Costume drama — Vicky Krieps says a corset is a “torture instrument”.
SMOKING AND SWEARING her way through royal duties, Vicky Krieps’ portrayal of Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Corsage is definitely not in keeping with the longstanding perception of the 19th-century monarch. Affectionately known as ‘Sissi’, the Empress has long been depicted as the perfect princess; celebrated primarily for her beauty and taste in fashion. Speaking to Empire, the Phantom Thread star breaks down how Corsage reclaims Sissi’s image as a formidable leader and independent hero.
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Taking an interest in princesses wasn’t encouraged by Krieps’ free-spirited parents, so with her neighbour she sought out the 1950s Sissi films starring a teenage Romy Schneider. “It was my rebellion first to watch them, but then it was also my rebellion to make this movie and to reject the images that have been forced on women for centuries,” the actor says. After further reading revealed that Sissi was a defiant and depressed empress held back by the confines of royal duties, it was Krieps herself who approached director Marie Kreutzer with the idea for the film. “The puzzle of who this woman was stayed with me,” she adds.