I took the plunge with Corsage, but it wasn’t easy. In fact, the Corsage movie experience was exactly how I behave when I enter a pool: toe dip, cringe, ‘it’s cold’, ankle, cringe, shin, cringe, torso, cringe, breasts…primal scream…you get the message.
My Corsage cringes came in waves, regarding how similar the screenplay story is to SPENCER. Let me count the ways:
1. Lady Di and Empress Elisabeth both dance to feel free, even the end shots, both dancing.
2. Both royals wake their children up in the middle of the night for ‘playful fun’.
3. Both royals rebel by not eating or over eating.
4. Both Prince and Emperor hold a staring contest before the Prince slams a door leaving a room after being confronted about affairs.
5. Both royals were suicidal.
My sixth trepitdatious yelp was; why should I care about a narcissist (as the Empress was portrayed)? And since I try not to learn too much about a movie a head of time (and luckily for me this movie was not historically accurate especially since my 30 something co-worker is a push play trivia guru who told me her entire life story before I got the gonads to say, “stop!”). In my co-worker’s (historical) version, she is a victim. I’m about to look up whether the screenplay is by a man or a woman. My guess is the former given the narcissus depiction….drum roll….huh, no Austrian female, Marie Kreutzer. Interesting.
Despite the ‘chilly’ waters, I am drawn to Vicky Krieps. She is a combo of my former (sad emoji) friend Terry who could be vile, yet beguiling with her long auburn hair and spunk. Unlike me, who even by merely wisecracking, I seem to elicit people’s aghast response.
All the other actors were top notch as well. Florian Teighmeister as the Emperor. Katharina Lorenz was excellent as her first maid and Tamas Lengyel was solid as the kissing cousin.
I also enjoyed the anachronistic music (Help Me Make It Through the Night and darn, some one write me and tell me what it was, the scene with the girl on the harp) and the swear words that probably weren’t 1877ish.
So in spite of my reservations, I enjoyed the film. While it doesn’t make my top ten, I felt different leaving, a strengthened confidence which is saying something considering I walked home at 930 in 40 degree weather. Vicky Krieps helped me feel more assertive WHICH led me to think back to my top ten and the only film that truly ‘changed’ me (in a positive way) was Elvis and his Suspicious Minds song. Hence Elvis moves up to number one. Perhaps the spirit of Lisa Marie compelled me as well. R.I.P.
