Romy Schneider @ 70.

The Sissi trilogy, a holiday season perennial on European television, is a happy if somewhat troubled marriage of the Heimat and history-as-pageant films of the postwar era in Mitteleuropan cinema. Romy Schneider would break with Vienna, then Hollywood, to become a Europudding icon - engaged to Alain Delon, working for the likes of Luchino Visconti - and then, the tragic end.

Little wonder Europeans love to hear the tale told over and again. Today, Schneider would have been 70 and, starting at least a week ago, tributes have appeared on TV and in magazines and the papers. For example: Andreas Conrad (Tagesspiegel), Lisa Feldmann (Welt), Regula Freuler (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), Cristina Fischer (Junge Welt), Claudia Lenssen (taz), Ralf Schenk (Berliner Zeitung), Christian Schröder (Tagesspiegel) and Werner Sudendorf (Welt).

In the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Michael Hanfeld reports from the Côte d'Azur - and the set of Romy, a biopic starring Jessica Schwarz.

An exhibition of portraits is on view at Opelvillen in Rüsselheim through December 28.

Update: Arbogast posts an appreciation.

Posted by dwhudson at September 23, 2008 5:05 AM