Just two years ago, Olivia Colman took home the Best Actress Oscar in a surprise win for Yorgos Lanthimos’ period masterpiece The Favourite. Evidently taking a page out of that dark comedy’s tone and approach to the period-piece subgenre is IFC Films’ Corsage, Austria’s international entry for the upcoming Academy Awards. Just take a look at star Vicky Krieps’ crude gesture on the film’s promotional poster for a taste of what comes with this impressive feature from writer-director Marie Kreutzer.
Corsage — whose title derives from the upper part of a woman’s dress, which is quite central in the storyline here — follows Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Krieps), one of the most magnetic royals of the 19th century who was idolized for her beauty and renowned for inspiring fashion trends. But in 1877, “Sisi” celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image by lacing her corset ever tighter. While Elisabeth’s role has been reduced against her wishes to purely performative, her hunger for knowledge and zest for life makes her more and more restless in Vienna. She travels to England and Bavaria, visiting former lovers and old friends, seeking the excitement and purpose of her youth. With a future of strictly ceremonial duties laid out in front of her, Elisabeth rebels against the hyperbolized image of herself and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy. Here’s our take on the new film.
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“I approached the material with an absolutely open mind, with no idea whether anything would come of it; I just wanted to see if there was something there that touched me and appealed to me,” said Kreutzer in a statement about making the film based on true events. “And I very quickly discovered that this was the phase in Elisabeth’s life when, on the one hand, she began to rebel against all the ceremony and, on the other hand, started to withdraw and isolate herself; a time when it had quite obviously become impossible for her to squeeze herself into a predetermined template. There’s that sense of always having to live up to an outsized image of yourself, as that’s the only way for you to gain recognition and love — I found that both extremely interesting and universal.”
Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Vicky Krieps) is idolized for her beauty and renowned for inspiring fashion trends. But there’s much more to the royal figure beneath the surface, and Kruetzer and Krieps really dig into it. The end result is darkly comedic, tragic and surprising all at once. The handheld camerawork sprinkled throughout the film — especially in the hilarious opening sequence — makes clear that Corsage isn’t your typical period piece. That doesn’t mean the shots are beautifully captured, with gorgeous set pieces that are undoubtedly accurate to the times.
And on a thematic level, Corsage is loaded with wonderful “show vs. tell” moments to highlight the messages Kreutzer wants to convey. A wonderfully symbolic moment of the film’s “more beneath the surface” theme is when Sisi wakes up next to her pal Ludwig II, King of Bavaria (played by Manuel Rubey). His pristine white “fake teeth” lay on the bedside table as he turns over and smiles to Sisi with his horrifically decayed actual fangs. It’s a shocking, laugh-out-loud moment that speaks volumes about the era and lifestyle of the royals.
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Vicky Krieps’ Award-Winning Performance
IFC Films
“As a teenager, I had all kinds of questions when I finished [Empress Elisabeth’s biography],” said Krieps in a statement about her character. “Why did Empress Elisabeth have fitness equipment built for her? Why did she refuse to be painted after she was 40? I told Marie all that, and she didn’t say a word at first. But then something amazing happened, which reflects what I think is one of women’s great strengths: putting ideas into action rather than just talking and talking. And so one day, a year after we had that conversation, I opened my mailbox and there was an envelope with the finished script. Marie had just added a note saying something like: ‘I went back to the archives. You were right.’ That was so classy.”
For those not familiar, Krieps is an internationally acclaimed actress whose complex work spans across some renowned projects in film and TV. Most recently, Krieps had two films at Cannes this year: In addition to Corsage, for which she received rave reviews and won Best Performance in the Un Certain Regard section, Krieps also starred in director Emily Atef’s More Than Ever. Most notably, Krieps was seen in her breakout role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, opposite Oscar winner Daniel Day Lewis. That film itself received a number of prestigious Oscar nods, of course. And it was just announced that Krieps will star in Viggo Mortensen’s second directorial effort, The Dead Don’t Hurt. She is clearly taking Hollywood by storm, and Corsage showcases her acting chops as a leading lady, not just a supporting performer.
Often throughout Corsage, Krieps’ emotions are conveyed not through her words, but through her actions and priceless reactions to those around her. In the third act, Sisi takes charge of her life and makes several heroic decisions in an effort to lead the life away from royalty that she desires — without giving anything away. We laugh, cry and root for her from beginning to end.
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