Sissi – Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin
Director: Ernst Marischka
Writer: Ernst Marischka
Sequel to: Sissi, Sissi – Die junge Kaiserin
Cast: Romy Schneider, Karlheinz Böhm, Magda Schneider, Gustav Knuth, Uta Franz, Vilma Degischer, Josef Meinrad, Walther Reyer, Senta Wengraf
Seen on: 25.5.2019
Plot:
Sissi (Romy Schneider) has decided to distance herself from the court in Vienna. She spends most of her time in Hungary where rumors abound that she is having an affair with Count Andrassy (Walther Reyer). When Franz Josef (Karlheinz Böhm) comes to get her, he finds that Sissi is already on her way back to him. Things should be good for them again, if it weren’t for a mysterious pain that Sissi keeps experiencing.
Sissi – Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin was probably the weakest of the trilogy, although the difference in quality between it and the second film barely exists. In any case, I’m pretty glad that I have seen all three of the films now and have no need for more.
The entire thing with “Sissi loves Hungary and all of Hungary loves Sissi, so Sissi is of course the perfect Queen of Hungary” that already irritated me in the last film was made even more of a thin in this one. And while I liked that it meant we got more Andrassy, I really could have done without it overall.
And I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but Schicksalsjahre manages to ramp up the kitsch even more than the other two films, with Sissi’s illness being the sparkle glitter cherry on top of everything.
Overall, I have to say that I watched the third film almost entirely for completionist reasons and I can absolutely understand that Romy Schneider had enough after this third installment. I feel the same. If you want experience those films for yourself, I’d say it’s probably enough to see the first one to understand what they are all about. But the other two films ran out of charm for me, especially this last one.
Summarizing: well, now I’ve seen the trilogy.
kalafudra's Stuff 
I was a little girl when these movies about Sissy came to be. I loved them and dreamed often on becoming a princess. I saw them this evening and got as far as when her daughter and her were reunited in Venice and all the Venetian’s applauded a mother’s love for her child. I don’t recall many of the details of these movies and I was glad that as a child under ten the only thing that remained was how pretty the prices was, and how handsome the prince was. The mountains, the castles and lots of dancing with women wearing beautiful gowns. Don’t remember much about any specific plots.