Especially because of Sandra Ceccarelli we - my wife as a long year Sisi collector and Sisi-researcher and co-author with me for a book about the Empress - awarded nine stars. In our opinion, she is the best actress of the elderly Empress Elisabeth of Austria of all films ever made about her. There were also some good actresses - for example Daniela Ziegler. But Sandra Ceccarelli comes very close to the Empress in her appearance. She is also slim and slightly taller than the Emperor in the film, which is historically correct. Very well presented by Klaus Maria Brandauer. Marie was married to Count Larisch from 1877 to 1897 and was consequently a Countess Larisch at the time of the Mayerling tragedy. She played a bigger role in the affair than shown in the film. There was a heated conversation between Rudolf and Marie shortly before the double suicide. Rudolf wanted to send Mary away in Mayerling. He already had a carriage prepared for them. But Mary really wanted to stay. But Robert Dornhelm has made again a good historically movie. The movie is supposed to be an example for a good new film about the Empress Elisabeth, which nobody has managed to do since the Marischka trilogy "Sissi".
Post scriptum: There has also not been a film about Countess Larisch, born as Mendel, ennobled as Wallersee. She was Empress Elisabeth's favorite niece but fell out of favor with her because of the Mayerling affair and she rejected her.
