After an initial two pages in media res, we go back a few days to see how it began with the filming of a documentary about Prince Rudolf of Austria, starting with his mother's life story:
“Then in 1884 she married Franz Joseph I, her first cousin, thus becoming Empress of Austria and then Apostolic Queen of Hungary, Queen of Bohemia and Croatia. However, the great popularity that her image enjoys today is due above all to three films, released in 1955, 1956, and 1957, in which she was played by the actress Romy Schneider. Elisabeth was nicknamed 'Sisi,' but the cinema added another 's', making her forever immortal as 'Princess Sissi.' These films tell a version of the character that is in many ways toned down."
The paintings on the wall throughout this story section all come from references provided to the artist by the writer. The paintings don’t really all appear in the same room like this in real life.
“'Sissi' was a rebellious soul, little accustomed to bending to the rigidity of the Austrian court. She never truly felt herself a part of it. Although noble, she grew up simply, free from social obligations and formalities, and spent her summers at Possenhofen Castle in Bavaria. There she learned to love nature, to which she always remained attached. From an early age she was accustomed to taking care of the poor and needy. The contrast between her and the rest of the aristocracy grew ever stronger.
"After her marriage and her move to Vienna, these differences emerged especially with regard to her mother-in-law, Sophie of Bavaria, who was also her aunt. Archduchess Sophie wanted to teach her daughter-in-law the rigid etiquette required by imperial protocol. Sissi refused. Soon there was bad blood between the two, and their relationship worsened further when Sophie and Gisella were born, daughters of Sissi and Franz Joseph. Her mother-in-law insisted on raising them personally. A real power struggle broke out between the two women.”
Sissi (the woman) became and remains a popular figure in German culture due to Romy Schneider's sympathetic portrayal onscreen. Sissi (the film trilogy) is very representative of the genre of heimatfilm ("homeland film") which was very popular following the Second World War. It featured romantic comedies with historical and rural settings in an allegedly more innocent time, long before the Nazi regime, avoiding any suggestion that the attitudes of previous times contributed to more recent tragedies. The Sissi films are available on Amazon Prime, with English subtitles. They focus on Sissi's relationship with her husband and mother-in law, omitting the tragic character of Prince Rudolf entirely.
