious campaign of the imperial family to the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom... It really is too bad that a fourth Sissi film hasn't been made yet; I'd be most interested to see how Marischka would have handled the death of Sissi's first-born daughter. Unfortunately, because of Romy's defiance, that never happened, and I have not yet been able to find out what happened to the manuscript. My only regret is that with each installment the films became more elaborate, the sets more sumptuous, the music more haunting, and in the last sequel, they even managed to drop the rather cheesy documentary shots of animals (deer or chamois). I am still amazed at the skills of the make-up artists of that time because I have never seen such great, unrecognizable wigs that Romy wore anywhere else. Just think of the tragic imitations in Angelique films, which had been made ten years later... However, the best thing about the trilogy is the viewing experience, which alerts me to new features of the Sissi stories each time - and I've been watching them for half my life. Last time, I almost melted at the clever combination of Colonel Böckl's flawless humor, the Milanese nobility, and the grandeur of a visit to Venice. Yet I have rarely had the courage to appreciate even the small storyline about Elizabeth's eldest brother, Ludwig, who married Henriette Mendel, later the unmarried Lady of Wallersee. In the end, I had to appreciate every minute of it again. :) (02/06/2009)

Alright, well, overall it's just so nice and it's really pleasant to watch. There's no doubt about that. But even this movie won't take you out of the stereotype and you'll mainly watch it because you wish Sissi all the best. It's a shame that the real events weren't emphasized more, but that really wasn't the point. This is a perfect couple and that's what matters most. (08/21/2015)