Listonixio
Fresh and Exciting
Sexyloutak
Absolutely the worst movie.
Gutsycurene
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Sissi - Die junge Kaiserin" or "Sissi: The Young Empress" is the second of 3 Sissi films starring Romy Schneider, her mother Magda and Karlheinz Böhm. Director and writer is Oscar nominee Ernst Marischka again and it runs for 105 minutes just like the first. Many of the topics in this film are exactly like they were in the first. The love between the 2 main characters is still strong, but so is Sissi's connection to back to her rural roots. She loves her parents, especially her father. She is the ultimate do-good character and protects animals this time and the Hungarians as well. The main antagonist is once again Franz Josef's mother and there are occasionally successful attempts at humor, even if this is probably even more a drama than the original movie, mostly with the motherhood plot. And of course the mountain climbing scenes, which for the first time bring the danger of death to the movies, even if it was fairly cringeworthy.I personally did not like the original too much and same applies to this one here. It suffers from one-dimensional writing, especially in terms of the character developments which are almost non-existent. The actors are mediocre for the most part and not good enough to elevate the weak script for the most part. I would not have needed this sequel and I also do not need a third film. I have almost no hope this one is better than these first two. Do not be fooled by the awards recognition this film got. Schneider lost the Bambi for the second year in a row to Maria Schell. The best thing about this film is, just like with the first the visual side. Schneider looks absolute stunning and the costumes cinematography and set decorations are all fairly good. But these pros cannot make up for the lack of great story or acting. Admittedly, it is not worse than the first in my opinion, so if you enjoyed that one, you will probably like this one as well. I just wouldn't know why. Not recommended.
pefrss
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.
blanche-2
Romy Schneider is "Sissi: The Young Empress," Empress Elisabeth of Austria, in this 1956 film, the second of the popular trilogy. Schneider was nearly 18 at the time, and absolutely beautiful and charming in the role.I need to say here, for anyone non-European or anyone who has not spent time in Austria, Germany, Hungary, etc., Sissi was the Princess Diana of her day and in fact, remains popular. Her face is on everything from candy wrappers to pins, pocket watches, necklaces - she's everywhere. She's been the subject of musicals, countless books, TV miniseries, plays, and films.As others have pointed out, this is an idealized story of Sissi, with lots of facts left out as well as the more negative aspects of Sissi's personality - her anorexia, for one. Here, she is still in the honeymoon phase with her husband, the Emperor Franz Josef; and she is also anxious to help to build a good relationship with Hungary.Sissi runs into problems when she becomes pregnant with her daughter Sophie, and her mother-in-law, convinced that Sissi is too young to be a good mother, takes the child from her in order to raise her. Angry that Franz will not stand up to his mother and instead, takes her side, Sissi leaves him and returns home to her family. It's pointed out to her that she has duties as a royal that must be fulfilled.In actuality, Sissi's mother-in-law was worse to her than shown in the film. Also, by the time she becomes Queen of Hungary, she has three children but the film only speaks of one, Sophie, who by then is deceased.These films are incredibly popular in Europe and I believe are shown at Christmas. The color is beautiful, the costumes and furnishings are gorgeous - these films are truly a treat for the eyes.Read up on Sissi to get the real story, and enjoy these romanticized films for what they are: Sissi-lite.
homespun13
This is the second film in the Sissi trilogy. Like the first movie Sissi, this continuation is equally idealized, but here the movie actually disregards historical fact so that a more fairy-tale-like storyline can be presented. It is historical fact that by the time Franz Josef and Elizabeth were crowned King and Queen of Hungary in 1867, Elizabeth already gave birth to 3 children and her oldest child, daughter Sophie, had died. These are huge events in the lives of both parents and monarchs. Yet, in the movie, only the oldest daughter had been born, the second born daughter and third born son do not exist, and by the end of the movie no child is ever mentioned. These are serious omissions which can be problematic if the viewer assumes the story as told in the movie is historically accurate. It's not. I have no doubt that some scenes were totally invented - such as the Tyrolean holiday sequence. I realize that film makers of historical drama need to take some liberties since there is no time to present all of the events truthfully and accurately. In this movie, the film makers wanted to focus on the empress's influence on the resolution of the conflict with the Hungarians. Unfortunately, it was done at the expense of leaving out the ongoing drama and suffering of the real Elizabeth - as opposed to the idealized Elizabeth presented here. Her mother-in-law's extreme cruelty toward her is minimized, and though the emperor's love for his wife was never in doubt throughout their lives, he completely failed to protect her from his mother - a situation that is not portrayed in the movie accurately. In spite of all this, the movie is still enjoyable and hopefully viewers will realize they are watching a very idealized fairy tale and will not confuse the story presented here with historical fact. The opulent ceremonies of the era, the pomp and splendor of the monarchy, are all well portrayed and definitely enjoyable to watch. I missed some explanation, even a very simplistic one, of why a dual monarchy was formed and its importance. But politics do not fit well into fairy tales, so this was likewise completely omitted.
