
German-French actress Romy Schneider was the It Girl for historical costume movies in the 1950s, which culminated in her star turn as Empress Elisabeth aka Sissi in three movies that are considered classics. She died early — only 43! — so her career was cut short. But nonetheless, she acted in a number of key frock flicks, winning two César awards (the French Oscars, for L’important c’est d’aimer and Une histoire simple); she was nominated for three more and for one Golden Globe.
Anna Oberholzer in Fireworks (1954)
A musical comedy set in 1908 and centering on a circus.


Queen Victoria in The Story of Vickie aka Victoria in Dover (1954)
Princess-then-Queen Victoria (Schneider) spends time in Kent and falls in love with a German man, not realizing he’s her future husband Albert.



Constanze (“Stanzi”) Hübner in Die Deutschmeister (1955)
The story of the creation a famous military march song in 1893.



Sissi in Sissi (1955), Sissi – Die junge Kaiserin (1956), & Sissi – Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin (1957)
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, romanticized!




Maud in The Girl and the Legend (1957)
“London, 1730. Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, lives in poverty. When his son Tom steals the original text of Robinsons’s forbidden book, the youth of London, led by Maud (Romy Schneider), revolt,” per IMDB.



Manuela von Meinhardis in Mädchen in Uniform (1958)
A boarding school student develops a relationship with one of her teachers. Set around 1910.


Christine Weiring in Christine (1958)
A love story set in 1906 Vienna; with Alain Delon.


Fanny Emmetsrieder in Die schöne Lügnerin (1959)
A corsetmaker falls in love with a Valet in 1815 Vienna.



Katia Dolgorouki in Adorable Sinner (1959)
A no-doubt romanticized version of the true story of Tsar Alexander II of Russia (1855-81), who fell in love with a schoolgirl; she became his mistress and finally his morganatic wife after his first wife died.


Annabella/Sister in Dommage qu’elle soit une putain (1961)
What appears to be a televised version of a French theater production of “‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore” (a tragedy published in 1633).



Regine in The Victors (1963)
The story of a squad of American soldiers serving in Europe in World War II.



Annemarie in The Cardinal (1963)
Set between World War I and II, “A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal,” per IMDB.



Helga Lindström aka The Countess in Triple Cross (1966)
Based on a real-life British double agent, Eddie Chapman (Christopher Plummer), during World War II.



Gita Samuels in The Assassination of Trotsky (1972)
Set during during Trotsky’s period in 1940s Mexico.

Elisabeth of Austria in Ludwig (1973)
She plays Empress Elisabeth again in this film about Elisabeth’s son (edit: cousin!), Ludwig II of Bavaria, who was mentally ill.



Anna Kupfer in The Last Train (1973)
Two French refugees connect on a train during World War II.


Clara Dandieu in The Old Gun (1975)
“During World War II, a peaceful French surgeon decides to ruthlessly exterminate an SS squad because of the atrocities they’d just committed in his countryside home and childhood village,” per IMDB.

Margot (Santorini) in Une femme à sa fenêtre aka A Woman at Her Window (1976)
A woman helps to hide a union leader on the run from police in 1930s Greece.


Leni Gruyten in Group Portrait with a Lady (1977)
A “regular” German woman’s life during the 1930s-40s demonstrates her society’s attitudes towards Nazism.


Emma Eckhert in La banquière aka The Lady Banker (1980)
A fictionalized story of a female banker and head of a financial newspaper between 1914-38.



Lina Baumstein in The Passerby (1982)
Set just after World War II but with flashbacks, a husband tells his wife why he murdered a politician.

What’s your favorite of Romy Schneider’s historical roles, and why is it Sissi?
Ludwig wasn’t Elisabeth/Sissi’s son but her cousin.
Woops, thanks! Fixing!
Her son was Rudolf the crown prince, the one who killed his lover and self at Mayerling…I have a bit of an obsession with Sissi and family etc…and the Mayerling incident and attempts to cover it up
Fascinating to watch Romy’s progress from adorable princess to Signoret-ish woman of the world.
Since someone else already pointed out the error in the relationship between Sissi and Ludwig, I’ll content myself with mentioning that one of her younger sisters was engaged to Ludwig, but the marriage never happened. They were both Wittelsbachs, although Sissi only belonged to a cadet branch and her title was Duchess * in * Bavaria before she married Franz Joseph. The Wittelsbachs seemed to intermarry, and some scholars feel that that is what contributed to the mental health issues that both Sissi and Ludwig had. Scholars today are fairly certain that Sissi displayed disordered eating, as well as binging on daily exercise, obsessing over her weight and appearance. Romy Schneider was certainly beautiful enough to play Sissi, and it’s no wonder she’s so identified with the role. I have a bootleg of the German language musical based on Sissi’s life – it’s a sort of Teutonic Evita in parts. Doesn’t get all the facts right, but it’s sure an interesting ride depending on the cast. I’m going to have to hunt down some of the interesting choices listed here and see more of Romy’s work.
I would like to see that version of a 17th century play. I love her most together with Philippe Noiret – but I’m a great Noiret-fan. “Ludwig II.” is such a sad movie… Last year I tried to see it, but it was too much of darkness…
Romy is a beautiful woman, of course. But she shouldn’t have refused Marishka the fourth part of Sissi. Despite all her ambitions, she still remained an actress of one role. When she lost all hopes of playing a more outstanding role, she returned to the image of Sissi.
“Ah yes, the great Peter Pan collar trend of the 1730s.” It’s a lovely snark – but aren’t Peter Pan collars defined by being rounded, not pointy?