Sex toys and prostitutes, the new "Sissi" breaks the myth

• Sissi

  , a German series available on Salto and broadcast this Thursday on TF1, looks back on the life of Elisabeth of Austria.

• Dominique Devenport succeeds the icon Romy Schneider in the role of Sissi, while the German Jannik Schümann plays her husband François-Joseph 1st, Emperor of Austria.

• The two actors tell

  20 Minutes

  how the series tries to present a "strong and modern Sissi" and also, a little naughty.

A series that breaks the myth from the foreground! 

, a German series available on Salto and broadcast this Thursday on TF1, looks back on the life of Elisabeth de Wittelsbach, Duchess of Bavaria, who became Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, Bohemia and Lombardy-Veneto. Sixty-five years after Ernst Marischka's cult trilogy and before Netflix's miniseries,

, this version shows a much more modern heroine and a much more tumultuous love story than the fairy tale popularized by Romy Schneider and Karlheinz Böhm in the 1950s.

In the title role, the American-Swiss Dominique Devenport does not demerit by succeeding the icon Romy Schneider, while the German Jannik Schümann plays her husband François-Joseph I, Emperor of Austria.

“They did all of the setup to find the perfect mix.

At the end of the day, what really matters is the chemistry, ”says Jannik Schümann, whom

met during the world premiere of

at the Canneséries festival.

"Films with Romy Schneider are classics"

How to succeed the icon Romy Schneider of the saga of Ernst Marischka, broadcast every Christmas? “I never really felt threatened by old films with Romy Schneider. They are classics, and they always will be. We didn't even try to look like them, but try to make our own version. Sissi and Franz are emblematic characters who deserve to have a modern interpretation so that people today can perhaps identify with them, ”explains Dominique Devenport.

“We don't want to replace them.

These films represent love, romance, our point of view is totally different.

They were shot in the 1950s, we wanted to breathe new life into this story into the 21st century and tackle other topics, like emancipation and empowerment of women.

It's good for the current generation to see a strong and modern Sissi ”, adds Jannik Schümann.

The series opens with a masturbation scene

This new Sissi does not have much in common with the tender version of the 1950s. “Sissi is a timeless story, a young woman who struggles for her independence in a rather hostile environment. It seems that history is repeating itself. Today, she could be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, ”quipped Moritz von Kruedener, general manager of Beta Film production, who sold the series to TF1.

The opening of the first episode sets the tone: the young Duchess of Bavaria masturbates in her bed while thinking of a certain Count Richard.

“We wanted to show the human sides of the Emperor and Empress.

With all these myths and the old movies, we have the picture of a fairytale Sissi, perfect.

She's not really human.

Sissi is very sensual and emotional, unlike Franz, ”comments the interpreter of the Empress.

Not a feminist icon

In this new version, Sissi is more Daenerys in

than the heroine played by Romy Schneider. At 15, still inexperienced, she hired as a companion the favorite prostitute of her husband, used to Austrian brothels. A way of emancipating oneself in a sense. “As an Empress you had to represent and bear children. These were the only important things. And she was able to resist and say, "No, I want to have privacy, whatever." In a sense, it has to do with emancipation, ”concedes Dominique Devenport.

If Sissi is in search of emancipation, Elisabeth of Austria is not a feminist icon for all that.

“A feminist version today would ask, 'How can I make the most of this political position? How can I be active?'

What she did not do at all, “says the actress.

"Franz discovers his emotions which he had always repressed"

Franz is also far from the image of Épinal in the “old films” where we saw the emperor “sitting at his desk. He had all these political discussions, but everything was fine, Sissi would come into his office and give him a kiss and he was happy, ”summarizes Jannik Schümann. And to explain: “Our Franz is different. He has to run the empire, he's in deep trouble with Napoleon, he has his mother on his back, who tells him that emotions are a sign of weakness and at the same time, he has this girl by his side who triggers something in him… He discovers his emotions which he had always repressed before. A more modern figure of masculinity. “There is this traditional image of the male figure that does not show his emotions. Nowadays, that is changing, ”comments the actor.

This big production shares magnificent sets and costumes with the Ernst Marischka films.

“The dresses were inspired by those worn by Elisabeth of Austria, but with a very modern touch,” emphasizes Dominique Devenport.

“For Franz, we had long discussions about whether he would wear a mustache or not.

My uniform is a different blue from the original.

We wanted a darker blue.

We didn't care about historical accuracy, we created our own universe and our own rules.

We had one of the best costume designers in Germany, ”explains Jannik Schümann.

10 cm heels

Both actors are the same height, but on screen the Emperor had to appear significantly taller than his bride.

Jannik Schümann played with 10 cm high heels.

Also, “this uniform was so tight that I couldn't move.

It all helped me to be very formal.

The costumes were made of wool, and we shot during an incredibly hot summer, some people almost passed out, ”the actor says.

In these big dresses and with these imposing hairstyles, “you can't do what you want.

If we had pain, we tried to hide it, but being in pain changes the way we move, how we behave, whether physically or emotionally, ”says Dominique Devenport.

Our Series file

​

After the release of the first

part

in 1955, Romy Schneider said that some wigs weighed more than six kilos and gave him excruciating migraines.

Sixty-five years later, you still have to suffer to play Sissi!

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