CORSAGE
****
Director: Marie Kreutzer
Screenplay: Marie Kreutzer
Principal cast:
Vicky Krieps
Florian Teichtmeister
Katharina Lorenz
Jeanne Werner
Alma Hasun
Colin Morgan
Country: Austria/Luxembourg/Germany/France
Classification: M
Runtime: 114 mins.
Australian release date: 9 February 2023.
Set in Vienna in 1877, director Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage is a re-imagining of a year in the life of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, affectionately known as Sissi (or Sisi), as she approaches her 40th birthday. She was a woman who was idolised for her beauty and who, as she grew older, became more obsessed about her weight and the size of her waist. The Empress is exquisitely played by Luxembourgish actress Vicky Krieps, playing a woman determined to protect her legacy and overcome the restrictions placed on her by her philandering husband, Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister). When he reduces her role to a purely ornamental one, saying, “All you need to do is be appealing – that’s why I chose you, that’s why you’re here,” she responds by feigning swooning incidents when forced to appear at ceremonies in which she has no interest. She also goes to great lengths to increase her life experiences by travelling to Hungary, Bavaria and England to fulfill her quest for knowledge. Thus, in many ways, regardless of her obsession with her appearance, her actions could be interpreted to be those of an early champion of women’s liberation, such was her desire not to be subjugated or controlled by the men in her life.
This was a period when women were unable to achieve the same heights in society as men, unless they were able to use their charms to influence their husbands and lovers (many would say that, even now, there are still far too many impediments obstructing women from achieving their full potential – glass ceiling, anyone?) In a scene in which the Empress is cinched into her lace-up corset - “Tighter, tighter,” she demands - you can feel your own breath being taken away. On one of her visits to England, as an avid and accomplished equestrian she formed a close relationship with her horse trainer, a handsome Anglo-Scot named George ‘Bay’ Middleton (Colin Morgan), who some considered to be her lover. He was an early enthusiast of the recent invention of movies, and he encouraged her to perform in short experimental films that showed off her independence and fed her desire to break away from the rigours of court life. Bay was not the only man rumoured to be in a sexual liaison with the Empress but many of these gossipy tales were later found to be false and, in any event, Elisabeth gave them little heed, declaring haughtily that, “The lion doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.” The long absences from her husband and children did little to quench her thirst for knowledge and experience, however, or instil in her a desire to return to the Austro-Hungarian court, and Kreutzer’s script imagines an end to Sissi’s life that reflects this restlessness (even though it bears no connection to her actual demise).
Corsage is a film made primarily by women, including the director, lead actor, editor, cinematographer and costume designer, and featuring contemporary music by French composer Camille. It is Kreutzer’s interpretation of this crucial year in Sissi’s life which makes the film such an interesting one and Krieps’ outstanding central performance as a woman who ultimately decided her own fate. She deservedly received Best Performance Awards in Cannes, Chicago and the European Film Festival for her portrayal but no recognition in this year’s Oscar Awards, despite Corsage being Austria’s official entry in the International Feature Film category.
The director correctly states that, “Many of the expectations Elisabeth had to contend with continue to be imposed on women today. Being beautiful is still seen as a woman’s most important and valuable trait. Historical progress has not altered that, despite the women’s movement and emancipation. Women are still considered less valuable if they are overweight or older. An attractive female partner still boosts a man’s status… In 2022, women are supposed to do a great deal more and fulfill many more expectations – but also to stay beautiful, slim and young while they’re at it. After a certain age, women can’t win no matter what they do; they are accused of being vain if they get “some work done”, but people comment on their wrinkles if they don’t. That’s a particular issue for women in the public eye, like Elisabeth, but it affects all of us because they have a kind of emblematic function.” If these are issues that have relevance for you or you’re just keen to revel in a period drama with a twist, then Corsage is highly recommended for you.
Screenplay: Marie Kreutzer
Principal cast:
Vicky Krieps
Florian Teichtmeister
Katharina Lorenz
Jeanne Werner
Alma Hasun
Colin Morgan
Country: Austria/Luxembourg/Germany/France
Classification: M
Runtime: 114 mins.
Australian release date: 9 February 2023.
Set in Vienna in 1877, director Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage is a re-imagining of a year in the life of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, affectionately known as Sissi (or Sisi), as she approaches her 40th birthday. She was a woman who was idolised for her beauty and who, as she grew older, became more obsessed about her weight and the size of her waist. The Empress is exquisitely played by Luxembourgish actress Vicky Krieps, playing a woman determined to protect her legacy and overcome the restrictions placed on her by her philandering husband, Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister). When he reduces her role to a purely ornamental one, saying, “All you need to do is be appealing – that’s why I chose you, that’s why you’re here,” she responds by feigning swooning incidents when forced to appear at ceremonies in which she has no interest. She also goes to great lengths to increase her life experiences by travelling to Hungary, Bavaria and England to fulfill her quest for knowledge. Thus, in many ways, regardless of her obsession with her appearance, her actions could be interpreted to be those of an early champion of women’s liberation, such was her desire not to be subjugated or controlled by the men in her life.
This was a period when women were unable to achieve the same heights in society as men, unless they were able to use their charms to influence their husbands and lovers (many would say that, even now, there are still far too many impediments obstructing women from achieving their full potential – glass ceiling, anyone?) In a scene in which the Empress is cinched into her lace-up corset - “Tighter, tighter,” she demands - you can feel your own breath being taken away. On one of her visits to England, as an avid and accomplished equestrian she formed a close relationship with her horse trainer, a handsome Anglo-Scot named George ‘Bay’ Middleton (Colin Morgan), who some considered to be her lover. He was an early enthusiast of the recent invention of movies, and he encouraged her to perform in short experimental films that showed off her independence and fed her desire to break away from the rigours of court life. Bay was not the only man rumoured to be in a sexual liaison with the Empress but many of these gossipy tales were later found to be false and, in any event, Elisabeth gave them little heed, declaring haughtily that, “The lion doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.” The long absences from her husband and children did little to quench her thirst for knowledge and experience, however, or instil in her a desire to return to the Austro-Hungarian court, and Kreutzer’s script imagines an end to Sissi’s life that reflects this restlessness (even though it bears no connection to her actual demise).
Corsage is a film made primarily by women, including the director, lead actor, editor, cinematographer and costume designer, and featuring contemporary music by French composer Camille. It is Kreutzer’s interpretation of this crucial year in Sissi’s life which makes the film such an interesting one and Krieps’ outstanding central performance as a woman who ultimately decided her own fate. She deservedly received Best Performance Awards in Cannes, Chicago and the European Film Festival for her portrayal but no recognition in this year’s Oscar Awards, despite Corsage being Austria’s official entry in the International Feature Film category.
The director correctly states that, “Many of the expectations Elisabeth had to contend with continue to be imposed on women today. Being beautiful is still seen as a woman’s most important and valuable trait. Historical progress has not altered that, despite the women’s movement and emancipation. Women are still considered less valuable if they are overweight or older. An attractive female partner still boosts a man’s status… In 2022, women are supposed to do a great deal more and fulfill many more expectations – but also to stay beautiful, slim and young while they’re at it. After a certain age, women can’t win no matter what they do; they are accused of being vain if they get “some work done”, but people comment on their wrinkles if they don’t. That’s a particular issue for women in the public eye, like Elisabeth, but it affects all of us because they have a kind of emblematic function.” If these are issues that have relevance for you or you’re just keen to revel in a period drama with a twist, then Corsage is highly recommended for you.