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A young woman who wants to escape the confines of society: It is a well-known story that is told in the new, six-part Netflix series “The Empress” (from September 29) – and in two ways. Because the fate of Empress Elisabeth of Austria is by no means adapted for the first time. Showrunner Katharina Eyssen’s format has little to do with “Sissi” kitsch. Rather, a rejuvenation for a new audience succeeds.
Kaiser falls in love with a rebel
If you recently saw Elisabeth in the Austrian Oscar candidate “Corsage” by Marie Kreutzer as an aging monarch on the big screen, “The Empress” starts much earlier again: Elisabeth (Devrim Lingnau), who really doesn’t like her nickname Sisi, is growing extremely rural in Bavaria. While her sister Helene (Elisa Schlott) lives up to the family’s expectations, Elisabeth is a tomboy, rebellious and more attached to nature than afternoon tea. The fact that the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I (Philip Froissant) looks closely at her does not only amaze her – and obviously has far-reaching consequences.
Power-hungry mother-in-law
Because at court in Vienna there is a strict regime, for which not only Elisabeth’s new mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie (Melika Foroutan), is responsible with many tips and sometimes frosty looks. The young woman first has to get used to the new environment, in which completely different rules prevail. However, this in no way means that the young ruler can be bought off – quite the contrary. But the charming emperor’s brother Maximilian (Johannes Nussbaum wonderfully exaggerated) is not the only one who shakes Elisabeth’s values, after all, resistance against the rulers is increasing among the people and everyday life outside the castle walls looks much less romantic and harder.
Filmed in Germany
As conventional and extraordinarily as all these elements appear, they are staged just as stunningly: Given the many historic castles, the director duo Florian Cossen and Katrin Gebbe can draw from the full when it comes to the dimensions and the richness of detail. Anyone who expects historical accuracy will be disappointed, as all the filming locations are in Germany. But that doesn’t detract from the successful overall impression, because at least the long corridors and winding corridors, richly decorated rooms and magnificent entrance halls were used for many great settings. And costume designer Gabriela Reumer was allowed to let off steam anyway, which is a pleasure.
Ultimately, however, a series like “The Empress” stands and falls with its ensemble. And here, with Devrim Lingnau, a stroke of luck succeeds, as the German mimin knows only too well how to convey Elisabeth’s inner turmoil. Her impetuous manner combined with the burgeoning feelings for Franz and the associated expectations that are placed on her as a young empress harbor plenty of potential for conflict. Philip Froissant is more of a stoic, but consistently believable as such, while his serial brother Johannes Nussbaum throws himself into his role with a lot of verve, which offers him all sorts of freedom.
Anyone who feels oversaturated in view of the royal festival these days – from the various Sisi productions to the non-stop reporting on the Queen’s funeral to streaming long-runners like “The Crown” – is by no means alone with this feeling. However, you have to give this “Empress” credit for doing a lot of things right and in any case offering a contemporary implementation. In any case, the series does not need to hide in terms of claim, but can definitely hold its own in an international comparison.
Source: Nachrichten
