Corsage director Marie Kreutzer on what she learned about Empress Elisabeth of Austria during her research

Corsage,

Vicky Krieps at IFC Films as Empress Elisabeth of Austria (affectionately known as Sissy), who is in a special life crisis: middle age. After turning 37, the famous beauty finds herself in decline — at least, she’s convinced. With the children growing up and her relationship with Emperor Franz Joseph I threatened by her indifference to royal obligations, the disgruntled royal became bored with her life and wanted nothing more than to hide from the public, who Still watching her every move like she’s a Influencer of the Century.

Mary Kruse Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Written and directed by Mary Marie Kreutzer’s irreverent biopic mixes the gritty classic costume drama with a postmodern twist, fusing anachronistic songs (a chamber version of The Rolling Stones’ “As Tears Go By” can be heard on the soundtrack) and modern -Day vulgar gestures. The film also plays fast and loose with historical accuracy. Corsage is not a traditional biography, but focuses on a brief period in Elizabeth’s reign, where feminist revisionism suggests a different ending to her life (the real queen was in 1000 Age is ).

Kreutzer, who lives in Vienna, has taken advantage of her proximity to the empress’ residence and has often toured the former imperial palace on her own during the pandemic. “I don’t believe in ghosts,” said the director, “but I always felt like [going back there] might affect my story.”

She did discover what was Her study period is a woman full of idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies — all of which add to the complexity of the character, which Cripps plays with wit and pathos. Kreutzer spoke to THR about what inspired her to see the Empress as a person, and how she imagined the way she designed her life.

Xixi Museum

Mary Kreutzer( As Marie Kreutzer developed the film during the pandemic, she kept returning to the Sisi Museum, which is devoted to the empress’s private quarters. The interior is “beautiful, wide and golden,” Kreutzer said, but the windows look out on modern corporate buildings or cemeteries, turning the palatial setting into something more akin to a prison. “These spaces are not comfortable,” Kreutzer added. “I find it so depressing to sit in these beautiful rooms and not see anything [beautiful outside].” The queen’s iron bed, which she would carry around Europe, is still there.

Sissy’s portrait

Portrait of Sisi

Imagno/Getty Images

Official Portrait of the Empress The one above is just as opulent – exactly what one would expect from a European royal family. Kreutzer, however, was drawn to “the kind of imagery that is not used in souvenir shops or on biographical covers,” but which suggest Elizabeth’s sadness and longing. The corsage is the antidote to this classic royal iconography.

PANTONE Lavender

PANTONE Pastel Lilac Brand courtesy

Lilacs are Queen A favorite colour, lilac ink was fashionable and expensive in her day – she even decorated a castle in Hungary in the color. (At left, Elisabeth smokes a lavender cigarette.) Finding the right tone for the film was a challenge, says Kreutzer: “Personally, I like colors that aren’t too pink — a little more gray or blue. “

Leinen

Supplied by the brand

An Austrian textile company founded in 1853, according to Kreutzer , Leitner Leinen “was of very high quality, but neither looked fancy nor too expensive.” After touring the company’s factory on vacation, the supervisor envisioned linen as Elizabeth’s fabric of choice. “It has such a raw quality,” she says. “When you think of empress, you think of very shiny fabrics, like silk or velvet. But linen is more practical.”

SOAP&SKIN

Soap&Skin Provided by PIAS Recordings

“I always listen to a lot of music when I write,” Kreutzer said, adding that Soap&Skin (Austrian artist Anja)’s song “Italy” Plaschg) From the album From Gas to Solid / You Are My Friend (pictured below), was the main source of inspiration. “Playing the song randomly, I realized what the ending of the movie was supposed to be.” The song does play in the final moments of the movie.

This story first appeared in the December stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe .