Rent Corsage (2022)

Original, austere and compelling tale of a disaffected 19th century Empress - Corsage review by PD

This original, very austere but often playfully anachronistic piece by Marie Kreutzer centres on the later life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, aka “Sissi” (1837-1898), superbly played by a suitably regal and linguistically dexterous Vicky Krieps of 'Phantom Thread' fame. Kreutzer deliberately eschews any attempt to conform to the conventions of period drama, finding instead in the Bavarian-born wife of the Emperor Franz Josef a woman with a very modern spirit who happens to be locked in a 19th century marriage and desperate to assuage her frustration with having no real political power. Kreutzer’s script keeps a reasonably tight temporal focus on these few years in Sissi’s life, although it avoids some of the more dramatic events in the historical record, and substitutes a distinctly different ending to her life.

Kreutzer builds up an episodic but compelling portrait of a disaffected woman, with more than a touch of Coppola's Marie Antoniette and Diana, Princess of Wales, about her. For example, Sissi is seen suffering from an eating disorder brought on in part by a world that views her as little more than an 'influencer', whose slightest change of hairstyle ripples through society. In fact, at one point, in despair over a number of recent emotional shocks, she decides to hack off most of her locks, provoking one lady-in-waiting to cry with despair on seeing what she considers her own (not Sissi’s) life’s work ruined. Krieps brings a strong sense of intelligence to the role, and her own imposing physicality perfectly conveys the regality of Sissi’s presence, but the supporting characters are less well drawn, apart perhaps from Ida Ferenczy (Jeanne Werner), Sissi’s sister and emotional-support courtier, one of the few people with whom she can speak frankly and honestly. Indeed, without making a big fuss of it, there’s a distinct sense throughout that the mostly female key crewmembers are pulling together to tell this woman-centric story through the lens of female identity. Here, Sissi is more of a depressive rather than a narcissist or someone suffering borderline personality disorder - being desired and considered beautiful is practically the only power Sissi has, and as that power wanes there’s little to replace it. Well worth a look.

Study of Female Isolation - Corsage review by GI

Vicky Krieps gives an intense yet subtle performance here in a fictional account in a year in the life of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria in 1877. The narrative is concerned with loneliness and the female as object rather than human being. Elisabeth's life is one of being constantly under the gaze and as she turns 40 years old she is officially deemed 'old' and consequently she begins the tiresome process of trying to maintain her youth, if only figuratively. This is an interesting period drama and study of controlled femininity under the strange conditions of monarchy, where adultery is condemned but rife and image tops intelligence and passion. Yet in many ways this is a study of how women, regardless of status, are isolated and imprisoned by cultural image.

A slightly strange yet compelling film - Corsage review by giantrolo

We watched this film without knowing the historical context or anything about the Empress Sisi, and have to say it was a little bizarre in parts. It helped to read some other film reviews after we watched it to understand where it was coming from - without this, it would have been a 1-2 star film! But there were some highly redeeming features of the film beyond the odd story - it was beautifully shot and had a nice pace, and the actors were all excellent. Would recommend this film if you read a little about the history beforehand!