Biopics on revered, infamous royal figures run the risk of being bland, banal entries into historical lore. They can be heavy, impersonal, and have an air of mugginess that leaves you gasping for freshness. Their stale opulence and privilege seep into the fabric of the film, as we’re meant to feel sorry for these people whose power over their subjects is taken as gospel. It was apparent in Todd Hooper’s Best Picture winning The King’s Speech and Stephen Frears’ The Queen in which they took the road most travelled for their stories. In Corsage, Marie Kreutzer breathes life into a film that circumvents royal tropes in a restrained but tangibly brazen half-truth biopic of infamous Austrian Empress Elisabeth Eugenie – portrayed with the inflammatory despondence of an angry asp by an excellent, magnetic Vicky Krieps
This review was first posted on November 16th 2022. Full review linked below.
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