[The Empress]
M.M.: We simply underestimated how time-consuming and complicated filming in these listed castles would be. From our side, we had a relatively good path and also good cooperation with the monument conservationists who were assigned to us. In other words, we were constantly accompanied. We were never alone in a room. Someone always had to make sure that we behaved well, that we didn't take the Rubens and hang something else up. The work was therefore associated with the greatest precautions and relative restrictions. The filming logistics were very complicated: There were no places for the team to stay, there was of course no drinking or eating allowed at all, it was not possible to work in the picture by candlelight or with paraffin lamps, not to mention open fireplaces. Bathing scenes and not even a small footbath were possible. At most, after long conversations, a cup of tea was permitted in the play scenes.
M.M.: Then, in addition to these content restrictions, there were the logistics. Huge tent cities had to be set up in car parks next to the castles to accommodate the entire crew in the provinces. There were scenes with a hundred extras in historical costumes. That takes up a lot of space, for example with the ladies in these opulent dresses. And if someone has to go to the toilet, it simply takes much longer than if you're just wearing jeans and, after all, the toilets were a long way away. These are all complicated and time-consuming factors that have added up to a sluggishness that has become so relevant that production decisions have been changed.
On the one hand, we are saving money by reducing the logistics, which is of course ideal in the studio, and on the other hand, we are going the extra mile and building a studio so that we can produce the last few weeks of filming with the large workload. We have also merged motifs, which means that we have now created a set with three and a half rooms. That sounds manageable at first, but the rooms have an average floor area of ninety to one hundred square metres and a room height of four and a half metres. These rooms are all multifunctional in the sense that they can be remodelled in a relatively short space of time. For example, wall panels are replaced, as are curtains and furnishings. In some cases, other walls are added or fireplaces remodelled. In the end, you don't have the impression of being in the same room at all.
The task of designing interiors from Schönbrunn Palace was not based on the original palace. It's not about showing what Elisabeth's bedroom looked like, with which wall coverings and what kind of furniture, but about conveying feelings that tell our story. We show the life of a young duchess who comes from a relatively liberal, I would almost say neglected, untidy little castle in Upper Bavaria and is then introduced to the huge Habsburg monarchy, which was one of the most powerful families in the world in the 19th century. Above all, this is first and foremost an overwhelming grandeur and splendour, but in reality, of course, it also enormously restricts the opportunities she previously had. The free life is over and you can feel that in the rooms, which, for all their size and splendour, are also oppressive and have a heaviness. Expressing this is much more important than depicting an original interior.
M.M.: The question is always, why do you make a remake and do you need it? Well, the old "Sissi" films are not part of my Christmas canon or films that I watch again and again, on the contrary. I find the era interesting, the political background, but I had no interest in making such a cloying "Kaiserschmarrn".
That's why I was very excited when Katrin Gebbe joined this project, because I thought: Katrin has made such brittle and bulky arthouse films, that can only be good for a subject like "Sisi". I had high expectations and she really did a good job of brushing up the material. There are several very exciting characters, all the Habsburgs, if you look at it historically...it's a crazy family with a lot of narrative potential. That made it worth telling the story again and, of course, very different from the sweet films from the fifties and sixties.
M.M.: When I started working, the concept was already to go into the studio. There was to be a large building, of course also with a view to possible further seasons. But then it seemed too expensive. Shooting on location was preferred, or seemed to be the only option, only to realise during the shoot what difficulties this would cause for the production. So we had to go back to a studio concept, which we then had to realise at relatively short notice.
You can call it absurd, but it's also a bit of our reality, our everyday film life. It's certainly not the first time I've experienced something like this. It's great when these worlds intertwine well and a concept works . At the end of the day, it's really great to be able to produce such a high-calibre construction here at Studio Babelsberg with all the infrastructure.
M.M.: We are in a bizarre competition, there are two "Sisi" series and two "Sisi" cinema films and all four projects have been filmed in 2021. That means we're definitely not the first series to hit the market. The competition is ahead of us. They had already finished filming long before we started. I don't know if that's just a disadvantage, because it could also generate interest for a while. Of course, I hope that the other series is just as good and that you get an interest in the period and the characters and don't think it's all boring and dusty. The films also shed light on a different aspect. In this respect, I can also imagine that we benefit from this diversity, because something like this can also arouse interest in a particular character or period. Why everyone waited until 2021 to focus on Empress Elisabeth is beyond me. But it's just a phenomenon, it happens, it happened in earlier times too.
M.M.: Yes, there were, of course, requirements in terms of prep times. We were well organised in terms of personnel. As this is my first series, I have to admit that I underestimated the effort required for such a marathon. In the end, we benefited from the fact that there was another shooting postponement, so that our prep time was realistic. We had around twenty weeks for set dec and props, which was reasonable with around one hundred days of shooting. I've learnt from this and know much more precisely what is needed for future series. There's not much to discuss, because these are empirical values. If you don't take that into account and think you can do it in half the time, then you'll end up paying for it later: Because things don't get done and you run into a huge production without being prepared. I'm sure that wouldn't be in the interests of the manufacturing and production management either. That's why I'm not worried that it will be understood if I say next time that we need twenty weeks' preparation for set dec and props.
M.M.: I have to admit, I hardly ever watch series; I'm just not a fan of this format. It takes too long for me, especially when there are several seasons. I find a self-contained story or even a mini-series more appealing. I watched THE QUEENS GAMBIT and had a lot of fun with it. For me it got better each time, the more adult the character became, the more I was interested.
A nice reference film for us with DIE KAISERIN was THE FAVOURITE, as a historical film that is incredibly well designed and the story is fantastically told. The production design is completely at the service of the story and the images are magnificent. It's a film that I also talked a lot about with Katrin Gebbe in preparation for our series project.
M.M.: I'm always grateful when I'm approached about a project and it immediately triggers something in me. My next project is set in the Middle Ages. I immediately thought: I don't really like the Middle Ages at all. I immediately had something in my head about barrels and straw on the floor, which I definitely don't want. But something like that immediately electrifies me, because I think about how you can tell medieval stories differently. It's immediately challenging to see how you can come up with a medieval image that tells a medieval story but doesn't fall into the cliché traps.
What I love about my job is entering worlds. I see these worlds, I would almost like to say, through the characters: I slip into their characters to observe the worlds. Take Empress Elisabeth, for example: how did she perceive her surroundings? What did the world look like to her? This view then shifts away from historical detail, as it may have actually been, towards a personal, subjective view. Making this visible is a lot of fun.
Katrin Gebbe, Regisseurin — Matthias Müsse — Moritz Schultheiss, DoP