Romy Schneider

Book excerpt: The beautiful Austrian-born Romy Schneider was one of Europe's most popular film stars and a cult figure from the moment she played 'Sissi' (Empress Elisabeth of Austria) in the hugely popular Sissi trilogy in the mid-1950s. Although Schneider died in 1982 she continues to be one of the most popular stars in European cinema history. This book analyses her impressive career so as to place her within a range of European female stars, particularly Germanic and French, who defined cultural and ideological images of femininity on European screens. Schneider, who worked and was celebrated in Austria, Germany, Hollywood, and France, represents a fascinating case study to explore key questions of trans-European and transnational stardom, and Marion Hallet makes a valuable intervention in this growing field within star studies. Romy Schneider: A Star Across Europe shows how the representations of women stemming from Schneider's star image supported specific and shifting cultural and social agendas regarding femininity, from the 1950s to the 1980s. This book explores the significance of Schneider's image both when she was working and since, within Western European film culture and celebrity culture.