Ahundred years before Princess Diana, Empress Elisabeth of Austria was rotating heads with her sophistication, beauty and trend-setting fashion. Her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I made her an instant icon for millions, while her dramatic assassination at the age of 60 sent shock waves across Europe.
A trilogy of 1950s films starring Romy Schneider saw her celebrated anew, cementing her status, alongside Mozart, as one of her country’s foremost tourism magnets. When Phantom Thread actress Vicky Krieps suggested to her director friend Marie Kreutzer they make another film about her, though, the idea seemed as appealing as a month-old slice of Sachertorte.