As Variety reports, Terra Mater Studios is set to produce a three season, each with six episodes, historical drama SALON OF SUGAR which will chart the life of Berta Zuckerkandl, born in 1864: a writer, journalist and a
Berta Zuckerkandl's surname means sugar
hostess of an important literary salon in Vienna, frequented by the likes of Auguste Rodin, Gustav Klimt, director Max Reinhardt, writer Stefan Zweig, composer Gustav Mahler who met his wife Alma there! The faces that frequented her salon range from Freud to Georges Clemenceau. By creating an environment where revolutionary ideas and discussions flourished, Berta found herself at the very center of cultural and intellectual evolution during a “transformative” era in European history. Spanning decades and both World wars, the show will also feature colorful supporting characters like Aleš Polák, a sugar factory worker who becomes her confidant, or his sister Josefa, going from a café cashier to a fake nurse and finally to a healer on the battlefield.
With Beta announcing that they are bringing the second season of their ultra successful historical saga SISI this month to MipCom in Cannes, I thought I could update you with some new set photos before we get the first trailer and official photos. The series which aired on German RTL, Epic Drama
Sisi will have a Hungarian coronation in season two
Channels, many national broadcasters around the world and on Disney in USA, should return probably this Christmas taking us back to the imperial court in Vienna with Dominique Devenport as Empress Elisabeth and Jannik Schumann as emperor Franz Joseph.
THE BIRTH OF THE SON
of Sisi and Franz should perfect the marital bliss,
but instead the young heir to the throne is a cause for serious power
struggles in Europe. This also begins a phase of private challenges for
Sisi and Franz. Otto von Bismarck threatens war, Sisi uses her
diplomatic instincts, but she cannot find happiness in their
Sisi will also have some carefree moments out in the nature
relationship. She feels like a bird in a golden cage. Then she has to
travel to Hungary for political reasons and there she encounters Count
Gyula Andrássy (Giovanni Funiati), who fascinates her immensely.
Standing between the rebel leader and her husband Franz, she has to make
a decision.
THE SECOND SEASON CAST
will also include Murathan Muslu as the Hungarian rebel leader Ödön Körtek,
Romy Schroeder as Marie, the daughter of Sisi's maid Fanny, who was hanged for treason in Season one,
Amanda Da Gloria as Countess
Franz Joseph will have a change of image?
Emanuelle Andrássy, Count Andrássy's sister, and
Bernd Hölscher as Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor from 1871! As you can see in one of the group set photos, Sisi will also have a lavish coronation in Hungary and Franz will now
Sisi with her faithful lady in waiting and assistant
maybe sport a longer hairdo to the delight of ladies. Rival series The Empress, which arrived to Netflix just last week, had close to 50 million viewing hours in first seven days, so we can probably expect a second season of that one as well sometime next year.
Some of Netflix European channels have released the first teaser for streamer's new six part series THE EMPRESS
on famous Austrian empress Sisi, which is one of their new German originals, announcing the streaming date which is September 29th. The series will
depict Sisi’s
life from her teenage years onwards, when she first met Emperor Franz
Joseph of Austria Hungary, and Devrim Lingnau and Philip Froissant will
play the imperial couple. When the rebellious Elisabeth meets Franz,
the Emperor of Austria, in 1853 the young couple's intoxicating love
completely upsets the power structure at the Viennese court. After the
wedding, the young empress must assert herself not only against her
mother in law, the sovereign, power hungry Sophie, but also against
Franz's brother Maxi, who himself longs for the throne (and for Sisi). As
enemy troops form up on the borders of the Habsburg Empire, people in
Vienna rise up in protest against the emperor. Elisabeth must find out
who she can trust and how high the price is to be a true empress and a
figure of hope for
the people. Melika Foroutan, Johannes Nussbaum, Almila Bagriacik and Wiebke Puls also star. This series is not to be confused with a much more glamorous Sisi saga that aired last December on German RTL and Epic Drama Channels in Europe and that is coming back with a second season this December. Check out the trailer below and tell us are you royally excited?
Legendary Sisi was not the only of the Austrian empresses to find her way into the holiday programmes this year as the final installment on the historical series on MARIA THERESIA aired on national televisions in
Maria Theresa aired during Christmas holidays in Central Europe
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary around Christmas and will air tonight on Austrian broadcaster ORF and should air also on French Arte. After the first two short seasons (you can view the whole series as five TV films),
Oscar
The final season is a two hour film or a two part mini series
nominated director Robert Dornhelm stages the last 20 years of the legendary
Empress at the zenith of her power. Let us hope the last, two hour series is better than the first two which did not really know whether they want
Ursula Strauss takes the role of old Maria Theresa
to be a period set costume drama or comedy, but I have a feeling the hilariously bad wigs and rather atrocious acting and casting were not actually intentional. MARIA THERESIA: THE PINNACLE OF POWER stars
The series was shot last year in Czech Republic
Ursula Strauss, Vojtěch Kotek, Aaron Friesz,
Tatiana Pauhofová, David Švehlík and comes from Beta Film, Austrian ORF, Slovakian, Czech,
The series airs tonight in Austria
Hungarian broadcasters and Arte in France. The shooting of this lavishly produced historical melodrama took place in April and May 2021 in the Czech Republic.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Around
the year 1760, Francis Stephen (Vojtech Kotek) is Roman-German Emperor
and co-ruler to Maria Theresa (Ursula Strauss). But she runs the affairs
of state largely alone,
and with a strong hand. Political marriages are meant to secure the
Habsburg Empire. Love plays no role in this: Her many children have to
submit
to her will. Disappointed, Francis Stephen increasingly retreats to Hof
Palace. While
Hundreds of costumes were prepared for the series
he turns to profitable business, Maria Theresa has her
heir to
the throne, Archduke Joseph (Aaron Friesz), educated to the highest
level. He grows up
The series will also air on Arte over in France
to be his mother’s liberal rival and a bitter
opponent of his often-absent
father. His marriage to Isabella of Parma (Jana Kvantikova) will be
both, his great
This is the finale of the series that started in 2017
happiness and his deepest misfortune. When Francis
Stephen unexpectedly dies,
Joseph becomes co-regent to his mother. But Maria Theresa has no
intentions of sharing power with him!
We are finishing the year 2021 with a highly stylized trailer for period set crime thriller movie HINTERLAND which comes from Austria and Luxembourg directed by Oscar winner Stefan Ruzowitzky. The film that premiered at the 74th Locarno Film Festival back in August and was launched in German cinemas in October, will arrive to Russian theatres in February and will appear in USA at the Palm Springs International Film Festival this January. It already visited London Film Festival and many others. Murathan Muslu and Liv Lisa Fries, take the
It arrives to Russia in February
lead roles. Our dear Beta Film is distributing the film around the globe.
HINTER LAND
is set in Vienna in 1920, after the fall of the
Austro Hungarian Empire. Former detective Peter Perg (Murathan Muslu)
returns home after at the end of World War I, having spent years as a
prisoner of war. Everything has changed. The once mighty
Austro Hungarian Empire has crumbled, the imperial dynasty has been
replaced by a republic, and myriad artistic, political and intellectual
movements are questioning the old certainties. After a series
German actor Murathan Muslu takes the lead role in the film
of
killings of other POWs, he joins forces with forensic doctor Theresa
Körner (played by Liv Lisa Fries) to solve the crimes.
SHOT ALMOST ENTIRELY IN FRONT OF THE BLUE SCREEN
What makes the film so visually stunning, as you will see yourself below in the trailer, is the fact that it was shot to a large extent with the blue screen
The movie was almost entirely shot in front of a blue screen
technology and the scenes were mainly created on the computer! Check out the trailer with English subtitles below and tell us what you think:
Ich will tell you an eine kleine secret, my lieblings spylings, so listen very carefully - I spy with my little eye that the highlight of this year's festive television programmes won't be some cute and cosy little British series or
Sisi will be the highlight of holiday programmes
some of them sweet Hallmark movie lemonades, but a six part German saga SISI. Why, you may ask? Because it will air these holidays in the larger part of Europe. As of December 12th it will stream on RTL PLus in Germany and air on France television, and after the streaming premiere it will also air on regular mothership channel RTL on December 28th, 29th and 30th and also on Austrian national broadcaster ORF. Before that, from December 26th it will start airing on Epic Drama Serbia and in all other Balkan countries that
Dominique Devenport plays Empress Sisi in the series
have that channel on their cable systems. And it might air in some other countries too, like Hungary, Slovakia etc, but I'm not informed currently. So there you go, most of Europe will enjoy young Sisi's road to become one of
Jannik Schumann is Austrian emperor Franz Joseph
Austria's most famous empresses after hunting down one of Europe's most eligible imperial bachelors Franz Joseph. If the show turns out nice and you find yourself wanting for more, don't forget that Netflix will stream their own
The series will air in six episodes or in three two hourlong ones
Sisi series The Empress sometime next spring and that we also have Corsage movie coming up with Vicki Krieps playing the empress in her later years when, superficial and vain, she couldn't really handle the fact she was getting old so she started using all kinds of insane cosmetics treatments while calming her imperial nerves with bad old cocaine. That pretty much turned her into Europe's original rock star after her death and the legend of her beauty and vanity resulted in merchandise about her selling like hot cakes at the end of the 19th century.
SISI THE SERIES
tells the love story of two young people between personal
desires and political constraints. How do they bring power, feelings and
political duties together?
Sisi starts airing December 12th
Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, who is called
Sisi (Dominique Devenport), is considered to be the most beautiful woman in Europe. She defies
courtly customs and uses her popularity for her ideals. Her partner,
Franz Joseph I (Jannik Schuman), feels the weight of the crown and finds an unusual ally
in Sisi.The series tells of the dichotomy between personal desires and
political pressures, between power and vulnerability of an extraordinary
woman. Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, called Sisi, is a carefree
teenager who falls head over heels in love with a man who is powerful,
attractive and
The series was shot earlier this year on locations around Europe
desirable - but also has a dark and dangerous side: Franz
Joseph I, Emperor of Austria. Sisi rises to the challenge and develops
from a Bavarian girl to a self-confident, adult empress. But on her way,
Sisi has to learn to make difficult decisions, to deal with loss and to
play an independent role as a modern empress.
EUROPEAN LOCATIONS The drama series is a modern retelling of the subject of the Empress of Austria-Hungary, which has already been adapted many times. The version is based on historical events and shows Sisi as a complex personality from heryouth. It was shot in various European locations to capture the historical flair. These include the old town of Riga, the Latvian capital, and Lithuania's capital Vilnius, which stand for historical Vienna. In Vilnius, for example, the
Julia Stemberger,Marcus Grusser,Pauline Renevier as Sisi's family
National Philharmonic and Vilnius University acted as filming locations, which can be seen in the series as the Vienna Hofburg. German locations can also be found in the series: scenes were filmed in Würzburg's residence and in Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria. The quarry north of Zill, the
Giovanni Funiati,David Korbmann,Yasmani Stambader also star
Schwarzbachalm and the Höglwörther lake with the monastery on the shore served as the backdrop. The four-month filming time also took the Sisi production team to locations in Austria and Hungary's capital Budapest, where Sisi spent many years of her life at Gödöllő Castle.
Beside TVNOW's Sisi series and Corsage movie with Vicky Krieps, I told you that we will also be getting a third project on famous Austrian empress Sisi as Netflix is shooting six part series THE EMPRESS
as one of their new German originals and today I have first photos for you from the production that started earlier this month. The series will depict Sisi’s
life from her teenage years onwards, when she first met Emperor Franz
Joseph of Austria Hungary, and Devrim Lingnau and Philip Froissant will
play the imperial couple. When the rebellious Elisabeth meets Franz,
the Emperor of Austria, in 1853 the young couple's intoxicating love
completely upsets the power structure at the Viennese court. After the
wedding, the young empress must assert herself not only against her
mother
Philip Froissant and Devrim Lingnau are Franz und Sisi
in law, the sovereign, power hungry Sophie, but also against
Franz's brother Maxi, who himself longs for the throne (and for Sisi). As
enemy troops form up on the borders of the Habsburg Empire, people in
Vienna rise up in protest against the emperor. Elisabeth must find out
who she can trust and how high
Both The Empress and Sisi will air in six hourlong episodes
the price is to be a true empress and a
figure of hope for
the people. While her contemporaries considered her kitschy and vain,
Sisi got a whole cult of fans after she was stabbed to death in Geneva
in 1898. Kinda like today's rock stars. You can read our main spotlight on the series with tons of photos HERE.
TVNOW'S SISI SERIES
NEW PHOTOS FROM THE SETS
Meanwhile, check out two new photos from the rival series to the Netflix' one, which will
also have six episodes but will air first as The Empress above
is scheduled for next spring and SISI for the end of the year. The lead
Desiree Nosbusch is glamorous ArchDuchess Sophie
cast includes Dominique Devenport as Sisi, and Jannik Schümann as emperor Franz.The
series, which will air on ORF in Austria, RTL's streamer TVNOW in
Germany and TF1 in France and is produced by Beta Film, will also
Six part Sisi should arrive sometime at the end of the year
star Désirée Nosbusch as Archduchess Sophie, Franz's mother, Tanja Schleiff as Countess Esterhazy, Paula Kober as Fanny, Julia Stemberger as Sisi's mother, Duchess Ludovika, and Giovanni Funiati as Count Andrassy.
Beside TVNOW's Sisi series and Corsage movie with Vicky Krieps, we will also be getting a third project on famous Austrian empress Sisi as Netflix
Devrim starred in Carmilla period set horror
is shooting six part series THE EMPRESS as one of their new German originals. The series will depict Sisi’s life from her teenage years onwards, when she first met Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria Hungary, and Devrim Lingnau and Philip Froissant will play the imperial couple. When the rebellious Elisabeth meets Franz, the Emperor of Austria, in 1853 the young couple's intoxicating love completely upsets the power structure at the Viennese court. After the wedding, the young empress must assert herself not only against her mother in law, the sovereign, power hungry Sophie, but also against Franz's brother Maxi, who himself longs for the throne (and for Sisi).
Philip Froissant will play the emperor of Austria Hungary
As enemy troops form up on the borders of the Habsburg Empire, people in Vienna rise up in protest against the emperor. Elisabeth must find out who she can trust and how high the price is to be a true empress and a figure of hope
Franz
und Sisi at their wedding in 1854! According to tradition her gown was
donated to the church and the silver embroidery from it was later used
to embellish a priest's robe.
for the people. While her contemporaries considered her kitschy and vain, Sisi got a whole cult of fans after she was stabbed to death in Geneva in 1898. Kinda like today's rock stars.
TVNOW'S SISI SERIES STARTS
PRODUCTION IN GERMANY
And it will continue till August. A rival series to the Netflix' one, it will also have six episodes but will probably air first as The Empress above is scheduled for next spring and SISI for the end of the year. The lead cast includes Dominique Devenport as Sisi, and Jannik Schümann as emperor Franz.
First look at the royal court in the 19th century Vienna
The series, which will air on ORF in Austria, RTL's streamer TVNOW in Germany and TF1 in France and is produced by Beta Film, will also star Désirée Nosbusch as Archduchess Sophie, Franz's mother, Tanja Schleiff as Countess Esterhazy, Paula Kober as Fanny, Julia Stemberger as Sisi's mother, Duchess Ludovika, and Giovanni Funiati as Count Andrassy.
feature colorful supporting characters like Aleš Polák, a sugar factory worker who becomes her confidant, or his sister Josefa, going from a café cashier to a fake nurse and finally to a healer on the battlefield.
feature colorful supporting characters like Aleš Polák, a sugar factory worker who becomes her confidant, or his sister Josefa, going from a café cashier to a fake nurse and finally to a healer on the battlefield.
