The tragic life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as “Sisi,” has been the source of intrigue for well over a century now. Since her death in 1898, films, books, and even a musical have been made based on her life, most notably the “Sisi” trilogy starring Romy Schneider. Over the years, producers and writers have tried to portray the empress’ life from her childhood to her death in faithful, but unique ways. The film “Corsage,” directed by Marie Kreutzer, aims to portray a new, more unknown side of the empress’ life, focusing on her place in society and the Austrian court, and how she attempts to rebel against it.
Set between 1877 and 1878, the film follows Empress Elisabeth as she begins to act oddly leading up to her 40th birthday. The empress, who is well-known for her beauty, has become increasingly obsessed with her looks while also being frustrated with her position and has set out to find a way to protect her legacy. Along the way, she deals with issues such as her weight, her strained relationship with her husband and children, and finding a way to battle against her current public image, which is made difficult by the tabloids’ constant eye on her.
The film’s main star, Vicky Krieps, does an excellent job of portraying the aging empress. One of the aspects I tend to notice in biographical films, especially those about deceased figures, is that many portrayals often have the same style and feel to them. That is not inherently a problem; however, with a figure as polarizing as Elisabeth, it tends to make the films as a whole feel the same, and they quickly become uninteresting. Krieps’ portrayal of Empress Elisabeth is one that I have never seen before, and she truly makes the character her own. With how much misery Elisabeth went through in her life, some portrayals can feel melodramatic when tackling the more serious aspects of her life. I was initially scared that Krieps’ portrayal would also be melodramatic; thankfully, it is not.
Krieps plays Elisabeth as strong-willed, yet vulnerable, and is able to show a side of the Empress that many other films fail to portray. She is unafraid to speak her mind about her displeasure with being an empress, is nonchalant about how she acts outside of the public eye, and at times she can be quite cruel to the people around her. The Elisabeth that director Marie Kreutzer wanted to portray is not the docile, tragic figure that many of us know her as today, but rather a woman who is angry with her role in society and who is not afraid to take matters into her own hands. In that aspect, Krieps succeeds in her portrayal.
The film not being set within Elisabeth’s court life benefited it significantly, and it instead focuses on the more intimate moments of her life, such as her hobbies and homesickness for her family in Bavaria. One of the aspects that I enjoyed was how this film portrays the relationship between Elisabeth and two of her children. In the film, Elisabeth favors her son, Crown Prince Rudolf, tremendously over her other children, which ends up causing a rift between her and her youngest daughter, Valerie. She constantly voices her displeasure with her mother’s behavior, which causes Elisabeth to question their relationship as a whole. The film also conveys the strained relationship between Elisabeth and her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, in a more intimate manner as they try to be cordial with one another despite Elisabeth’s growing hostility toward him. This is an excellent aspect of the film which shows that, although Elisabeth’s rebellion may be beneficial for her, it has negative effects on other people in her life.
Overall, this new take on the life of Sisi does not disappoint in what it offers to the audience. With an incredibly rich portrayal of Empress Elisabeth’s more intimate moments, “Corsage” is able to stand out against the same, cookie-cutter biographical films that tend to be made nowadays. Even if you are not interested in history, I highly recommend “Corsage,” as its message of rebellion and personal empowerment resonates with many people today.
