Nonureva Really Surprised!

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

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.

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.

dbdumonteil ....and she will have them all on her side,says Duchess Ludovica (Magda Schneider) to her son-in -law who is none other than the Emperor of Austria Franz-Joseph.In real life ,Elisabeth was not as lucky as Romy Schneider's character:not only her first daughter died (the one we see in this part of the trilogy)at a very early age (two) but she was also estranged from her second one ,Gisèle (whom we see in the third "schicksal (sic)" segment.As for her only son,the doom-fated Rudolph,she was never allowed to take care of his education,although she intervened once to snatch him from the clutches of Gondrecourt -who fired several shots in the Kronprinz 's bedroom to gently wake him up.The only one she had for her was her last,Valerie.So we find Sissi battling against her sinister mother-in-law,a stickler for form.She has to strike back ,not only to get her child again ,but also for count Andrassy and his Hungarians the old lady will always consider her enemies.There is a charming moment when Sissi and Franz take a holiday in the mountains.And as always,in the last scenes,pomp and circumstance prove that the love you take is equal to the love you make.I will always love the Sissi saga.It's part of my childhood.Forever,my love.

dutchie-10 Loved it as a romantic teenager in Holland in 1956 - now I'm a senior in Australia and still love it. It brings back wonderful memories of my youth. Sure it is sweet and most probably not a completely true story, but who cares ? I'll see it anytime, it's a shame they don't make movies like this anymore.