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Katharina Eyssen's show The Empress premiered on Netflix on Thursday, September 29, 2022. Based on the life of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria, nicknamed Sisi, The Empress season 1 follows the story of a girl who does not wish to live by the books.
It features actors Devrim Lingnau as Empress Elisabeth, Philip Froissant as Emperor Franz Joseph, Melika Foroutan as Sophia, mother of Emperor Franz Joseph, Johannes Nussbaum as Archduke Maximilian, Elisa Schlott as Helene, Elisabeth's older sister, and Almila Bagriacik as Ava alias Leontine, Countess of Apafi, among others.
Based on the life of the Austrian Empress, The Empress is set in a conflicted Europe, still reeling from the effects of the French Revolution. Emperor Franz Joseph's family, also the relatives of Marie Antoinette, were not in the good books of the masses.
Antoinette is a renowned historical figure, not for being guillotined but for the words that led to her execution. The teenage queen had proclaimed:
"If they can't eat bread, let them have cake."
The series began with Franz maintaining his family name and greenlighting public executions of those that dared to revolt against the emperor. Although he was reluctant to go on a rampage, he was told it was part of his duty. According to the show, Franz was a sensible ruler who recognized his people's woes but could do little as his hands were tied because of the crown's limitations.
Read on for a detailed review of The Empress.
The Empress review: The Netflix series is about the 19th century Princess Diana
The show begins with Elisabeth, nicknamed Sisi. She detested being called by her nickname and gave her mother a hard time finding a suitor for her. An equestrian, she lived up to the cliche of a 'lively girl' and loved to walk barefoot. She was strikingly beautiful and had a razor-sharp tongue.
Elisabeth's beauty and personality made her a misfit in a world where women were not allowed to dream beyond marriage and childbirth. Elisabeth's elder sister, Helene, had completely contrasting traits. She was obedient and timid and was cited as the perfect example of a girl born into royalty.
The contrast is depicted through details such as hairstyles - long and open hair for Elisabeth as opposed to the braided hair of Helene; sartorial choices - sleeveless nightgowns for Elisabeth as opposed to neck-buttoned and full-sleeved gowns for Helene.
As their mother put it,
"When she (Helene) is unhappy, what does she do?"
Upon getting a negative response from Elisabeth, the mother added that women must be like a blank page - with no feelings of their own. Elisabeth was subsequently given an ultimatum to find a suitor for herself.
Sisi's wishes were answered after Franz Joseph, who was to marry Helene as part of his mother's strategy, falls for the 15-year-old Elisabeth. The series further shows a conflict between the new bride and her mother-in-law - the latter was incredibly insecure about her control over her son.
Sophia, Sisi's mother-in-law, has her own secrets that have etched the distance between her and her husband, Archduke Franz Karl of Austria. Karl lives and takes care of the hinterlands, while Franz Joseph runs the empire under the influence of his mother.
Despite Karl and Sophia's physical and figurative distance, Karl remarked,
"Elisabeth is like you."
While Sophia was pro-monarchy and insisted that Joseph declare his support for Russia and Tsar Nicholas, others believed that the way forward was to make France and Britain the empire's allies. Against both suggestions, Franz Joseph wanted to build the railway to advance the empire's business and pacify the angered commoners.
To Sophia's dismay, Elisabeth supported her husband's views due to her empathetic nature. A scene where she appears before the masses for the first time after their wedding is enough to induce goosebumps.
Despite historical references, most of the show hardly moves beyond the palace walls, probably because it is primarily about Empress Elisabeth.
The show also succeeded in portraying the absurdities of royal life, which included carrying out fertility tests on the teenage queen, making the couple wear robes on their wedding night, making Elisabeth drink egg yolks every morning to heighten her fertility, and forcing her to consume the placenta of a woman who had just given birth to her eighth son.
When Rhaenys Targaryen was refused the Iron Throne, but the same was given to Rhaenyra Targaryen, several people proclaimed in House of the Dragon,
"The realm would go to war before seeing a woman descend the Iron Throne."
This dialogue, amongst other famous ones, points towards the role of women within the power dynamics of a royal empire. Women have always helmed change, but the acknowledgment of the same is negligible.
The Empress is based in a Europe where men would go away to war, leaving behind women and children to fend for themselves. During such times, the women of the family took care of not only domestic matters but also politics. This aspect, unfortunately, has been left out by predominantly male historiographers.
Elisabeth and Sophia shine in The Empress
While all the characters have been perfectly cast, Elisabeth, played by Devrim Lingnau, and Sophia, essayed by Melika Foroutan, definitely stand out.
The star of The Empress is Melika Foroutan because of how elegantly she carries the burden of her past without losing the gait of the Imperial consort. Instances of Sophia's eyes brimming with tears could only be executed by Foroutan through her mastery.
Apart from Foroutan, Johannes Nussbaum's Maximilian is an equally intricately woven character who is unpredictable but compels one to empathize with him.
Lingnau's portrayal of a teenage girl confused by the sudden baggage of roles and responsibilities is stellar. Elisabeth is impulsive and sensitive at the same time. Lingnau's sharp eyes compliment every word that she utters as Empress Elisabeth.
All the episodes of The Empress are currently streaming on Netflix.
