The deconstruction and modernization of a myth like that of Sissi is a courageous and partly necessary operation. In fact, it is now well known that the image built around the last empress of Austria by the productions of the 1950s was highly watered down and anti-historical.
Kreutzer tries to tell the story of the Sissy known to the Austrians of the time, the one obsessed by her image, scared of the passage of time, not very compliant with the rules of the Court. To do this she tries to use a modern language by inserting objects that are not contemporary with the characters into the shots to symbolize the character's modernity. Didactic? Probably yes, it's not even too effective, but that's it.
Supporting the film is an excellent performance by Vicky Krieps who already won love in The Hidden Thread. Here she outlines the character poised between certainties and weaknesses, masterfully using facial expressions that do more than the words of the screenplay. Remarkable.
And yet The Empress's Corset is one of those films in which the direction is good, the performances are excellent, the technical cast, starting with the cinematography, is interesting, but which ultimately fails to convince. Maybe it's due to the lack of a real idea for the screenplay, but you leave the cinema not fully satisfied.
The modernization of a historical character is a device already seen, even in recent cinema. This is why Kreutzer's film struggles to amaze, struggles to strike the viewer and attract him. Sin.
Kreutzer tries to tell the story of the Sissy known to the Austrians of the time, the one obsessed by her image, scared of the passage of time, not very compliant with the rules of the Court. To do this she tries to use a modern language by inserting objects that are not contemporary with the characters into the shots to symbolize the character's modernity. Didactic? Probably yes, it's not even too effective, but that's it.
Supporting the film is an excellent performance by Vicky Krieps who already won love in The Hidden Thread. Here she outlines the character poised between certainties and weaknesses, masterfully using facial expressions that do more than the words of the screenplay. Remarkable.
And yet The Empress's Corset is one of those films in which the direction is good, the performances are excellent, the technical cast, starting with the cinematography, is interesting, but which ultimately fails to convince. Maybe it's due to the lack of a real idea for the screenplay, but you leave the cinema not fully satisfied.
The modernization of a historical character is a device already seen, even in recent cinema. This is why Kreutzer's film struggles to amaze, struggles to strike the viewer and attract him. Sin.
