TV

"The Empress": Don't read spoilers about the real story behind the Netflix hit

The romanticization and nostalgia of "The Empress" only increases the enjoyment of the story that the series unfolds before us, with sympathetic characters, excellent (and beautiful) actors and a fluid plot that maintains constant tension and makes the series a great binge option.

It's a shame it ends on a harsh cliffhanger

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13/10/2022

Thursday, October 13, 2022, 09:36

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Trailer for the "Emperial" series (Netflix)

Like many series and movies that have passed through our screens, "The Empress" is another romantic period drama series that depicts one European royal house or another, and boasts a good-looking cast, magnificent palaces, and especially magnificent dresses that sometimes overshadow the plot because they are expensive.

There seems to be no end to our need to watch the hard lives of the super-rich and privileged while they agonize over the freedom taken from them in their hedonistic lives that seem like something out of a fairy tale.

Mostly we like to tell us the story of rebellious queens or princesses (or in our case - empresses), which typically do not fit the royal court, because let's face it, they are the most sympathetic and the most interesting.

As in countless adaptations of the story of Queen Elizabeth I, and with the renewed interest in the mental life of Elizabeth II following the series "The Crown", "The Empress" also presents us with an iconic royal figure.

It is based on the true story of Elisabeth of Bavaria, who in 1854 married the emperor and became, at the age of only 16, Empress of Austria and years later also Queen of Hungary, and one of the most prominent figures in 19th century Europe.

The empress who was nicknamed "Sisi" (although she hated being called that), became a cultural icon in the Austrian kingdom, was considered one of the most beautiful women in Europe at the time, and had great political influence.

The spectacular dresses sometimes overshadow the plot.

"The Empress" (Photo: Netflix)

In some ways, her story is reminiscent of Princess Diana's - the concern and empathy she showed towards the citizens, the brilliance of her character and her great intelligence, made her a legend in her lifetime, and with her tragic death (I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers) her memory became a real myth.

For over a century, her image has stirred the imagination of creators around the world.

Long before this Netflix series arrived, plays, operettas and musicals, television series and blockbuster movies in all languages ​​had already been produced about her throughout the twentieth century.

A film trilogy produced in the 1950s is still broadcast in Germany and Austria every Christmas and is considered a cult.

Over the years, no less than two different children's animated series have been produced that used her character (while taking great liberties) - one of them was even broadcast in Israel, so if all of this sounds familiar to you, you may have grown up watching "Princess Sissy" on the children's channel.

In fact, the latest production on Sisi's life is a German mini-series that aired in 2021, exactly one year ago,

What is the magic secret of this story, which requires so many adaptations and versions?

This probably has to do with the fact that at the beginning it feels like a kind of classic Cinderella story: a young and rebellious girl from whom not much is expected, not as beautiful as her sister, of not very high status, accidentally catches the eye of the handsome young prince (or in our case - the emperor), And he falls in love with her and decides to marry her rather than the bride that his domineering mother witnessed to him.

Within a few weeks the dream becomes a reality, and our Elizabeth actually marries the most important man in the kingdom.

Her dream of marrying for love comes true in the most perfect way - until the day of the wedding, when it becomes clear to her that she has no idea what hornet's nest she has entered.

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wasp nest.

"The Empress" (Photo: Netflix)

The first season (which at this stage has not been ordered to continue) focuses on the very first years of the marriage, describing the parallel paths taken by Elizabeth and her beloved, Emperor Franz Joseph.

The question of freedom of choice hovers over the events of the first chapters.

Evidently, life in a royal palace is full of abundance, beauty, the best of clothing and jewelry and food and wealth.

But they also teem with intrigues and conspiracies, interests and tensions.

Elizabeth discovers again and again how naive it is to think that if she just stays true to herself and her love, she can survive the weight of expectations and responsibilities.

On the other side of the story we have Franz Joseph, himself a rather young emperor but imbued with ideals, who is trying to swim in the turbulent political waters of a European continent that is on the brink of war.

If only he were left with all these matters and given a moment to breathe, he could get his kingdom out of the economic crisis it is in.

Although he has good intentions and even an actual plan, we can only watch how he is helpless in the face of a whole set of expectations and rules.

His rebellion against all the laws of what is proper and right for a Caesar to do, is to marry a woman who stirs his blood and heart.

But ironically, the pair's joint rebellion will be the last free thing they do, and Elizabeth, who used to write poetry about longing to fly with the birds, finds herself embalmed in a corset, locked inside a castle.

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Oh shit, you have to dive into Wikipedia.

"The Empress" (Photo: Netflix)

Another fascinating story that happens at the same time is about an assassination plot hatched by revolutionaries, who plant a spy in the palace.

The series also draws parallels between these two women, one of them an empress and the other a servant, but they are much more similar than he could describe.

Both do not belong there, both are fighting for their power, for their independence, for their survival in a hard and violent world.

This relationship is fascinating to watch, and as the season progresses "The Empress" becomes less of a charming romantic Disney drama and more and more intensifies the feeling that all the tension that has been built up can only lead to bad places.

"The Empress" is one of those series where in the first five minutes you say to yourself "Oh shit, I'll have to dive into Wikipedia", because you just want to know which details in it are really faithful to the historical truth, and where more artistic freedom was taken to increase the drama.

Sometimes the series emphasizes a specific detail - for example, certain yellow shoes that will lead to a serious incident, and you can guess from the moment they appear in the frame that it is a detail that those who know the myth of the empress immediately knew what it meant.

In other places it is clear that we are getting a very stylized version of reality here.

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Feels like a Disney princess story at first.

"The Empress" (Photo: Netflix)

But the romanticization and nostalgia only increase the enjoyment of the story unfolding before us, with sympathetic characters, excellent actors (and beautiful, did I mention? Wow, this emperor is handsome) and a fluid plot that maintains constant tension and makes the series a great binge option, especially since it is only six episodes.

The season ends on a very difficult cliffhanger, and I can only recommend to those who are not familiar with the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 19th century, not to run to the wiki yet, so as not to spoil the real life of these fictional characters for yourself.

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