Known through Screen: Onscreen Narratives of Empress 'Sissi'
Résumé
Empress Sissi is one of the most famous historical figures from Austria. The success of Ernst Marischka’s film trilogy in the 1950’s catapulted the empress into renewed international stardom. Even if the movies were not a loyal retelling of Elisabeth von Wittelsbach’s life, they nevertheless created an indelible image attached to both the figure of Sissi and Austria. More recently, Sissi reappeared on our screens: one movie, Corsage (2022; and two shows, Sissi und Franz (2021) and Die Kaiserin (2022) offer new versions of her story and are a far departure even from Marischka's trilogy. These new productions are being created at a time when other historical fictions about monarchy—including The Tudors (2007-2010), The Borgias (2013-2015), Versailles (2015-2018), Victoria (2016-2019), The Crown (2016-), or the recent Marie Antoinette (2022)— are finding international acclaim. These reframed narratives of former kings and queens are intended for sheer entertainment and not for any pedagogical purpose.
Sissi’s character in these newer productions was written as entertainment, the Empress’s story is told through popular tropes and plot convention, resembling the depiction of other notably royal figures, whose public persona were also crafted by the media. My paper discusses how fiction has reshaped the historical facts and transformed the vision of Elisabeth as a historical figure. In turn, this demonstrates the ways in which fiction influences our perception of historical figures, and how these movies and series continue to reinforce a Sissi archetype that existed outside of any historical frame.