In the more than 130 years that have passed since her death, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sissi, has remained a major female icon in the European imaginary, just as she was during her lifetime: an archetypal symbol of the 19th century’s beauty standard. In the modern era, her image adorns countless souvenirs and foodstuffs (ranging from chocolate pralines to luxury brands of ham) – and the audiovisual medium has also proven to be fascinated by her: from the four times that she was performed by the legendary actress Romy Schneider (in Ernst Marischka's Sissi trilogy and Luchino Visconti's Ludwig) to the Princess Sissi animated series, which most girls born in the nineties watched with bated breath in their childhood. All of these created a lasting image in the collective mind: that of the gorgeous, young noblewoman with boyish and adventurous tendencies, humanistic and generous, close to nature and animals, a polyglot and gifted diplomat – in short, an image of perfection which, while based on the historical accounts of her life and personality, does not act subversively upon the concept of the imperial(ism), but rather, as a humanizing force, weaponizing her (somewhat) small transgressions from the performance of her female gender role and the strict rigors of the court.

Flavia Dima

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Film critic & journalist. Collaborates with local and international outlets, programs a short film festival - BIEFF, does occasional moderating gigs and is working on a PhD thesis about home movies. At Films in Frame, she writes the monthly editorial - The State of Cinema and is the magazine's main festival reporter.

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