Having endured three or four episodes of Marie Antoinette, it was both a relief and provocation to go and see Corsage – a more surreally, ahistorical film, much more sensuously beautiful, which faces the problem of how to film history by not trying to bother about being too correct, including, faintly ludicrously, showing the Empress’s cousin’s English estate (Althorp) somewhere deep in the Transylvanian countryside.
I thought it was a pretty brilliant performance by Vicky Krieps and many of the settings were memorably beautiful – a distant view of a swimming pool with the grassland beyond, an overgrown maze.
As beautiful a sense of a past as it’s possible to imagine, however fictional.
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
Yes, Vicky Krieps was brilliant. Thought there were some longeurs in the film – perhaps to much clonking along on wooden floors – but liked its reinterpretation of history from a feminist, if not a historically accurate viewpoint.
Agreed. I thought it was terrifically good, witty, imaginative, astute and beautiful – and a companion piece to Spencer, Pablo Larrain’s surreal view of Diana
Ah, interesting. Was always in 2 minds about seeing “Spencer” & eventually didn’t. There will be future opportunities I am sure.
We weren’t so keen on Spencer, but definitely recommend Corsage.