Home
Home

Marie Antoinette (2006)

DVD Cover (Sony Home Entertainment)
Add to Collection
Sign up to add this to your collection
Add to Favorites
Sign up to add this to your favorites
Overall Rating 65%
Overall Rating
Ranked #1,438
...out of 20,320 movies
Check In? Sign up to check in!

The retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 15 to her reign as queen at 19 and ultimately the fall of Versailles. --IMDb
User Image
Review by bluemeanie
Added: October 30, 2006
There has been a lot of negative buzz surrounding "Marie Antoinette". It all started a while ago when director Sofia Coppola announced that she would be casting Kirsten Dunst in the role, an actress who has achieved a lot of success, despite her lacking of the most staggering range. The buzz continued when it was revealed that Coppola would not be requiring her actors and actresses to use European accents if they were not naturally European. Then came the big premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where the film was booed by audiences. "Marie Antoinette" seemed destined for complete and utter failure. After seeing the film, I don't see how in the hell this is possible. How did the audiences at Cannes find this film boo worthy? "Marie Antoinette" is a lavish and impossibly beautiful motion picture that solidifies Sofia Coppola as one of the best in the business. I found myself glued to the screen, watching Coppola's story unfold with the same kind of energy and zest that she also lent to "The Virgin Suicides" and "Lost In Translation". You can always tell a Sofia Coppola film by the energy attached, and "Marie Antoinette" is certainly no different.

The film follows the journey of Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) from her roots in Austria, all the way to Versailles, where she weds Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), and immediately begins making an impact on the Royal Court due to her 'outlandish' and 'unorthodox' style. As King Louis XV (Rip Torn) experiments with his mistress (Asia Argento), and her mother (Marianne Faithfull) and brother (Danny Huston) try desperately to get her pregnant, Marie Antoinette spends most of her days drinking, gambling, gossiping - all of the things a Queen in waiting should not do. The film follows the decadence of Marie Antoinette as she spends and spends French money, worsened further by Louis' decision to have France aid America in their fight for independence. Steve Coogan co-stars as the Austrian ambassador, Judy Davis as Comtesse de Noailles and Rose Byrne as Marie Antoinette's best friend and companion. We all know how this story ends, if we are all familiar with our French history, but "Marie Antoinette" does not concern itself with French history as much as it does the character study of the young Queen and those closest to her.

As a director, Sofia Coppola is always trying to push boundaries, whether they be strictly visual, or through and through. Her, she does what she always does. Whether or not Marie Antoinette was as wild as this film would have her seem is up for debate - this film is based on a biography that not all authorities perceive to be truthful. But, Coppola does manage to make her likable. Even as she is spending French into poverty, we cannot help but feel for her and embrace her. Coppola has opted to use a contemporary soundtrack to highlight the gorgeous cinematography by Lance Acord, and we are given everything from Siouxsie and the Banshees to Bow Wow and The Strokes. Some might find this infuriating, but I found it absolutely wonderful - I always enjoy with directors have the courage to take something so familiar as the story of Marie Antoinette and inject a little modern flavor. One of the things I enjoyed about "A Knight's Tale" was how they incorporated modern music into the film in such energetic ways. "Marie Antoinette" does the same thing and Coppola has selected the perfect songs for their use in the film. And, as mentioned previously, the cinematography is breathtaking and will almost certainly take the Oscar this year. The crew was given total access to Versailles for the filming of this motion picture and it makes all the difference in the world. You can tell how much weaker the film would have been on a sound stage. Every inch of this film is breathtaking and it reminded me very much of the way Terrence Malick photographs his pictures. This was like one long stream of endless French glamour shots.

And, in terms of performances, everyone needs to leave Kirsten Dunst the hell alone. Sure, I am not her biggest fan and have always thought "Interview With the Vampire" was her moment to shine, but she does exactly what she needs to do here, and likely exactly what Sofia Coppola hired her to do. Dunst is perfect as the naive, energetic and destructive Queen who is causing more damage than she could ever realize. As Louis, Jason Schwartzman is an odd casting choice, but I suppose he also does what Coppola envisioned for this role - he is definitely the awkward square peg, but he does show a genuine love for his wife. Rip Torn, another odd choice, chews his way through each and every scene until his character finally expires, and Judy Davis is sublime in probably the most spot on performance in the entire film. Danny Huston and Marianne Faithfull have wonderful supporting roles, but we see far too little of them in the film after their brief introductions. Steve Coogan delivers quite possibly his best performance to date as the ambassador to Austria, and we really see the bond that he shares with the Queen - he seems to be the only true rock in her life. So, if you want to criticize this film for anything, make sure it isn't creativity or acting ability. Oh, and how nice was it to see Molly Shannon finally do something that wasn't so damned over the top?

With all of that said, "Marie Antoinette" will probably not appeal to everyone. It's an odd bird, as are most Sofia Coppola films. Oddly enough, I would say this is less accessible to the masses than her previous film, "Lost In Translation". She takes a more photographic stance here, and while it paid off for me, I don't see audiences gobbling it up, which is a true shame. There are just so many wonderful things to say about this film, and I cannot express how saddened I am by the fact that a French audience could find this film worthy of such negative response. If anything, this film shows the graciousness of the French and the beauty of the French landscape. So what if it showcases one of their leaders as spoiled, naive, and destructive? We all have those. Some of us have them right now, after centuries of over-exposure. Sofia Coppola has delivered another real gem with "Marie Antoinette" and I do hope you will give it the chance it deserves. If you go in expecting "Lost In Translation", you're going to be sorely disappointed. This is one of those instances where the trailer perfectly captures the mood of the film. I loved the trailer. I loved the film even more.

9/10.
Edd #1: Edd - added August 13, 2008 at 9:01am
I'm sorry bluemeanie, but I couldn't get past the fact of how utterly boring this movie was. Great performances, but with zero plot interaction, it really didn't hit home the way it could have. I'm a sucker for period pieces, but I give this one a 2/10.
Sign up to add your comment. Sign up to add your comment.
Recommended Movies
The Patriot Elizabeth: The Golden Age Napoleon The Last Emperor The Virgin Suicides Chernobyl Oppenheimer Capote The Current War Mary Queen Of Scots Caligula Caligula And Messalina Elizabeth Taking Woodstock Alpha Priscilla Auto Focus Caligula: The Untold Story
Layout, reviews and code © 2000-2024 | Privacy Policy
Contact: Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Review Updates