Film Fest 919: Corsage Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Film Fest 919 Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Corsage gives audiences a window into the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Krieps) that is in the same vein as such films and series as The Crown and Elizabeth. While enjoyable and interesting more often than not, it is also a bit long and doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

Taking place in late 1800s Austria, the power of Krieps’ performance can be felt right away. While Corsage is a bit bland, it offers most of the standard intrigue and drama one would expect. Nevertheless, Krieps performance is so magnetic it’s hard to not look away. As the story slowly unfolds, audiences are sure to find themselves wondering where it may be going but it ultimately rests on Elisabeth’s attempt to hold onto her youth and beauty.

Corsage, despite it’s flaws, still has a lot of things going for it on a technical level. As is the case with period pieces, the costume design is stellar but is not particularly as memorable as the countless similar film and television period pieces. The hair and makeup team also do some impressive work worthy of awards while the production design was spectacular and impressive to behold as it brings the film’s lavish world to life. The cinematography helped give it a cinematic feel but is nothing to truly write home about.

In the end, without Krieps, Corsage would’ve faltered as she and her powerful performance undoubtedly holds the film together. That being said, the story and script do leave much to be desired as the film as a whole fails to deliver anything that audiences haven’t already seen before across countless films and television series. Meanwhile, the editing and pacing also didn’t help its case either. All things considered; the film is still worth seeing even if it’s just for Vicky Krieps.

In spite of its issues, there is more than enough in Corsage to enjoy but at the end of the day, the power of Vicky Krieps is undeniable as she single-handedly propels the film and carries audiences towards the finish line, even though it is unlikely to have much staying power beyond the closing credits.

(original review)

still courtesy of IFC Films

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Russell Miller

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