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.
