A Imperatriz

The first thing the actress playing Elisabeth does NOT look 16. She's pretty but not drop dead gorgeous like Roma Schneider was in Sissi and she really was 16. The Emperor Waltz indeed was written for Emperor Franz Joseph...in 1889. NOT for his wedding to Elisabeth of Bavaria which was in 1854. And what's with the blonde pageboy hairdo sported by the spurned older sister Helene. And the weird modern dance routine. Wasn't the REAL story of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth interesting enough without these embellishments. And yet all the night scenes lit by torches and candlelight are period authentic and very hard to watch. I will probably continue watching because it's not bad just not great.

The first thing that I noticed was that "Sissi" who was supposed to be 15 years old, looked more like 25 years old. The exaggerated hairstyles of some of the female characters were entirely out of place. Why couldn't they just stick to what was correct for the period? And that troupe dance sequence?? Sorry, but that choreography just didn't fit either. The same went for some of the female costumes. Why did they have some of the female actors with a fifties cowl-like top to their gowns?

And did someone say at one point, "whatever floats your boat". Really, trying to paste 21st century slang into the 19th Century ! What are the script writers thinking? Or was it something that got badly distorted in translation? Anyway, it was jarring. That said, much of the camera work was inventive.

Like "The Crown" the film has little relationship to the facts and thus gives a distorted view of the period and the real Empress Elizabeth's story. The facts are just as interesting, and in my view, quite sustainable for television drama. When will someone eventually make a movie of the "true story"?

In any future series, I hope the writers, costumers and hair-stylists move closer to historical accuracy rather than continuing to pursue the quirky distortions of the first series.

The huge problem for me, a humble history teacher , was to like it. I saw the first episode with high expectation. After the next five episodes, not exactly the dissapointment was the state but a sort of fatigue.

The series has only a virtue - two good looking young actors in the main roles.

And nothing more.

Sure, clothes, rooms, a lot of sensuality but each of them represents only details.

The good intentions are obvious, in same measure than the try to be original, ignoring the historical truth. And maybe , for a large public, it is just seductive entertainment. For me not, especially for bizarre excesses.

But I am real grateful to director for this series. It is an enough motif for appreciate little more its "adversary" - Sissi by Sven Bohse.

Every part of this TV series is top shelf - the acting, scenery, sets, costumes- and the story. Sissi is a famous person in Austrian literature. Just remember that this all occurs in mid-1800s so when they mention Napoleon, it's not the famous one but his nephew Napoleon III who came to power in 1848 in France. But you don't watch this series for history, you watch it for its great characters and story. But knowing some history helps. Just not too much to spoil the suspense. Oh, and the music - it is divine.

You can binge watch this series, but don't watch more thsan two a night - a lot happens and you don't want it to fade from memory.

The story of Empress Elizabeth of Austria and husband Emperor Franz Joseph, and their families, told in German.

If you don't mind subtitles then it's much better in its original German with English subtitles.. but dubbed in English is available and also good.

While seemingly true to historical timelines and events for these characters from history books, the series obviously takes liberties with the details and is a work of fiction, and definitely feels romanticized.. yet intensity between certain characters well known in history come through, it does at times fanciful considering it's depicting 19th century royal characters and surrounding families, court and villages.

It is quite lavishly presented in costume and production, with great acting. It's a good series. Romantic. I liked it.