Sissi – The Young Empress

Did You Know?

• The film's music includes several waltzes by Johann Strauss and the Hallelujah from Messiah by Georg Friedrich Handel.
• The waltz 'Les Nubiennes' from the opera Faust (Act 5) by Charles Gounod is also featured.
• Anton Profes contributed original creations to the film's score.

Plot

Sissi gradually adapts to life as empress of Austria, but her mother-in-law Archduchess Sophie proves difficult. Sophie adheres to strict protocol and etiquette, interfering in both the emperor's governance and family life. When Sissi's first child is born, Sophie insists on raising the child herself, believing Sissi too young and inexperienced. Sophie also argues that Sissi should accompany the emperor on his travels rather than stay in the nursery. A scandal nearly erupts when Sissi returns to Bavaria to see her parents. She confesses to her father that she cannot endure Sophie's constant criticism and tyranny. Franz Joseph follows her and convinces her to return to Vienna. This strengthens Sissi's influence, and she supports Count Gyula Andrássy and the Hungarian cause for equal standing in the Empire. The film ends with her coronation as Queen of the Hungarians in Buda.

Historical inaccuracies

The film compresses historical events, portraying them as occurring much earlier than they actually did. The Austro-Hungarian Compromise and the coronation as King and Queen of Hungary took place in 1867, twelve years after the birth of Sissi's first daughter Sophie. In reality, Sissi's first daughter Sophie died at age two during a trip to Hungary, while her second child Gisela survived the same disease. Archduchess Sophie did remove Sissi's daughters from her custody, but Elisabeth accepted the decision and did not flee the court. Sissi's escape from Vienna actually happened after the birth of her son Rudolph, not after her first child.