An unexpected Elisabeth of Austria - Corsage - Marina's review
(Photos are courtesy of the Cannes Film Festival)
An unusual, controversial portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (by all called affectionately Sissi) was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 - within the section In some perspective. The feature film in question is Corsage, latest effort by Austrian director Marie Kreutzer, starring the famous (She 's VERY GOOD) Vicky Krieps. Elisabeth of Austria is, on this particular occasion, a fragile woman, Human, obsessed with body care and the passage of time, which is shown to us in all its humanity.
It all begins on the eve of his fortieth birthday, in December 1877. Elizabeth lives with her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister), and to the sons Rudolph (Aaron Friezs) and Maria Valeria. The relationship with the spouse has now cooled down and the desire to run away is always very strong.
In Corsage, therefore, Marie Kreutzer completely relied on her protagonist, giving us intense close-ups and details of hands gripping corsets, unbridled horse rides and moments of relaxation in the halls of the palace. In the same way, during the film we are shown the most controversial sides of the Empress through crude realism, further accentuated by opulent and decadent environments at the same time and by moments in which we see the protagonist despair over the death of her horse, make faces at the doctor (when he tells her that at forty she was now considered old and to be injected with this "new medicine", heroin, at the time considered a medicine capable of putting an end to any internal torment without running any risk to health.
And so, in Corsage, the costumes and sets are strongly opposed to pop music, almost recalling the approach adopted by Sofia Coppola in Marie Antoinette (2006). In this case, But, Marie Kreutzer opted for a more classical staging, focusing his attention exclusively on his protagonist and making this important film a courageous and never excessive or gratuitous feature film.
marina fears
Info: l’article on Corsage on Austrian Cinema