
At 15 she became a bride. At 19 she became a queen. By 20 she was a legend.
year: 2006
cast:
Kirsten Dunst | ... | Marie Antoinette | |
Marianne Faithfull | ... | Maria Teresa | |
Steve Coogan | ... | Ambassador Mercy | |
Clara Brajman | ... | Austrian Girlfriend | |
Mélodie Berenfeld | ... | Austrian Girlfriend | |
Judy Davis | ... | Comtesse de Noailles | |
Jason Schwartzman | ... | Louis XVI |
preface: i grew up with the myth of marie antoinette thanks to the japanese anime *lady oscar*, so i was already familiar to her persona when i rented out this DVD.

coppola's film is a beautiful film to look at: the photography is stunning and it is great to see versailles brought back to life. kirsten dunst (and her sweet dimples) are back in all their splendour (she has previously starred in sofia coppola's the virgins suicides), and her performance is as (deliberately) frivolous as this film.


i can describe this film as a box of chocolate pleasing your senses without any arousement. although loads of tragic events occurr, they seem hardly to touch M.A. who keeps smiling as if she is not completely aware of what is going on around her (and more likely she is not).
the real M.A. was goliardic, dissipator, passionate and adulteress, but proved also to be an observant woman, by doing her best to accomplish her duties of queen, and brave in resolving to stay next to her oblivious husband till their end. [to witness her decapitation in Lady O. at the age of 10 was a real shock, i can tell you!] by changing the finale from tragic to vile, coppola inevitably diminished also M.A.'s stature. i knew that the film had a *happy ending* and was intrigued to see in what grand and legendary way she concluded her story. instead it was flat and mediocre.
last harsh critique: the political and social unrest which will bring to the most astonising revolution in history could have been completely bypassed. what is the point of introducing it in the last 10 minutes of the film just to make the couple appear like vile fugitive royals?
trivia:
~ asia argento was perfect in the nasty role of the father king's speechless mistress:

~ kirsten dunst's dress at the oscars was my favourite frock:


~ and finally below the original queen:
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