Corsage

Corsage

A fictional account of one year in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. On Christmas Eve 1877, Elisabeth, once idolized for her beauty, turns 40 and is officially deemed an old woman; she starts trying to maintain her public image.

  • Released: 2022-07-07
  • Runtime: 113 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, History
  • Stars: Vicky Krieps, Florian Teichtmeister, Katharina Lorenz, Jeanne Werner, Alma Hasun, Finnegan Oldfield, Manuel Rubey, Aaron Friesz, Tamás Lengyel, Ivana Urban, Alexander Pschill, Raphael Nicholas, Rosa Hajjaj, Lilly Marie Tschörtner, May Garzon, Norman Hacker, Marlene Hauser, Adrien Papritz, Oliver Rosskopf, Peter Faerber
  • Director: Marie Kreutzer
 Comments
  • meinwonderland - 12 February 2024
    Beauty & empowerment
    Elisabeth of Austria fictional chronicles of her life, who, after turning 40 years old, begins to feel the passing of time as well as question the contradiction between her position in power and her lack of freedom and constraints common to the gender roles of the 19th century.

    Beautifully and stylishly shot. There are clear parallels with Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette in the anachronistic deliberated use of music. That contemporary look, even fictitious, of the past is powerful and notable. Corsage has its moments where Vicky Krieps shines, but they contrast with the ones where the story is stalled, lengthy, and drawn-out.
  • insightflow-20603 - 9 April 2023
    Fabulous
    This film is so psychologically intricate, it would require another viewing for those wishing to dig deeper, on the basis of the portrayal of the character of whom I have no prior knowledge. She certainly has narcissistic tendencies, which are a labyrinth in itself - and indeed, her best friend describes her as such, adding it's as if she's on a narrow path with no room for another. In fact, the Empress does show great empathy for others, and deeply suffers the lack of love: she says that "love" around her is merely people "loving" others for reflecting the way they wish to be seen; and yet, when her friend asks for a permission to marry, the Empress forbids her on the grounds that she's the only person who loves her for who she is. Her position is no doubt insufferable, her husband reminding her she's just a "symbol" and is expected to behave as such, and her children scolding her for the "lack of dignity", namely for the "deviation" when she allows herself any minor liberty to be a real person. (Nothing much has changed, as we see with Diana of Wales, Charlene, and Megan where royalties are concerned; and with the misogyny still permeating society at large.) Yet her impending doom may leave women with a sense of empowerment.

    I'm taking away one point just for the songs in the film (in the English language) - however contemporary and universal the character, this is a historical picture and modern songs seemed odd.
  • brentsbulletinboard - 20 January 2023
    A Historical Mishmash
    An old saying wisely maintains "Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers." It's an expression aptly accompanied by a contemporary counterpart that says "Don't believe everything you see in the movies." That's especially true for historical biopics, such as this fictionalized account of a year in the life of Empress Elisbeth of Austria (1837-1898), who also doubled as Queen of Hungary, a film that incorporates events that are complete and total fabrications. While writer-director Marie Kreutzer makes no attempt to conceal the fictitious nature of this picture, the fusion of elements that faithfully reflect the character of the real-life figure with this movie's outright tall tales seriously muddies the waters, creating a mélange of misinformation that many viewers (especially those unfamiliar with the life of the protagonist) are nevertheless likely to interpret as gospel truth. On top of that, the film clumsily mixes Nineteenth Century elements with Twentieth Century influences, particularly in the soundtrack (I'm sure Empress Elisabeth was a big fan of the Rolling Stones' As Tears Go By). While the narrative sincerely aims to spotlight the severe restrictions placed on women of the era (symbolized here by the compulsive fashion requirement of wearing a corset (or a "corsage," as they say in German)), that point is often undercut by the liberties the story takes when it comes to portraying the events and culture of the time. Also, in its attempt to present a detailed character study about the often-restless, unpredictable monarch, the film tries to tackle too many of the empress's eccentricities, personal attributes and social outlooks, frequently yielding a meandering storyline that jumps around far too much for its own good. These thematic ambitions could have just as easily been addressed by playing it straight rather than veering off into fabricated fantasies and needless truth stretching, deviations that undermine the legitimacy of the picture's intents. To its credit, the period piece production values are exquisite, and the film provides an excellent showcase for Vicky Krieps in the lead role. But there are so many other aspects of this release that are just plain "off" that it's difficult to recommend it as anything that should be taken seriously, a disappointment in light of the underlying heartfelt statement that it's attempting to make.
  • ella-48 - 3 January 2023
    Art, not history
    I've noticed a number of reviewers having difficulty with this film on grounds of its historical inaccuracy. I can't speak to any of that. Being myself blissfully ignorant of the relevant history, I was untroubled by such considerations as I settled into my seat at my local Picture House - perfectly happy to take it as Art: a work of speculative fiction, and a somewhat impressionistic one at that.

    Treating it as such, I found it thoroughly engrossing: 1hr 54 well spent, IMO. The central performance by Vicky Krieps is wholly engaging and deliciously subtle, and its portrayal of an intelligent, creative spirit struggling to maintain sanity against a straitjacket (or should that be corset? That's the big metaphor, after all) of patriarchal social convention had me hook, line and sinker, from the opening scene to the (breathtakingly unexpected) final one.

    In the interests of full disclosure might as well mention the two things I was less keen on. Neither of them deal-breakers, but...

    1) In a couple of scenes, characters are heard singing late 20th century pop songs. This practice of inserting anachronistic modern detail into period drama has become a bit of a fad in the last few years, especially, it seems, in German productions (the recent TV series KaDeWe springs to mind as a prime example). My personal feeling is that it's a stylistic quirk that's been done to death and has outlived its welcome. Others may disagree!

    2) One part of the story (we are told by the onscreen captions) takes place in "Northamptonshire". Yeah right. Northamptonshire my ***! Neither the architecture nor the scenery are remotely British. It's blatantly obvious that these scenes were shot, like the rest of the movie, in mainland Europe - most likely southern Germany or Austria. Perhaps the production budget wouldn't stretch to a trip across the channel? Ah well...

    These minor niggles aside, though, I'm glad I went to see this movie. Its imagery will linger in my consciousness a long time. If you're debating whether or not to buy that ticket, I'd say go for it. :)
  • wgingery - 20 December 2022
    PREACHY and ANNOYING
    Imagine if Greta Thunberg made a period film.

    That would be 'Corsage.'

    Vienna, 1878. At yet another interminable palace banquet, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Vicky Krieps) suddenly realizes that, frankly, she no longer gives a damn. In a clear breach of imperial protocol, she abruptly stands and sweeps out of the dining room, flipping the bird at the assembled guests and silencing the tinkling small talk once and for all. It's a revealing moment in the film.

    I'm with you, Empress. You perfectly 'revealed' my response to this albatross .

    'Punky, subversive, the film shows a woman who, despite the power attached to her title, has very little actual control. And it shows the lengths to which Elisabeth must go to exert some agency in a world dominated by powerful men....' ( yawn)

    Just a second! Netflix is showing a series called 'The Empress' which covers exactly the same period and exactly the same people. And the funny thing is, THEY say that it's actually WOMEN who made all the important decisions.

    Wait, say what?... Oh, and what about Empress Maria-Theresa of Austria and Catherine the Great of Russia? 'Corsage' is saying that they didn't have any agency and were dominated by powerful men?

    OK, I'm lost. Who's right? Which film is 'real'? Both? Neither?

    It's at this point we reengage with our sense of disbelief and find ourselves outside the film.

    And that's the problem - the radical ideological obsession underpinning the film-making choices - a feminist project 'reclaiming' Elisabeth in an attempt to subvert the patriarchy - it weighs down and ultimately sinks the film.

    It is not entertaining, merely annoying. We can note the luxurious sets and costumes, for example, but, like Sisi, can't enjoy them, because they are symbols of the prison-like atmosphere in which she - and the viewer - is/are confined, she by convention, us by the director's fixation on man-bashing.

    But beyond that, we're supposed to feel sorry for her into the bargain: she's past 40, losing her beauty, no longer valued or important, A victim. Cue the pity party - for her and by extension for all women. Oh, bewail a cruel system ordained by men at women's expense...or something like that.

    Don't waste your sympathy. Feminists never talk about it, because it exposes the cant of 'men have all the power.' but women have always understood 'Beauty Power,' and used it to get what they want from men. (To be fair, men use it, too, just not as extensively.)

    The problem, of course, is that Beauty by its nature it is fleeting - not sustainable, in today's parlance.

    In this case, Sisi signed up for the Faustian bargain, accepted the perks and now, having spent the bennies, wants to renege.

    How human. Now, that might have made for an interesting film, (Strauss's opera 'Der Rosenkavalier'?) but this director was too distracted by man-bashing to see it.
  • tonyposter - 8 November 2022
    Too many goofs
    Because the plot was boring at times. I made it a game of counting inaccuracies. (which couldn't have been on purpose because they weren't that visible to excuse them as part of a modern interpretation of the story sounds more like a later contrived apology) I would definitely consider doing another version in which you you remove the film errors with CGI.

    I found:

    *) emergency exit signs *) modern emergency door handles *) a digital telephone *) extensive use of electric light *) a tractor *) a ship thats clearly too modern for the time *) modern cleaning supplies

    Overall the movie is quite okay all tough making Sissi looking badass and cool is sometimes way too cringe.