The Sisi myth
Why is the empress fascinated to this day?
Dominique Devenport plays the legendary Empress of Austria in the new “Sisi” series from RTL +.
© RTL / Story House Pictures / René Arnold
Why has the legendary Empress Elisabeth lost none of her fascination to this day?
The legendary “Sissi” films with Romy Schneider (1938-1982) are getting competition: RTL + will show the event series “Sisi” with Dominique Devenport (born 1996), Jannik Schümann (29) and Désirée Nosbusch ( 56) in the lead roles. The free TV premiere will follow on three consecutive days on December 28th, 29th and 30th. In spring 2022, Netflix will follow up with its series “The Empress”. And two new films are also being planned.
But why does the legendary Empress of Austria-Hungary fascinate us to this day – more than 120 years after her death? Dr. Martina Winkelhofer provides the answers in an interview with the news agency spot on news. She is an expert on the Habsburg monarchy as well as court and everyday history. Her work includes several standard works on aristocratic history as well as numerous contributions in international media. In September her new book “From girl to woman – Empress Elisabeth’s first years at the Viennese court” was published, in which she for the first time evaluated numerous original sources on Elisabeth’s everyday life and questioned the Sisi myth anew.
RTL is showing the new series “Sisi” and Netflix is also producing its own series with “The Empress”. Why is the life of the Empress still captivating us today?
Martina Winkelhofer: Several factors come together with Empress Elisabeth. On the one hand, we have a very powerful imagery: everyone knows the beautiful paintings and photos of this exceptionally attractive empress. Sisi is the first modern icon whose face is imprinted in the media. Elisabeth stepped onto the public stage at exactly the point in time when photography was beginning to triumph and “celebrities” suddenly seemed within reach. The beautiful empress was omnipresent from the start. With her self-staging, her self-censorship, she also anticipated what “influencers” do today: She decided which embellished images – back then it was called “Retouche”, today “Photoshop” – were published and which were not. With her decision to stop being photographed from the age of 30, she created the myth of the beautiful, eternally young fairytale empress. Of course, this is currently in keeping with the spirit of the times, we live in a very “image-heavy” era in which information is conveyed through images – keyword social media. In short: Sisi’s picture was and is always present and inspired every generation anew.
And then of course her life would be full of ups and downs …
Winkelhofer: Exactly, Sisi’s personal story also has to be added: your “Coming-of-Age” novel, which has been interested in for decades: It’s about maturation and development, about emancipation and liberation. About crises that make you grow. We all know these life issues, they never go out of fashion because every generation has to relive them anew. This is what makes Sisi’s story so universal, almost timeless. With Empress Elisabeth, all of this takes place in a glamorous setting, a golden frame, so of course you prefer to look at it than at the neighbors. We know this phenomenon from today’s royals. The fact that Sisi’s story is told over and over again has to do with the fact that she was such an interesting and complex personality. It simply provides a lot of material, every generation can discover a new, previously unknown facet of Empress Elisabeth.
What do we really know today about their life and everyday life, and where does this knowledge come from?
Winkelhofer: We know less than we think and at the same time we could know more. That means: We do not find the historical Elisabeth in the attributions and clichés, but exclusively in the archives. From original sources – the court minutes, the correspondence, the personal documents, the legacies of the people around them – we can peel out the everyday life of the Empress: How did she live at court? How did she fulfill her representative duties? How did she break free from the corset of the court? What we know today: Elisabeth was a woman who emancipated herself more than any other royal of her time: From the expectations that her contemporaries, her family, her husband, the Viennese court and the public placed on her. And that’s incredible for a 19th century woman.
How vain was she really, was she really addicted to sports and anorexia?
Winkelhofer: She had a certain amount of vanity, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to put on such glamorous appearances. She was very picky about her robes, her hairstyle, her jewelry – and success proved her right. The “Sisi brand” still stands for the beautiful fairytale princess today. Empress Elisabeth was definitely not anorexic, but she was more concerned with nutrition than other women of her time and class: Which foods keep the slim line? Which cures are currently in vogue – she always tried them out: milk diets, diets with citrus fruits, etc. Elisabeth also appreciated sweet, not exactly figure-friendly dishes: she ordered tartlets, croissants and sweets from Vienna’s court confectioners. And their own court cooks regularly provided them with their favorite pastries: madeleines, Linzer torte, tea biscuits with rock candy and, above all, with their beloved “violet-frozen”: crushed ice with violet syrup. Sport definitely played a big role in Empress Elisabeth’s life, she needed it for her well-being. She was always on the move. Sisi rode, did “powerwalking”, trained regularly with rings and on wall bars, she even learned to fencing. With the equestrian sport she also had great successes and brought it to the championship. Today she could compete in the Olympics.
You have questioned countless sources on the Sisi myth. How would you describe Sisi today?
Winkelhofer: As a woman who showed a remarkable personal development for her time and her class: A frightened teenager who slipped on the smooth Viennese floor, who was manipulated and was unable to cope with disapproving courtiers, became a woman who for could take care of themselves and their needs. She overcame difficult personal crises – the death of the beloved child, trauma and disappointment – and redefined her role. Empress Elisabeth fought for a level of personal freedom that was exceptional for her time. She had the courage to step out of her comfort zone in order to live a life that was consistent with her values.