7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The second in a trilogy of movies about Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria, the film chronicles the married life of the young empress as she tries to adjust to formal and strict life in the palace and an overbearing mother-in-law.
Starring: Romy Schneider, Karlheinz Böhm, Magda Schneider, Gustav Knuth, Vilma DegischerHistory | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: Dolby Digital 5.1
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available as a part of
The Sissi Collection.
Peter O’Toole will enter the cinematic record books for any number of reasons, including the fact that he remains one of the most Oscar nominated
actors to never receive an “official” award (O’Toole was feted with an honorary Academy Award in 2003, perhaps precisely because he had
never “really” won). O’Toole’s second and third nominations for Best Actor made history in a different way, for in 1964’s Becket and 1968’s The Lion in Winter, O’Toole was playing the same real life historical character (at different ages), King Henry II. There
have been at least a few other performers who have played the same character in different films, and some of them, like Bing Crosby in Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's, or Al Pacino, in The
Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, have also
garnered Oscar nominations for each film, like O'Toole, though by and large those performances have been of fictional characters. One of the few
other
times the same performer has played the same real life historical character in otherwise unrelated films was when Romy Schneider "recreated" her
take on Empress Elisabeth of Austria for Luchino Visconti's Ludwig
, years after she had taken on the same role in a series of films that became known as The Sissi Trilogy ("Sissi" was the diminutive
nickname family members called Elisabeth). This in and of itself is kind of a fascinating "trivia" phenomenon, since I personally can't think of
another example where one performer essayed a role based on a real life historical figure in a "series" and then played the same role years later in
a completely unrelated film. There are of course other manifest differences between the series and the Visconti film, due not just to the different
eras in which they were produced, but also due to the fact that Ludwig is an often provocative, even trenchant, entry, while all three
Sissi films tend to exploit a glossy quasi-"Hollywood" style where happily ever after is never too far out of reach.
All three of the Sissi films in The Sissi Collection
are presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in both 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 in what Film Movement is
touting as new 2K restorations (without stating what exactly was the source for the restorations). All three films feature an announcement that they
have been digitally remastered by Arri Film and Television Restoration Services and Taurus Media Digital. Because all three share certain
similarities, I'll deal with them as a group before moving on to comments about each
film separately. Perhaps surprisingly, given the era in which they were shot, all three were evidently originally released in Academy Ratio, despite
the
fact that the "widescreen" rage had already erupted on this side of the pond. Therefore, most of the screenshots I've included with each review
feature
that aspect ratio, but I have also included a few of the "rejiggered" 1.78:1 versions so that those interested can see the differences in framing. One
of
the most noticeable differences is not in fact with regard to framing but with regard to the appearance of grain, which is much more substantially
noticeable in the 1.78:1 versions, I assume due to being blown up and cropped to fit that aspect ratio. All three films were shot using the German
Agfacolor process, a technique that is manifestly different looking than "classic" Technicolor. If "Technicolor reds" might be thought of as one of the
defining characteristics of that technology, I'd argue that "Agfacolor blues" might be a corollary for this particular process. Otherwise, Agfacolor can
look just a little anemic, at least relative to Golden Age Technicolor, with reds tending to skew a bit toward the pink or orange side of things and the
overall palette never looking quite as richly suffused as in traditional Technicolor outings. The restorations are by and large quite winning, though
eagle
eyed viewers may still catch a stray (minor) blemish or two that peeks through now and again. Detail levels are a little variable, with all three films
looking a bit on the soft side. At times even midrange shots tend to look a bit "blurry" in terms of things like facial details. That said, in close-ups,
fine
detail on elements like the opulent costumes and sets can be excellent. While there is a fine grain field in the 1.33:1 versions, things look just
slightly
digital to my eyes, with perhaps some high frequency filtering having been applied, since the grain field is somewhat variable and tends to look
unnatural at times.
The second film's credit sequence looks at least a bit more natural than what I discussed in the Sissi Blu-ray review, and both densities and general suffusion are arguably more consistent in this presentation as well.
There are some rather vivid hues on display here (at least in the relative context of Agfacolor), with Sophie's lush blue gown in a ballroom scene
rather memorable, and several examples of green, including what looks like a satin gown for Sissi, looking nicely radiant. There are occasional
variances in clarity here, including what may be a few uses of stock footage in a mountain climbing scene later in the film. This transfer has just a
few more (again, rather minor) vertical scratches on display than the first film does.
All three of the Sissi films feature DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes in the original German. Why these have not been offered with the original mono tracks is unfortunate, since aside from some age related issues like overall boxiness, there are recurrent prioritization issues in all three films that sounded decidedly unnatural to my ears. For example, sound effects like squawking geese or galloping horse hooves can occasionally overwhelm dialogue. The "surround" activity in these mixes is intermittent at best and at worst tends to add too much reverb (for my ears, anyway), leading to a somewhat diffuse sound. There is minor distortion in all three films with regard to some of the music, especially in terms of the more blaring brass or higher string sounds. Dialogue generally comes through fine, with the exception of the aforementioned prioritization issues.
While there are some supplements included in this package, none are on this particular disc. See our The Sissi Collection Blu-ray review for details.
Sissi — The Young Empress could have used a little more innovation in its storytelling, since it's obvious that the filmmakers wanted to recreate the first film as much as possible. But that's not an entirely bad thing, since this film, like its progenitor, offers scenery galore and an undemanding story that moves toward its happy ending without too much trauma. As with the other films in this set, there are occasional technical hurdles to overcome, but Sissi — The Young Empress comes Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Sissi - Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin
1957
1955
Warner Archive Collection
1955
2013
2017
2015
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1954
1964
1953
2021
1964
2011
1994
Masterpiece
2015
2009
1935
2006
Choice Collection
2006
Special Edition
1968
2015