Feminist Comparison: The Empress (2022) vs. Sissi (1955)

I love to watch period films and shows. One series I watched recently was the Netflix series The Empress (2022) about the Austrian Empress Elisabeth, known as Sissi, who lived during the 19th century. I couldn’t help but compare it to the movie trilogy starring Romy Schneider filmed in the 1950s that was also about the Empress Sissi. These movies include Sissi (1955), The Young Empress (1956), and Fateful Years of an Empress (1957) and were hits on both sides of the Atlantic, even though they're in German with English subtitles. The shows exhibit similarities but also significant differences as well. Both series reflect the time periods in which they were created. 

It was interesting to note the differences in the depiction of the character of Sissi herself. Overall, the 1950s movies portray Sissi as more of an immature, beautiful, and tragic figure with whimsical, girlish ideas. On the other hand, the Netflix series shows her as more of an empowered figure who has definite opinions and makes intentional choices. 

Both movies and the TV series depict Empress Sissi as sympathetic to the Hungarian people, impoverished people, and other groups outside of the Austrian nobility. Both shows portray Sissi as exhibiting the feminine traits of listening and empathy. At the end of the final episode of The Empress, Sissi approaches an angry crowd gathered at the gates of Schonbrunn Palace, looks them in the eyes, and says to them “I see you.” Both shows also depict Sissi as resistant to following the rules of the Austrian court. Sissi tells her mother-in-law in the 1955 Sissi, "I refuse to change my ways and live any differently than now! I want to be free without constraints." 

The 1950s Sissi movies are most concerned about the love story between Sissi and her husband Emperor Franz Joseph I, and her relationship with her domineering mother-in-law, Empress Sophie. Although she says she wants to be independent, Sissi is very much depicted as a support for Franz in ruling Austria. This could be a reflection of the attitudes of the 1950s in which women were expected to be stay-at-home wives and mothers, and concerned mostly with family matters, and the men worried about politics, working, and other responsibilities outside of the home. 

In addition to the love story, Netflix's The Empress focuses more on political intrigue, wars, and social unrest that was going on in the Austrian Empire during the 1800s. In this series, Sissi is more of an individual rather than a support to Franz. She is more involved in politics and how to help ostracized Hungarians and impoverished and unhappy Austrians on her own terms. It shows Sissi taking an interest in these topics and inserting herself into causes. She visits factories and talks with common workers, at one point even taking off her shoes and giving them to a factory girl. 

Although I love watching historical films and shows about female rulers, I wonder if these modern depictions are feminist? Because the characters come from immense wealth and privilege, are they just a grown-up version of the princess trope?

References

Laube, J. & Maubach, F. (2022). The Empress [Television series]. Los Gatos, CA: Netflix.

Marischka, E. (1955). Sissi [Film]. Erma-Film.