Editing Empress Elisabeth of Austria (section)

==Portrayal of Elisabeth in the arts==
{{further|Mayerling incident#In the media}}

===Stage===
In 1932 the comic operetta ''Sissi'' premiered in Vienna. Composed by [[Fritz Kreisler]], the [[libretto]] was written by Ernst and Hubert Marischka, with orchestrations by [[Robert Russell Bennett]].<ref>"Orchestrator on His Own", ''Time'', 12 December 1932.</ref> Although the pet name of the empress was always spelled "Sisi", never "Sissi", this incorrect version of her name persisted in the works about her that followed.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In 1943 [[Jean Cocteau]] wrote a play about an imagined meeting between Elisabeth and her assassin, ''[[L'Aigle à deux têtes]]'' ("The Double-headed Eagle"). It was first staged in 1946.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In 1992, the [[Musical theatre|musical]] ''[[Elisabeth (musical)|Elisabeth]]'' premièred at the [[Theater an der Wien]] in Vienna. With libretto by [[Michael Kunze]] and music by [[Sylvester Levay]], this is probably the darkest portrayal of the Empress' life. It portrayed Elisabeth bringing a physical manifestation of death with her to the imperial court, thus destroying the Habsburg dynasty. The leading role in the premiere was originated by Dutch musical singer [[Pia Douwes]]. ''Elisabeth'' went on to become the most successful German-language musical of all time and has enjoyed numerous productions around the world, but has not been adapted for an English-speaking audience as of 2024.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

===Ballet===
In his 1978 ballet ''[[Mayerling (ballet)|Mayerling]]'', [[Kenneth MacMillan]] portrayed Elisabeth in a ''[[pas de deux]]'' with her son Prince Rudolf, the principal character in the ballet.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In 1993 French ballerina [[Sylvie Guillem]] appeared in a piece entitled, ''Sissi, l'impératice anarchiste'' (Sissi, Anarchist Empress), choreographed by [[Maurice Béjart]] to [[Johann Strauss II|Strauss]]'s ''[[Kaiser-Walzer|Emperor Waltz]]''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

===Film===
The 1921 film ''Kaiserin Elisabeth von Österreich'' was one of the first films to focus entirely on Elisabeth. It was co-written by Elisabeth's niece, [[Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich|Marie Larisch]] (who played her younger self at the age of 62), and starred Carla Nelsen as the title character. The film later achieved notoriety when a group of [[con-artists]] started selling stills from the murder scene as actual photographs of the crime.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}  [[Adolf Trotz]] directed the 1931 German film ''[[Elisabeth of Austria (film)|Elisabeth of Austria]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021835/|title=Elisabeth von Österreich|date=21 July 1931|publisher=IMDb}}</ref>

In 1936, [[Columbia Pictures]] released ''[[The King Steps Out]]'', a film version of the operetta ''Sissi'', directed by [[Josef von Sternberg]]. It starred opera diva [[Grace Moore]] and [[Franchot Tone]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} [[Jean Cocteau]] directed the 1948 film version of his play ''[[The Eagle with Two Heads]]''. [[Michelangelo Antonioni]]'s 1981 film ''[[The Mystery of Oberwald]]'' is another adaptation of Cocteau's play.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In the German and Italian-speaking world, Elisabeth's name is often associated with a trilogy of romantic films about her life directed by [[Ernst Marischka]] which starred a teenage [[Romy Schneider]] and made her famous worldwide:
* ''[[Sissi (film)|Sissi]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Sissi – The Young Empress|Sissi – Die Junge Kaiserin]]'' (1956) (''Sissi – The Young Empress'')
* ''[[Sissi – Fateful Years of an Empress|Sissi – Schicksalsjahre Einer Kaiserin]]'' (1957) (''Sissi – Fateful Years of an Empress'')
* ''Forever My Love'' is a condensed version, with the three films edited down into one feature and dubbed in English. This version was released in North America in 1962.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

In early dramatizations, Elisabeth appears as peripheral to her husband and son, and so is always shown as a mature character. Schneider's characterization of Elisabeth as a young woman is the first time the "young" Empress is seen on screen. The trilogy was the first to explicitly depict the romantic myth of Sissi, and ends abruptly with her determination to live a private life. Any further exploration of the topic would have been at odds with the accepted image of the loving wife, devoted mother, and benevolent empress. The three films, newly restored, are shown every [[Christmas]] on Austrian, German, Dutch, and French television. In 2007, the films were released as ''The Sissi Collection'' with English [[subtitles]]. Schneider came to loathe the role, claiming, "Sissi sticks to me like porridge ({{lang|de|haferbrei}})." Later she appeared as a much more realistic and fascinating Elisabeth in [[Luchino Visconti]]'s ''[[Ludwig (film)|Ludwig]],'' a 1972 film about Elisabeth's cousin, [[Ludwig II of Bavaria]]. A portrait of Schneider in this film was the only one, taken from her roles, which is displayed in her home.

[[Ava Gardner]] played Empress Elisabeth in the 1968 film ''[[Mayerling (1968 film)|Mayerling]]'', in which [[Omar Sharif]] starred as Crown Prince Rudolf. A 1991 French-German film called ''{{ill|Sissi la valse des cœurs|fr}}'' ({{aka}} ''Sisi und der Kaiserkuss'') starred French actress [[Vanessa Wagner (actress)|Vanessa Wagner]] as Elisabeth, [[Nils Tavernier]] as [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]] and [[Sonja Kirchberger]] as [[Duchess Helene in Bavaria|Helene]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102936/ |title=Sissi und der Kaiserkuß |publisher=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>

An indirect reference to Elisabeth is made in the 2004 film ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)|Phantom of the Opera]]''. The heroine Christine (portrayed by [[Emmy Rossum]]) wears an elaborate white/silver ball gown in her first leading role, with diamond stars in her long, dark hair. The ensemble is modeled after Elisabeth's attire and hairstyle in the iconic [[:File:Empress Elisabeth of Austria with diamond stars on her hair.jpg|Winterhalter portrait]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In 2007, German comedian and director [[Michael "Bully" Herbig|Michael Herbig]] released an animated [[parody film]] based on Elisabeth under the title ''[[Lissi und der wilde Kaiser]].'' It is based on his Sissi [[parody]] sketches featured in his television show ''[[Bullyparade]].'' In ''[[Bullyparade – Der Film]]'' (2017), Elisabeth is played by Herbig himself.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

A recent appearance of Sisi was in the new 2012 biopic about [[Ludwig II of Bavaria]] titled ''[[Ludwig II (2012 film)|Ludwig II]]'', where she was played by [[Hannah Herzsprung]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In 2014, to coincide with the presentation of the Pre-Fall 2015 "Metier d'arts" collection by luxury fashion house [[Chanel]], shown in [[Leopoldskron Palace]], creative director [[Karl Lagerfeld]] directed a short film featuring [[Cara Delevingne]] as Empress Elisabeth accompanied by [[Pharrell Williams]]. During a dream sequence, the duo sing a song written by Williams entitled ''CC the World'', playing on the iconic interlocking logo of the fashion house, the initials of its founder [[Coco Chanel]], as well as the Empress's nickname "Sisi". Lagerfeld recreated the iconic gown worn by Elisabeth in the [[:File:Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria_with_diamond_stars_on_her_hair.jpg|portrait by Winterhalter]], whilst Pharrell takes on attire similar to Franz Joseph.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The 2022 film ''[[Corsage (film)|Corsage]]'' directed by [[Marie Kreutzer]] focuses on Empress Elisabeth's life following her 40th birthday celebrations. The film premiered at the [[2022 Cannes Film Festival]] within the [[Un Certain Regard|Un Certain Regard section]] and actress [[Vicky Krieps]], who played the Empress, was awarded ''[[Ex aequo et bono|ex aequo]]'' the Best Performance Prize.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/infos-communiques/communique/articles/un-certain-regard-winners-list-2022 | title=Un Certain Regard Winners List 2022 - Festival de Cannes | date=27 May 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/movies/the-empress-corsage-sisi.html | title=An Empress Ahead of Her Time is Having a Pop Culture Moment | newspaper=The New York Times | date=7 October 2022 | last1=Safronova | first1=Valeriya }}</ref> The 2023 Austrian-German-Swiss film ''[[Sisi & I]]'' directed by [[Frauke Finsterwalder]] and starring [[Sandra Hüller]], [[Susanne Wolff]], [[Tom Rhys Harries]] and [[Angela Winkler]], tells the story of Empress Elisabeth from the point of view of her lady-in-waiting, [[Irma Sztáray]], with Wolff playing the role of Empress Elisabeth and Hüller in the role of Sztáray. The film was released in Germany on 16 March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sisi & I |url=https://dcmstories.com/en/collection/sisi-and-me/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=DCM Stories |archive-date=18 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818233414/https://dcmstories.com/en/collection/sisi-and-me/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Television===
Elisabeth was portrayed in episode 1 of the 1974 British television series ''[[Fall of Eagles]]''. [[Diane Keen]] played the young Elisabeth and [[Rachel Gurney]] portrayed the Empress at the time of Rudolf's death.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

The 1992 BBC adaptation of [[Agatha Christie]]'s [[Miss Marple (TV series)|Miss Marple]] mystery ''[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]'' centers around the shooting of a fictitious film about Elisabeth. The role of the actress portraying the Empress was played by [[Claire Bloom]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} The season five finale of the Austrian detective television series ''[[Inspector Rex|Kommissar Rex]]'' (1994) revolves around a deluded woman affected by the myth of the Empress. The episode, appropriately, is entitled, "Sisi."{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} A heavily fictionalized version of Elisabeth's younger years is portrayed in a 1997 animated children's series, ''[[Princess Sissi]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}''

[[Arielle Dombasle]] portrayed Elisabeth in the 2004 French television film ''Sissi, l'impératrice rebelle'', detailing the last five days of her life.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} [[Sandra Ceccarelli]] portrayed an older Elisabeth in the 2006 television dramatization of the [[Mayerling incident]], ''The Crown Prince''. Her son and his lover were played by [[Max von Thun]] and [[Vittoria Puccini]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In 2009, ''[[Sisi (miniseries)|Sisi]]'', a two-part mini-series, premiered on [[Europe]]an television, produced by a German, [[Austria]]n and [[Italy|Italian]] [[partnership]], starring [[Cristiana Capotondi]] as Elisabeth and [[David Rott]] as [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]]. Like the 1997 animated series and the films starring Romy Schneider, this film portrays the romantic mythology surrounding the unhappy marriage of Elisabeth and Franz Joseph, but focuses more on the political problems of the empire and the personal troubles of the main characters.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In 2015 an Italian cartoon series {{Interlanguage link|Sissi, the young empress (italian series)|lt=Sissi, La Giovane Imperatrice|it|Sissi, la giovane imperatrice (serie animata)|italic=yes}} began broadcasting on [[Mondo TV]]. In 2018 after airing two seasons totalling 56 episodes (26 minutes each, with 52 shorter 11–minute episodes slated for its 3D third season) it sold its second season to [[Jeem TV]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/mondo-tvs-sissi-makes-royal-appointment-with-jeemtv/ |work=[[Animation Magazine]] |title=Mondo TV's 'Sissi' Makes Royal Appointment with JeemTV |date=19 June 2018 |first=Mercedes |last=Milligan}}</ref> after already having ported it to [[TV Azteca]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kidscreen.com/2017/04/10/mondo-tv-shows-gain-exposure-in-latam/ |website=kidscreen.com |title=Mondo TV shows gain exposure in LatAm |first=Elizabeth |last=Foster |date=10 April 2017}}</ref> In 2021 a German miniseries {{Interlanguage link|Sisi (2021 miniseries)|lt=Sisi|de|Sisi (Fernsehserie)|italic=yes}}'','' aired on [[RTL+]]; Elisabeth was portrayed by [[Dominique Devenport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/rtl-beta-to-re-boot-royal-classic-sisi-exclusive-4155249/|title=RTL, Beta to Reboot Royal Classic 'Sisi' |date=24 March 2021 |publisher=Hollywood Reporter }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/features/dominique-devenport-sisi-canneseries-1235088413/|title=Dominique Devenport on Her Role in "Sisi" |date=13 October 2021 |publisher=Variety}}</ref> As of 2023, it is available in the United States on the streaming platform [[PBS]] Passport as ''Sisi: Austrian Empress''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In the 2022 Netflix miniseries ''[[The Empress (TV series)|The Empress]]'', centering on Sisi's life, she is played by Turkish-German actress [[Devrim Lingnau]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/411916/|title=Katrin Gebbe and Florian Cossen preparing The Empress for Netflix|date=15 October 2021 |publisher=cineuropa}}</ref>

===Literature===
{{Interlanguage link|Constantin Christomanos|lt=Constantin Christomanos|de}} (1867–1911), who served as Elisabeth's modern Greek language tutor from 1891 to 1893 and escorted her during her stay in Corfu, published his memoirs of her shortly after her death, in his 1899 ''Tagebuchblätter'' (Diary Pages).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chrostomanos |first1=Kōstantinos |title=Tagebuchblätter : Erinnerungen des Hauslehrers der Kaiserin Elisabeth |publisher=Czernin |year=2007 |isbn=978-3707601787 |language=de}}</ref> Although he portrayed Elisabeth in an idealistic favourable manner, as a fairytale princess come to life, his book greatly displeased the Imperial Court that declared him ''[[persona non grata]]'' and forced him to resign his university teaching position in Vienna and leave Austria.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} [[Mark Twain]], who lived in Austria at the time of the Empress's death, wrote about her assassination in the article ''The Memorable Assassination'', which he did not submit for publication.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Nurse's View of the Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) |url=http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/mtwain/bl-mtwain-memorable.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114175817/http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/mtwain/bl-mtwain-memorable.htm |archive-date=14 November 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

''Golden Fleece'' is a biography of Elisabeth by [[Bertita Harding]] (Bobbs-Merrill, 1937); one of five biographies by Harding about members of the Habsburg dynasty.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In 1988, historian [[Brigitte Hamann]] revived interest in Elisabeth with her book, ''The Reluctant Empress: A Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hamann |first1=Brigitte |author-link1=Brigitte Hamann |title=The reluctant empress : a biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria |publisher=Faber and Faber |year=2010 |isbn=978-0571271306}}</ref> Unlike previous portrayals of Elisabeth as a one-dimensional fairytale princess, Hamann portrayed her as a bitter, unhappy woman full of self-loathing and suffering from various emotional and mental disorders. She was seen to have searched for happiness, but died a broken woman who never found it. Hamann's portrayal explored new facets of the legend of Sisi, as well as contemplating the role of women in high-level politics and dynasties. {{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}

Drawing on Christomanos's diaries and so far unpublished sources from Greece's national archives, Austrian anthropologist and journalist Stefan Haderer published his book ''Under the Spell of a Myth: Empress Sisi in Greece'' in 2022.<ref>{{Cite book|isbn = 9798844219504|title = Under the Spell of a Myth: Empress Sisi in Greece|last1 = Haderer|first1 = Stefan|date =  2022}}</ref> His book is both an accurate historical account of Elisabeth's travels to Greece and a very personal portrait of her character and her special relationship with the Greek people.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In 2015, journalist Jennifer Bowers Bahney wrote the non-fiction narrative of the theft of the Koechert diamond and pearl jewel titled ''Stealing Sisi's Star: How a Master Thief Nearly Got Away with Austria's Most Famous Jewel''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bahney |first1=Jennifer Bowers |title=Stealing Sisi's Star: How a Master Thief Nearly Got Away with Austria's Most Famous Jewel |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786497225}}</ref>

The Empress haunts a deadly Christmas house party in the form of a chatty biography, ''Life of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria'', in [[Georgette Heyer]]'s 1941 mystery, ''Envious Casca.''<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Heyer |first1=Georgette |title=Envious Casca |date=2006 |publisher=Arrow |isbn=9780099493662}}</ref> The book and its disappearance form part of the goings-on that drive the various family members and guests to distraction.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} Elisabeth's youth and early adult life are dramatized in the novel ''Imperial Waltz'' by [[William S. Abrahams]] (Dial Press, 1954).<ref>{{ASIN|B002JLIJ88}}</ref> She features in [[Alexander Lernet-Holenia]]'s 1960 novel ''Mayerling''.<ref>{{ASIN|B005Q1V8L8}}</ref> The empress appears in the 1976 romantic fiction novel ''Stars in my Heart'' by [[Barbara Cartland]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cartland |first1=Barbara |title=Stars in My Heart |publisher=Pyramid Books |year=1971 |isbn=9780515041613}}</ref>

Elisabeth appears as a significant character in [[Gary Jennings (author)|Gary Jennings]]' 1987 novel ''[[Spangle (novel)|Spangle]]''. The novel concerns a circus traveling through Europe at the close of the 19th century, and portrays Elisabeth's interest in circuses and [[Stunt performer|daredevil]] horseback riding.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} She appears in a cameo in the [[short story]] ''The Road to Charing Cross'' in the 1999 book ''[[Flashman and the Tiger]]'' by [[George MacDonald Fraser]]. She dances with the anti-hero, [[Harry Flashman]] at a ball at the end of the story, in which Flashman has helped prevent her husband the Emperor from being assassinated.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} Elisabeth's story inspired the 2003 children's book ''[[The Royal Diaries|The Royal Diaries: Elisabeth, The Princess Bride]]'' set during her teenage years in 1853 and 1854.

Elisabeth and her purported lover, [[George "Bay" Middleton]] are included in the 2014 historical fiction novel, ''The Fortune Hunter'' by [[Daisy Goodwin]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Goodwin |first1=Daisy |title=The Fortune Hunter: A Novel |date=2014 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=9781250043894}}</ref> Author [[Allison Pataki]] wrote an historical novel about Elisabeth and her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph entitled ''The Accidental Empress'' in 2015.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Pataki |first1=Allison |title=The Accidental Empress: A Novel |date=2015 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781476790220}}</ref> Its sequel, ''Sisi, Empress on Her Own'', was published in 2016.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}  The story of Elisabeth is told in Susan Appleyard's 2016 [[ebook]], ''In a Gilded Cage''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Appleyard |first1=Susan |title=In a Gilded Cage |date=2016 |publisher=Susan Appleyard |isbn=9781310170553}}</ref>  A companion novel to the six-episode Netflix series ''[[The Empress (TV series)|The Empress]]'', also titled ''The Empress'', and written by Gigi Griffis, was published in 2022.

Elisabeth is also a significant character in the novel [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374720438/emptytheatreanovel/ Empty Theatre by Jac Jemc], published in February 2023 by Macmillan. The novel is a fictional exploration of Elisabeth's relationship with her cousin, [[Ludwig II of Bavaria]].

===Music===
Dutch singer [[Petra Berger]]'s album ''[[Petra Berger#Eternal Woman|Eternal Woman]]'' includes "If I Had a Wish", a song about Elisabeth. The song "SiSi" by the Scottish band Washington Irving is inspired by Elisabeth's life.<ref>{{cite web |title=Washington Irving |url=https://glasgowest.com/tag/washington-irving/ |website=glasGOwest |date=24 December 2012 |access-date=23 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref>