The news sounded like an explosion. “Breaking tradition at first – ‘Sis’ cancelled” was the headline Saarbrucken Newspapersin Munich Mercury “Sis” even “flew” out of the event. And ARD also confirmed that the 1950s trilogy cannot be shown this Christmas.
So on December 25, Sissi will no longer chase the deer that the heir to the Austrian throne, Franz Joseph, wants to shoot in the forest (Part 1, “Sissi”), she will no longer pick edelweiss for him in the Bavarian mountains and almost fall in the process (Part 2, “Sissi – The Young Empress”) and on Boxing Day, not all of Venice will queue for the Empress and shout “Viva la mamma” when her little daughter comes before her to the Cathedral St. Markus (Part 3 “Sissi – The Pivotal Years of an Empress”).
With “Sis” you want to turn on the television the classic way
As if public broadcasters weren’t enough to save culture, now they are taking it from us too That A classic for a great festival? A Christmas without Nene, the supposedly deaf father emperor and the bumbling Colonel Böckl? And most importantly: no ad breaks! Too bad.
But that doesn’t mean you have to live without the Empress of Austria completely. In recent years, several new productions have taken on Sisi and dared to do more than drop the second letter of his name. And for everyone who wants to keep watching Romy Schneider and Karlheinz Böhm, no matter what time of day or night: Prime and Netflix still offer all three installments to stream. But “Sissi,” despite its tradition, is one of those films you want to watch in a linear fashion. On TV. From the couch.
:The de-kitschification of empire
Today’s television is rediscovering Empress Elisabeth as a complex character. The revival of “Sisi” is no surprise – and long overdue.
ARD’s breakup with “Sissi” was only due to rights. Since 2024, they will no longer be in the first part, whereas all three parts have been running since 2014 – initially in the spring, and starting in 2016 in the Christmas program. Now RTL, of all companies, has got a classic. The station recently picked up “Pumuckl” from Bayerischer Rundfunk and produced its own series, “Sisi,” about the Austrian empress, which was fresher than Ernst Marischka’s postwar trilogy. RTL Sisi masturbates and smuggles artificial penis into Hofburg. Now RTL has also secured a classic.
Other private broadcasters used to broadcast “Sissi”: until 2012, the rights were held by ProSiebenSat.1. There are also rights to another film that is an integral part of the Christmas program: “Home Alone.” RTL also recently acquired a James Bond film before Pro Sieben. And now “Sis”. RTL is showing the films as a package, on Christmas Eve from 8.15pm. all three parts will be shown one after another, on December 25 again starting at 10.35 – with ad breaks.
But don’t worry: an ideal Christmas world still depends on ARD. “Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella” (Christmas Eve, 12:50 p.m.) and “The Little Lord” (Christmas Day, 4:50 p.m.) will also premiere in 2025. Still.
