Corsage

It has been many months since I came across a new film as satisfying as this one. The unusual device of seeding a big-budget costume drama with anachronisms to signal that something applicable across time is being communicated does alas lend itself to misunderstanding. It is good enough for this to be merely a vehicle for Ms. Krieps. That being a woman is complicated no matter the time period or the circumstances is enough for a premise.

To best be able to enjoy Corsage, I recommend finding out as little as possible about its many surprises in advance. But I do recommend finding out about the pertinent history and people, and in particular, to see the old Sissi films with Romy Schneider. This film is intended for German speakers, after all. I can easily imagine the two renditions of Empress Elizabeth as the same personality at different points in her life. Cf. Sisi (2021)

Hint: the secondary dictionary meaning of "corsage" is intended.

The danger with fictional accounts of the lives of real people, is that it is frequently all to easy to poke holes in the plot. This is one such film that takes just a little too much creative licence with the the life of the Empress Elisabeth (Vicky Krieps). Wife of the famed Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Josef (Florian Teichtmeister), this film follows a supposed year in the life of this curious historical figure who, having suffered a family tragedy and having a rather estranged emotional relationship with her husband, spends much of her life obsessing with her weight and seeking solitude. Krieps is on good form, she creates a persona for her character that is effective to watch, but the mixture of modern and period scenarios (old buildings with modern fire doors; a cross-channel ferry!) seems anachronistic - to what end? The buildings in which she and her family inhabit have none of the opulence and grandeur of the Hofburg or Prague Castle, indeed the British home of her horse-master "Bay" (Colin Morgan) looks little better that a ramshackle ruin - and this is incongruous with the way we know she lived her life. Reclusive, yes, but still in splendour. It is also a particularly unremarkable year in her life to have chosen to illustrate. Not the previous ones where turbulence within the Imperial family reigned, not the famed "Mayerling" period which was ultimately held responsible for the final decline of this lady. There is also an highly speculative portrayal of her relationship with Bavaria's equally famous King Ludwig II (Manuel Rubey). The denouement itself is presented here in a rather too bizarre fashion that rather topped off this interesting but frankly flat and pace-less drama that offers us a glimpse of this intriguing woman, but little more of substance. Pity.

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. :)

Vicky Krieps just might be the biggest name in European cinema right now: 2021 alone saw her star in six productions, under direction of everyone: from M. Night Shyamalan in ओल्ड (2021) to Mia Hansen-Løve in Bergman Island (2021) and Mathieu Amalric in Hold Me Tight (2021). Her performances have been consistently critically acclaimed, as is bound to be the case with Corsage.

Focussing on one year - 1878, we are reminded throughout the film - Corsage sets out to tell the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898), known as Sissi, although the movie has no use for that nickname. The picture, written and directed by Austrian film-maker Marie Kreutzer, liberally blends fact and fiction: when asked how much of her work was faithful to history, Kreutzer said in an interview that she could not remember exactly. There are elements to the narrative (such as the ending) that are obvious inventions, while the rest is an amalgamation. The result is credible until it isn't; the background images being most at fault - who knew that electric floor lamps were so popular in the Kingdom of Bavaria. (Comparatively, the intentionally anachronistic music choices, like 'As Tears Go By' played on the harp, succeed in appearing an intrinsic part of the narrative.)

Corsage is very much a story of a person who sees herself as trapped while, possibly, enjoying the most freedom out of everyone we encounter. The visits Elizabeth pays to a psychiatric asylum and to see wounded, bed-ridden soldiers strike as performative, but the choice of her compassionate causes seems rooted in identifying her circumstances with theirs. Why, the empress cannot leave her position either - or can she?

Corsage is very successful in its depiction of a complex, not entirely sympathetic person. It is quite careless about the tools used to achieve that goal - yet, if you watch the film to its very last bit, the end credits include a scene of Vicky Krieps dancing in an empty gymnasium (the flaking paint is supposed to symbolise the decay of the monarchy). She is mesmerising. She is also wearing a false moustache, as a final reminder from Corsage to not take the production too literally.

This film was beautifully shot and I enjoyed the aesthetics. The lead actress was entertaining, and sometimes spellbinding. But that's about it.

It can't even be described as a 'slow burn' as that usually includes some ups and downs, but this really didn't. It was such a steady storytelling that I never felt any highs or lows.

I was very confused as this was supposed to be 19th century but had elements of 20th century. That distracted me as I didn't get a sense of place or time to try and plug into the story.

Overall a film that will probably appeal to those more intelligent/informed/interested than I am.