Austrian Empress Takes Spotlight in New Mini-Series

MUNICH: A new screen adaptation of the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, is under way for ZDF, ORF and RAI, with a budget of about 11 million euros.

The story of the Empress is being filmed by EOS, Sunset Austria and Publispei for a two-part mini-series tentatively titled Sisi. Shooting begins today at Vienna’s Hofburg Palace. The cast is headlined by by up-and-coming Italian star Cristiana Capotondi (Christmas in Love) as Sisi, Martina Gedeck (The Lives of Others) as Sisi’s mother-in-law, David Rott (Die Rebellin) as Emperor Franz Joseph and Fritz Karl (The Crown Prince) as the Hungarian Count Andrassy. The project is budgeted at about 11 million euros, and it calls for some 2,000 extras.

"Sisi was an idol, a pop star and a style icon at a time when these words didn’t even exist," said director Xaver Schwarzenberger. "She did things her way and refused to be reined in by conventions. With her rebellious insistence on standing up for her convictions, Sisi can be seen as a role model today as well. What particularly interested me here is the challenge to bring to life a Sisi in tune with our time, and to show all of Sisi’s different facets."