Sissi

The Sissi trilogy is one (or three) of the sweetest movies I have ever seen. Romy Schneider played the title role, and didn't she look really like a princess?

1. Sissi (1955). From all 3, this is the one I love best. Princess Elizabeth (nicknamed Sissi) from Bavaria comes with her mother and sister Helene to Vienna. Emperor Franz Josef is supposed to marry Helene, but he meets Sissi first and they both fall in love. I found some parts were very touching, that Sissi would not marry the man she loved for the sake of her sister's happiness. The scene with the telegraph operator and Major Böckl is very funny.

2. Sissi - The Young Empress (1956). In this part, Sissi has married Franz Josef and becomes the Empress of Austria. Her relationship with her mother-in-law is not smooth and she flees from the palace in her chagrin when her mother-in-law decides Sissi cannot bring up her own daughter herself.

3. Sissi - The Fateful Years of An Empress (1957). I like this 3rd part better than the 2nd. I like how Sissi wins the heart of Hungarians and Italians. It was very funny what happened to the Milanese aristocrats.

The sceneries are really beautiful, remind me of The Sound of Music. I wonder if all those trees are still there, if the lakes and mountains are still that lovely. Costumes and set are also wonderful.

The DVD set includes Forever My Love, an edited Sissi Trilogy dubbed in English, which sadly has not been properly restored. The colour is pale and the picture is not as sharp as the German version. I assume this disc is a bonus, so I should not complain about it. Furthermore, I do not need this English version when I can watch the original. However, what a pity that the 5th disc is also not restored. It's Victoria in Dover (Mädchenjahre einer Königin - 1954), another work of director Marischka prior to Sissi. Romy Schneider plays Victoria, who becomes the Queen of England in such a young age after the death of King William IV. Madga Schneider was more appropriate to be cast as her mother for the resemblance between them was obvious, but perhaps the director wanted a bigger part for her. It's deplorable that movies like these are not made these days. Don't we believe anymore that falling in love is possible in innocent ways?