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SISSI MOVIES AND THE REALITY Part I - The First Sceenes
Káli-Rozmis Barbara 2015.04.27. 13:34
SISSI MOVIES AND THE REALITY Part 1
Sissi - The First Scenes of the First Part
Helen was chosen as a bride, so why did Ludovica actually take Sisi to Bad Ischl?
How could the black dress influence the Emperor’s choice?
Please click the "TOVÁBB" (continue) button.
Idyllic marriage and a happy childhood?
Possenhofen really meant the liberty and happiness to the Bavarian Duchess as well as her other siblings. The screen quite reflects the reality as regards the character of the father, Duke Maximilian, who believed in freedom and the direct contact with nature, furthermore, the relationship with the local people from the lower classes. Thanks to the Duke, horse riding became Sisi’s passion, who was an excellent and a daring rider like her father. The idyllic drawn Maximilian unlike the film did not deal much with his children in the reality and preferred his “not worthy” friends. The latter one can be seen in several scenes of the film.
Sisi's family in Sissi, Magda Schneider és Romy Schneider - Ludovica and her children
Every member of the family loved Elisabeth, especially her father. Whatever her siblings wanted from their parents, they asked Sisi to persuade them. With the harmonious marriage of the parents, the director paints a very idyllic picture. However, the reality was quite different. According to Brigitte Hamann, prior to their marriage, the beautiful Ludovica had a romance with Prince Miguel Braganza, the future Portuguese King, who (because of political reasons) she could not marry. As regards Maximilian, she loved a civil girl, and shortly before the marriage he declared that he did not love his bride at all, so the marriage was unhappy from the very beginning. Later Ludovica told her daughters about the first anniversary of their marriage when "she cried from morning to night," and she also added many years later that her husband was good to her only after their golden anniversary.
Duke Maximilian and Duchess Ludovica
VIENNA , Archduchess Sophie’ s plan
The next scene of the film is in Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, where Archduchess Sophie tells her son that she chose the older daughter of her Bavarian sister, Ludovica, as a bride for him, and she invited her and her parents to Austria. In reality, Duchess Helen was only the third choice. Brigitte Hamann said the Emperor and Archduchess Sophie had been to two courts but they had not succeeded to have the proper wife, the future empress.
Archduchess Sophie on the screen (Vilma Degischer) and in the reality
As it follows from the mentioned above, Franz Joseph’s mother was the aunt of Helene and Sisi. Consequently, his future bride was his first cousin! Today we would be startled if anything like that happened. However, that time it was quite common in the European royal courts. Though, not only the Bavarian King’s but also the Pope’s permission was needed before the marriage (in the film, there is no reference to it).
Possenhofen, the reception of Archduchess Sophie’ s letter
Helen was chosen as a bride, so why did Ludovica actually take Sisi to Bad Ischl?
Sophia’s Letter was very much welcome in Possenhofenben. Ludovica is enthusiastic and Helen too. The film suggests that they leave to Vienna right away, however, in the reality, they were preparing for weeks to get Helene (Nene) ready for being the bride of the Emperor.
In the film Sisi is taken with Ludovica and Helen so as to make Duke Maximilian believe that it is just a plain visit.
In the historical reality, the Duke was also invited by Archduchess Sophie and the Emperor but he excused himself and refused to go. A question can emerge: Would the Duke’s favourite daughter have been engaged so fast if her father had been there?
Ludovica (Magda Schneider) and Helene (Uta Franz) on the screen
Taking Sisi was Ludovica’s decision and it had a more surprising reason: The young Sisi had love-sorrow. Elisabeth had fallen in love with a soldier, a certain Count Richard S. who was “accidentally” removed from Possenhofen by a mandate. Not long after he returned but got ill and died. Sisi went into deep melancholy. She was in her room crying and writing love poems all day long.
According to her bibliographer, Brigitte Hamann, on the one hand, Ludovica wanted to make her daughter glad and cheerful with the travel; on the other hand, she hoped to find a bridegroom for Elisabeth. Since there was no focus on Sisi during the visit, there was no fuss made about her and as regards her wardrobe, nobody cared with that. Why to care? It is not her but Helene who would be the future empress! Only shortly before the travel a simpler prom dress was prepared while Nene got as many clothes as it was possible. It was natural, of course, because everybody was convinced that the older sister would be the bride of the Emperor.
Arriving in Bad Ischl
Was Sisi really giving water to the horses? Was Archduchess Sophie surprised by seeing her younger niece in Ischl?
These are out of question, of course. Sisi was not giving water to the horses and Sophie must have known about her coming (not knowing about it would have been impossible and would have met the Archduchess’s anger).
The meeting of the fifteen-year-old Elisabeth and the twenty-three-year-old Franz Joseph took place at a fashionable resort, Bad Ischl, on 16th August, 1853. Ludovica and her daughters arrived one and a half hour later than expected, in addition, the carriage delivering their clothes was fallen behind with their maids so they could not change dresses. In the film, Sophie goes to see them earlier, and finds Sisi wearing a colourful dress which was a little bit wet because of the above mentioned “horse-drinking”. In the reality, of course, the Archduchess did not go to see them earlier but sent her maid to help her sister and her nieces. Furthermore, Sisi was not giving water to the horses, and was not wearing a colourful dress and her mother and sister neither...
How could the black dress influence the Emperor’s choice?
Ludovica, Helene and Sisi were wearing mourning dresses because of the death of an aunt. As mentioned, they could not change dresses before meeting the Emperor.
Helene in black and Sisi in black on horseback (as a young woman and later)
The simple, highly closed black dress fitted Sisi perfectly but Helene seemed too strict in that. According to many, it also played a role in the Emperor’s choice and that is why his marriage proposal was made so quickly.
Archduchess Sophie’s maid, while preparing Helene’s hairdo, was delighted by the charming Sisi, who braided her own long blondish brown hair herself. The cousins first met at Sophia 's lounge. According to one of Elisabeth’s bibliographers, Count Corti, Nene was a beautiful, tall and slender phenomenon but there was something like hardness and fortitude in her personality, which was enhanced by her embarrassment. However, Sisi behaved completely at ease.
To be continued...
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THE TEA AND WHAT CAME AFTER THAT ...
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Works Cited
Hamann, Brigitte. Erzsébet királyné. Európa Könyvkiadó, 2012
Count Corti Egon: Erzsébet. Révai Kadás, Budapest, 1935
Jean des Cars: Sisi avagy a végzet. Magyar Könyvklub, Budapest, 2001
Soós István: Sisi és családja. Erzsébet, a magyarok királynéja. Rubicon, Budapest, 2001
F. Dózsa Katalin: A világ legszebb asszonya. Erzsébet, a magyarok királynéja. Rubicon, Budapest, 2001
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