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- 2022
- IFC Films
- 1 h 54 m
- 2022
- IFC Films
- 1 h 54 m
Summary Empress Elisabeth of Austria is known for her beauty and fashion trends. But in 1877, she celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image. With a future of only ceremonial duties in front of her, she rebels against her public image and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy.
Directed By: Marie Kreutzer
Written By: Marie Kreutzer
- 2022
- IFC Films
- 1 h 54 m
- 2022
- IFC Films
- 1 h 54 m
Corsage
76
6.3
Where to Watch
Summary Empress Elisabeth of Austria is known for her beauty and fashion trends. But in 1877, she celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image. With a future of only ceremonial duties in front of her, she rebels against her public image and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy.
Directed By: Marie Kreutzer
Written By: Marie Kreutzer
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 35 Critic Reviews
76
94% Positive
33 Reviews
33 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 35 Critic Reviews
76
94% Positive
33 Reviews
33 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Corsage shares some obvious DNA with Pablo Larraín’s Spencer and Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, but where those films swoon for their put-upon heroines, Krieps brings an unapologetic flintiness.
Brought to life through Kreutzer’s skillful direction and Krieps’ earnest performance, this surprising royal reimagining offers a fresh perspective on an elusive historical figure.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 User Ratings
6.3
59% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
31% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
10% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 User Ratings
6.3
59% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
31% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
10% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Mesmo com certo tom episódico, e algumas cenas inclusive editadas de forma não linear, temos em "Corsage" uma história filmada com delicadeza sobre a imperatriz Elizabeth da Áustria em sua crise dos 40 anos, tentando libertar-se das convenções sociais e vivendo uma vida mais livre.
Eu particularmente adorava o desenho animado "Sissi", e assistir a essa reconstrução foi uma delícia do início ao fim. Os figurinos elegantes, as contradições de classe, o requinte misturado com o deboche da sua condição estão todos ali muito bem representados. Sem exatamente uma trama a a contar, a câmera vai seguindo Vicky Krieps em sua ótima atuação como imperatriz, sua relação com o marido, o filho e a filha menor, sua relação com a prima, com o professor de hipismo, como há um burburinho a cada aparição pública.
O mais interessante no filme é perceber esse olhar do cotidiano. Vamos vivendo a vida dela e percebendo a crueza e não o glamour típico das monarquias. Assim, o fato de ter contornos episódicos é mais mérito do que desmérito, ainda que falte um fio condutor para a trama, para tornar tudo mais coeso.
A importância que muitos dão a seu comportamento não convencional se choca com a frieza de um roteiro que prefere andar pelo silêncio e pela sombra. São as reprovações da filha, uma criança, por exemplo, que nos chocam. É como se estivéssemos sendo sufocados juntos com a personagem.
Ela então se afugente com o primo ou com umas aulas de cavalo mais tendenciosas, mas sem deixar de lado a feminilidade e graciosidade de uma imperatriz. Ela também visita hospitais e se permite fumar com os doentes, numa clara tendência do roteiro em criar empatia àquela figura aristocrata. O lado bom de tudo isso é que ela sabe de sua posição, não tenta fazer justiça ou lutar contra um sistema. Aliás, ela não é propriamente um ser revolucionário, ao contrário, no máximo uma mulher reformista, à frente do seu tempo sim, mas que opta por acolher todas as regalias recebidas: ela se deixa pintar em telas, usa as roupas de luxo, como bem, preocupa-se com a beleza e com o futuro dos filhos.
Sua condição de pária é, assim, atenuada por sua condição de déspota esclarecida. Preservando sua condição de imperatriz, ela ao menos não se enquadra no típico papel social de sua classe e do seu gênero, fazendo-nos torcer por ela ao mesmo tempo que em nenhum momento sentimos que ela não pertence àquele mundo. E o roteiro ao optar por um final trágico, oscila entre a dramaticidade do ato e o alívio que é, para nós, vê-la tomar aquele rumo antes que endoidasse de vez.
Report
'Corsage' employs anachronisms to create a character with whom people could empathize or sympathize. Some work and others don´t, but Vicky Krieps as Empress Elisabeth of Austria commands this show with an astounding performance of a woman trapped in a golden cage. I don't find dramas about privileged people "suffering" — I'm looking at you 'Spencer' — absorbing. Still, it's impossible not to feel attracted by Krieps' magnetic presence, the costume design, and the liberties the story takes to portray the state of mind of a woman playing by her terms in a squared world.
Report
At moments, however, the pacing treads a fine line between stately and somnolent. What consistently mesmerises, however, is the lead performance by Krieps.
Kreutzer has her own style of revisionist feminist history, and aided by Krieps’s bold and brilliant turn, it’s riveting stuff.
The destination may be startling but, thanks to a magnetic star turn from Krieps, the voyage is never boring.
What Kreutzer aims to impress upon us is the effect of smothering and constraint—not only upon her heroine but also upon the female sex, at every social stratum, under Habsburg rule.
The worst failing of Corsage is that it makes Sisi boring and unsympathetic when it’s trying to do the opposite. You kind of catch on that there’s something wrong with a Sisi biopic when you start sympathizing with Franz Joseph, who not only was a lousy husband but helped start World War I.
As the saying goes, even if the cage is made of gold, it is still a cage and that is the reality of the story Corsage is telling.
The story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria is one in which the social structure of power and royalty has isolated her.
She no longer has duties to perform but must still abide by the rules. From maintaining her physical stability to not doing anything that might scandalize people, she is forced to shut herself away in a monotonous and insipid life.
The functionality of the film in that regard falls entirely on the performance of its lead actress Vicky Krieps because its structure and tone has very few variables.
Everything rests on the leading figure, her emotions and her personality. The things that push her more and more as she is contained by what is thrust upon her. And as I said by not having much variety in its composition and context it may seem like the film doesn't offer much outside of its character study, but to me that is precisely the foundation upon which the film is built and therefore that is how it should unfold and ultimately work.
Had it been otherwise this film would have become something very different, disrupting its main design and in my opinion undermining it, but that's just my opinion. I still think it's a good film.
Report
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.
Report
Vicky Krieps plays Empress Elisabeth of Austria in the late 1800s. In this fictional account, she decides to rework her public image to maintain her rep for beauty and youth. The real question is…what's the point of this movie? Krieps does a commendable job of creating this unhappy, eccentric character, but there's no plot…just a string of unrelated rebellious events. Her dresses are lovely and it's always fun to see the sumptuous life of the aristocracy, but there's no conflict or catharsis to make this more than a string of culturally defiant events.
Report
Production Company
Film AG Produktion,
Samsa Film,
Komplizen Film,
Kazak Productions,
ORF Film/Fernseh-Abkommen,
ZDF/Arte,
Arte France Cinéma,
ARTE,
MK2 Films,
Alamode Film,
Eurimages,
Luxembourg Film Fund,
Vienna Film Financing Fund
Release Date Dec 23, 2022
Duration 1 h 54 m
Awards
Austrian Film Award, AT
• 4 Wins & 8 Nominations
Diagonale, Austria
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
European Film Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
