User Reviews

Before I watched this, I rewatched the ones with Romy Schneider and I absolutely know those are very romantisized. I looked up the history and the key thing was actually that the then 23y old fell in love with the then 15y old and wanted her.

I absolutely don't know why they want to portray this Franz as a whore going horrible person.

Why there are so many whores in this to begin with... Yes, there was a mistress, after they grew apart. After they had 4 children.

While the movie trilogy was very princessy like with beautiful scenery this is def. Not for the whole family, a lot of nudity, war scenes... Many have regretted to watch it with their children/parents.

I don't think I will watch s2 and I agree with another reviewer about the clothes. Some were prob. Pretty good, others were very 21st century.

Too bad, so many missed opportunities.

I love period dramas and I've accepted that, for the most part, they won't be historically accurate. And, to be honest, a period drama probably wouldn't be as fun if there wasn't a certain level of dramatisation of events.

That being said, this show had some historical inaccuracies that I just found silly. But before I delve into those, I do want to put a disclaimer that I enjoyed the show, in a guilty pleasure way. It had nice dresses, somewhat steamy romance and all the drama made it fun to watch for the most part.

Sisi finds some prostitute Franz went to before their marriage and she convinces her to follow her to Vienna and become her Lady in waiting. Now that wouldn't be possible because as an unmarried woman, Sisi wouldn't be able to go unchaperoned to town, let alone to the town brothel.

Then, Sisi managed to convince her mother that the prostitute (feels bad to call her that but I don't remember the character's name) is some lord'a daughter, which again I found super implausible, seeing that Sisi's mother was very sociately conscious, so she'd know all of nobility.

Sisi manages to bring the prostitute to Vienna, they fool people for half an episode or something, she's caught and then they proceed to meet up in secret and be best friends.

Later, it is even revealed that Sisi and the prostitute might have been more than friends.

This was just too much historically inaccuracy for me.

I also found that Sisi kind of did her sister dirty in the first episode. It is historically accurate that Helene was at first meant to marry the Kaiser and he ended up choosing her. They actually kept some of the history correct, that Sisi was wearing black in their first meeting. In the show it's done because Sisi was "mourning" her lost love, in reality her entire family was wearing black and because it looked better on Sisi than her sister, Franz Josef decided to marry her. (And then they say modern day dating is shallow.)

Anyway, even though Sisi and Josef's actors had chemistry and I'm always a sucker for enemies to lovers tropes, I did feel for Helene and I understood her being mad at Sisi. It did feel like Sisi went behind her back to steal her man and the scene were Franz ended up giving Sisi the flowers in spite of dancing with Helene was just a dick move and honestly quite humiliating for her.

Also, I did have to comment that while the costumes were lovely, it just wouldn't be comfortable to ride around in a ball gown. Also, wouldn't Sisi freeze to death riding on horses with off-the-shoulder ball gowns?

That being said, I can't wait for the second season of this telenovela-y guilty pleasure.

I have watched the 1950's Sisi-trilogy many times and still do (guilty pleasure!).I know they are over-romanticized but Romy Schneider and Karl Heinz Böhm still look so gorgeous on the screen. Since I have read a lot about Sisi's true lifestory it always stuck in the back of my mind that she deserves a true telling in a film or a tv-series...I was very excited when I saw these series announced! I have watched this Sisi and am disappointed! The story-telling is poorly ; it jumps from important to unimportant bits with no connection. The actor who plays Franz Joseph is obviously chosen for his good looks but he doesn't connect to Sisi and one thing that is wellknown is Franz Joseph's love for his wife depite their many conflicts in marital life! The costumedesigner's way of working is a big mistery to me; most dresses are more suitable on a fashiondesigner's catwalk in 2021 and not accurate at all. Why would Sisi wear a glittering dress with bear shoulders at a breakfasttable ? No idea... I could go on but I won't... I had hoped for a real story told, but this Sisi series doesn't work for me. Advise: read about Sisi's real life and watch this and compare both...

I agree with everyone's comments that this is so far from reality. But in reply to another comment, Sisi and FJ married in 1854. Napoleon III started his reign in 1852. So if the comment is in reference to one of the first scenes of episode 1, then yes Napoleon was definitely alive.

Now on the other hand, did Sisi get attacked by Hungarians in the woods and FJ saved her? No. Did she wander the streets and pay to get into a brothel, haha, no way.

So definitely fictionaized, but I'd like to think that they at least got the rulers right. Including the mention of Tsar Nicholas I who reigned until 1855.

I've read a lot of the historical books on this couple and this period. But to be honest, I also fell in love with the kitch-ey Romy Schneider movies. Shows are allowed to take liberties. If you don't like that, watch a documentary.

I DO agree that the history itself is so dramatic it wouldn't need romanticizing, but I won't knock off my rating because it is, I'll let myself roll with it. I'm excited at the thought of 2-3 seasons worth.

What a great series. I love that they've made it completely different from the 1950s movies. This feels much more realistic. I love that they dared to make Franz Joseph really, really cruel but also gradually show more and more of why he is like that. I have never quite hated (for the role he plays) a character so much, only to come to love him at the end of the last episode. Sissi's character development is amazing. Her fierceness is inspiring. The characters are so well written and the acting is great too. Other than that it's a feast for the eyes. Amazing costumes, beautiful landscapes and overall really nicely shot. Truly great!

The story of Empress Elizabeth is a dramatic one and could well entertain and inform just based on historical accuracy. But Hollywood and film making in general can never leave well enough alone and just tell the story. They have to romanticize it to the point of utter none and lunacy. I do watch and read a lot of history but even if you haven't, I think most people would realize that no matter how much of a "free spirit " Sisi was in reality, she would never have had the endless unsupervised freedom to roam as she does in this series as a young single girl and then as fiancée to an empower. It is sheer silliness to portray her riding off alone into the night to follow him to a brothel, I.e and proceeds to get even sillier when she enters and pays to watch. She just happens to have a full purse to bribe the madam. But it gets worse and if you watch it this far you can see for yourself.

Sisi's ever free flowing hair is another joke. No female over the age of about 7 would have worn her hair down in front of men, not even family. Yes her hair was her pride but even so.

If you don't know about Sisi and don't care about historical accuracy then by all means, watch it as a fantasy very very loosely based on a once real person. The political situation is real enough and represented as such but the rest is dross.