Sissi
Fateful Years of an Empress (
Sissi - Schicksalsjahre einer Kaisierin) in 1957. The films, which launched German actress Romy Schneider into stardom, were box office hits. Although exact figures are not available, an estimated 25 million moviegoers are said to have seen them.
The plot details the early years of Empress Elisabeth of the Habsburg Empire and is based on the novel of the same name by author Marie Blank-Eismann, which was published in two parts in 1952 in Germany. The book had previously been brought to life as an illustrated story in the magazine
Blütenregen in 1933. Sissi made her a star