a much more sexual and realistic “Sissi”

She has everything of an icon. Empress Sissi, before Lady Di, was an independent woman, married to the Emperor of Austria Hungary, who refused to submit to the obligations of the monarchy and was assassinated in 1898 at the age of 50. Its incarnation in cinema by Romy Schneider in the 1950s has made it a legend. 70 years later, his story is told in series.

In this luxurious German production which in all its splendor brings to mind Bridgerton Chronicles and broadcast from Thursday, December 23 on TF1, the Empress is embodied by the Swiss actress Dominique Devenport who had never seen Romy Schneider’s films until then. They have aged a bit for her. “She did a wonderful job. But the problem is, these films were made in the 1950s, and the image of women, the way she portrays them, has a lot to do with the way we show women. at that time”, said Dominique devenport

This new series on Sissi is much more realistic. For Dominique Devenport, it is about recounting the inner conflict of a woman like the others who seeks not to deny herself. “We were able to show a more human face of Sissi. Our characters are not perfect. When I watched the old Sissi films, they are too perfect people who live in a perfect world. Their love is perfect. has no conflict. On the one hand, it’s good: it’s like a fairy tale. But the truth was completely different “, comment Dominique devenport.

The production is very chic. With magnificent dresses, castle decorations, revolt and war which also realistically rumbles at the gates of the kingdom. A much more gendered vision of history as well. “I’m always very careful when it comes to sex scenes in movies. Very often, I feel like they’re there to make the movie more interesting. But there, right from the start, I felt that these scenes were very important in the story being told. Because next door, you have the other side: people in costume, who cannot move. Who cannot get very close. A world made of rules. I really like this contrast “.