Marie-Antoinette

Reviewed by: Ron Henriques - 10.12.06

Though Sofia Coppola won much acclaim (and an Oscar for screenwriting) for her last feature "Lost in Translation, there are audiences of the jaded variety who wonder what all the fuss was about. Many couldn't fathom the positive response to such an unconventional film that had no plot and little dialogue between its two leads. It was unfairly seen as just an artsy movie from the girl who ruined "The Godfather Part III". Personally, I found the film to be not just a breath of fresh air, but an example of the types of ideas filmmakers should be looking towards. Unlike her father, who hasn't made a movie in almost a decade (or a good one for an even longer period), this young woman is trying to shake-up visual and dramatic storytelling, instead of giving interviews on how great the seventies were. Her latest feature Marie Antoinette has already been met with controversy (it was booed at Cannes, but what would you expect from the French), but is constructed in a more entertaining fashion than your typical period drama.

Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides" leading lady Kirsten Dunst stars in the title role as the 14-year-old daughter of the ambitious Maria Teresa, Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary and the Holy Roman empire (Marianne Faithful), who literally strips down at the border before meeting her intended: Louis Auguste (Jason Schwartzman, son of Coppola's aunt, Talia Shire). The powers that be see their union as a political alliance, but Marie will have trouble fulfilling her duties because the famously chubby Dauphin cannot bring himself to complete his conjugal duties for seven years. The pressure is on for Marie to provide the nation with an heir, making her the subject of rumors and scandal of the kingdom. Not only has the Dauphin’s brother succeeded first in producing his own heir, but Marie must also contend with the embarrassingly sexual voracious relationship between the King (Rip Torn) and his mistress Madame Du Barry (Asia Argento).

Surrounded by a world of sophistication, but trapped by tradition and the expectations of a nation, Marie can only retreat into the decadent lifestyle and privileges of the French aristocracy. Her indiscretions, which include a secret affair with the Swedish Count Fersen (Jaime Dornan), add fuel the fire that grows amongst the people and she soon finds herself swept up in a bloody revolution and a date with history.

Coppola based her screenplay on Antonia Fraser's 2002 biography, "Marie Antoinette: The Journey", which presented her in a new light as an innocent and suggested the famous “let them eat cake” line was never her words but rather, “bad publicity”. Coppola's film tells the story of a young girl who despite having everything and everyone available to her, felt completely alone. The film has been criticized for it's too contemporary characterizations, but for today's audience it is often necessary to shake things up. Rather than choosing to make a straight period drama, Coppola gets the story's essence across to an audience by making it more relatable to today's times. The film's pop soundtrack may seem distracting (a masquerade ball is set to the tune of Sioxsie and the Banshees's "Hong Kong Garden"), but it serves as a device to present the decadence of the period. Today’s audiences have shorter attention spans and Coppola’s contemporary directing style works appropriately.

Shooting on location in Versailles, the royal court near Paris, gives the film more credibility and a haunting feeling that the ghosts of the past still roam there. Coppola’s beautiful collaborations with cinematographer Lance Accord and production designer KK Barett surpass their work on her previous feature and present us with a world so rich and colorful that at times it seems almost edible.

Coppola describes her cast as eclectic, but there are some elements that hinder rather than support the credibility of the story. Rip Torn is a brilliant performer who has even tackled Shakespeare, but here her comes across as too American and too aloof to be the King Louis XV of France. Other faces, which include SNL alum Molly Shannon as the gossiping Aunt Victoire and Asia Argento as Du Barry, are a bit too familiar and contemporary. They bring the weight of past, less lavish roles to the table and it is difficult to see them as anything else. There are however brilliant performances from comedian Keith Coogan as Antoinette's loyal Austrian advisor Count Mercy D'Argenteau, Judy Davis as the etiquette and tradition obsessed Comtess de Noailles and though her role is brief, Marianne Faithful's casting as the Empress of Austria is a stroke of genius. At the center of it all is a brilliant performance by Dunst in what could have been a disaster. Dunst’s slow building maturity as an actress has given her not just a sense of self-deprecation, but also a stillness that’s rare amongst the new generation. Through all the heavy costumes and outrageous wigs, she gives off a radiant glow as well as expresses the isolation of a girl thrust into a cold and mature world. Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” doesn’t attempt to re-invent filmmaking or dumb down storytelling for an “Mtv” audience. This isn’t the “Cliff Notes” version of a classic story, but a fresh delivery of old material.