MARIE ANTOINETTE
It is no secret that I love Sophia Coppola. I thought The Virgin Suicides rocked and Lost in Translation...just a modern masterpiece. I think she should be proud to be the only American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award in directing (not to mention the third woman to be nominated period). She is innovative and smart. She is style in my opinion.
Marie Antoinette is Sophia Coppola's first step into the world of costume drama. Being a costume designer myself, I was super excited about having my favorite director and one of my favorite costume periods all in one dose. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed.
If you are expecting this movie to be an historical drama you should just not bother seeing it. It isn't that at all. It is a very modern interpretation of a well known historical figure/period. It has the fabulous costumes and lavish scenery but at the center is a very young king and queen who Sophia reminds us were entirely too inexperienced to be running a country. The way Coppola keeps us removed from the emotional aspects of the film makes us able to look at the situation with open eyes. Marie Antoinette was not a monster...she was a teen aged girl who simply didn't know any better. To Coppola she was sheltered and desperate to please the people around her. She was the sort of victim of circumstance that will end up driving some audience member crazy and make others feel deep pity.
SPOILERS BELOW
(but if you took any kind of world history class you know the outcome of the story)
***click pix for larger views***
We start the film in Austria. Marie is being shipped off at fourteen to become the future queen of France. She has no idea that her life will be talked about for ages after her death. She seems to be a typical rich fourteen year old girl that is more concerned with gossiping with her girlfriends and playing with her puppy (Mops) than anything political. She doesn't seem to realize that her life is hers to live. She basically does as she is told and never questions anyone.
When she arrives at the Austrian/French border she is handed off to the French who must strip her of everything Austrian. This means clothes, friends and to our horror, Mops. This is the last sentimental moment of the film. This is the last time we are allowed to become emotionally involved with Marie as a person. This is the moment she starts to become a public figure and Coppola very carefully makes sure we feel like voyeurs for the rest of the film. I love this move. It is a ballsy move for her to make, but I think it really payed off.
She arrives at Versailles and is immediately thrust into a bizarro world of French aristocracy. She sort of wanders around in a daze for a good portion of the beginning of the film. This girl can't even dress without an audience! She eventually realizes that the entire country is expecting her to produce an heir to the throne. The problem is that her husband is just as young as she is but doesn't have her natural adaptability. Producing an heir becomes a serious problem that isn't solved until years after they begin sharing a bed. The interesting thing is the relationship they develop. I don't know if they were ever in love, but I do suspect that they had a great admiration for each other and they were the best of friends.
I was concerned when I found out that Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman were cast as the eventual King and Queen. During the course of the film I came to understand and appreciate the casting. Dunst is quite affective as Marie. She is never allowed to play into histrionics. Coppola hasn't cast this piece to showcase actors. She seems to be much more interested in the over all effect of the "big picture". This benefits us because this film doesn't have the best dialogue. Thankfully we have very little because Coppola chooses to tell most of the story through non verbal communication. It make the film much more intriguing. Schwartzman is touching as the misfit King. I believe if he were a modern teenager, he would be the geeky guy that doesn't wash his hair and plays Warcraft with his friends online. He is a complete dork and he doesn't want to be anything else. Marie would be the popular girl that doesn't seem to realize there is any other reality than her own. She's not really selfish...just sort of clueless.
Marie soon realizes that she can have anything that money can buy and she loves it! The scenes of her and her two best friends shopping are some of the most exciting in the film. Be on the look out for a pair of Converse in the shoe shopping scene!
As time goes by and the young couple take the throne we begin to see that they really have no clue that their world is about to crumble around them. One of my favorite sections of the film is when the King presents Marie with a country home. The whole section is filmed in a very seventies hazy summer look. It's all blond girls frolicking in meadows. They think they are living a "simple life". Marie and her little girl don't realize the servants are cleaning the poop off the eggs before they come to collect them from the pretty nests. That pretty much sums up her character (and life) right there.
Eventually the French Revolution happens and Marie and the King are forced out of their home. I appreciate the fact that Coppola doesn't show us their fates. At first I felt a little cheated but now that I've had time to reflect, I really believe it was the best move. It is much more disconcerting for the story to just stop. Sort of like loosing your life suddenly and seemingly without warning.
Lets talk about the music for a minute. This soundtrack effing rocks! It is a blend of period and 1980's punk/pop. I thought it would be weird, but it wasn't at all. It was hip and sexy and created an environment that was very alluring. This strange mix in music also helped us accept that there were a zillion accents in this film and very few were french! One of the best parts of the film is a masquerade ball the future King and Queen sneak out of Versailles after hours to go too. There is a dance scene that is so sharply contrasting to their wedding dance that it is hard to believe they were in the same film. The wedding is a very period minuet. Everything looks like the inside of a music box! The ball is rocking with 1980's tunes. It managed to create an atmosphere that was extremely erotic without ever being overtly sexual. You can really tell why the rich were having so much fun! It would be very easy to be seduced by that kind of living!
There are many more things I could tell you about this film but I'm gonna close this one out! I highly recommend that you see this film. It is refreshing to see a director who is unafraid of taking great risks. Sophia Coppola is the true star of this film. Sit back, relax and prepared to be transported to a world you will never forget!
Teaser Trailer:
Full Preview:
Click Poster to go to Bad Ass Website:
Marie Antoinette is Sophia Coppola's first step into the world of costume drama. Being a costume designer myself, I was super excited about having my favorite director and one of my favorite costume periods all in one dose. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed.
If you are expecting this movie to be an historical drama you should just not bother seeing it. It isn't that at all. It is a very modern interpretation of a well known historical figure/period. It has the fabulous costumes and lavish scenery but at the center is a very young king and queen who Sophia reminds us were entirely too inexperienced to be running a country. The way Coppola keeps us removed from the emotional aspects of the film makes us able to look at the situation with open eyes. Marie Antoinette was not a monster...she was a teen aged girl who simply didn't know any better. To Coppola she was sheltered and desperate to please the people around her. She was the sort of victim of circumstance that will end up driving some audience member crazy and make others feel deep pity.
SPOILERS BELOW
(but if you took any kind of world history class you know the outcome of the story)
***click pix for larger views***
We start the film in Austria. Marie is being shipped off at fourteen to become the future queen of France. She has no idea that her life will be talked about for ages after her death. She seems to be a typical rich fourteen year old girl that is more concerned with gossiping with her girlfriends and playing with her puppy (Mops) than anything political. She doesn't seem to realize that her life is hers to live. She basically does as she is told and never questions anyone.
When she arrives at the Austrian/French border she is handed off to the French who must strip her of everything Austrian. This means clothes, friends and to our horror, Mops. This is the last sentimental moment of the film. This is the last time we are allowed to become emotionally involved with Marie as a person. This is the moment she starts to become a public figure and Coppola very carefully makes sure we feel like voyeurs for the rest of the film. I love this move. It is a ballsy move for her to make, but I think it really payed off.
She arrives at Versailles and is immediately thrust into a bizarro world of French aristocracy. She sort of wanders around in a daze for a good portion of the beginning of the film. This girl can't even dress without an audience! She eventually realizes that the entire country is expecting her to produce an heir to the throne. The problem is that her husband is just as young as she is but doesn't have her natural adaptability. Producing an heir becomes a serious problem that isn't solved until years after they begin sharing a bed. The interesting thing is the relationship they develop. I don't know if they were ever in love, but I do suspect that they had a great admiration for each other and they were the best of friends.
I was concerned when I found out that Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman were cast as the eventual King and Queen. During the course of the film I came to understand and appreciate the casting. Dunst is quite affective as Marie. She is never allowed to play into histrionics. Coppola hasn't cast this piece to showcase actors. She seems to be much more interested in the over all effect of the "big picture". This benefits us because this film doesn't have the best dialogue. Thankfully we have very little because Coppola chooses to tell most of the story through non verbal communication. It make the film much more intriguing. Schwartzman is touching as the misfit King. I believe if he were a modern teenager, he would be the geeky guy that doesn't wash his hair and plays Warcraft with his friends online. He is a complete dork and he doesn't want to be anything else. Marie would be the popular girl that doesn't seem to realize there is any other reality than her own. She's not really selfish...just sort of clueless.
Marie soon realizes that she can have anything that money can buy and she loves it! The scenes of her and her two best friends shopping are some of the most exciting in the film. Be on the look out for a pair of Converse in the shoe shopping scene!
As time goes by and the young couple take the throne we begin to see that they really have no clue that their world is about to crumble around them. One of my favorite sections of the film is when the King presents Marie with a country home. The whole section is filmed in a very seventies hazy summer look. It's all blond girls frolicking in meadows. They think they are living a "simple life". Marie and her little girl don't realize the servants are cleaning the poop off the eggs before they come to collect them from the pretty nests. That pretty much sums up her character (and life) right there.
Eventually the French Revolution happens and Marie and the King are forced out of their home. I appreciate the fact that Coppola doesn't show us their fates. At first I felt a little cheated but now that I've had time to reflect, I really believe it was the best move. It is much more disconcerting for the story to just stop. Sort of like loosing your life suddenly and seemingly without warning.
Lets talk about the music for a minute. This soundtrack effing rocks! It is a blend of period and 1980's punk/pop. I thought it would be weird, but it wasn't at all. It was hip and sexy and created an environment that was very alluring. This strange mix in music also helped us accept that there were a zillion accents in this film and very few were french! One of the best parts of the film is a masquerade ball the future King and Queen sneak out of Versailles after hours to go too. There is a dance scene that is so sharply contrasting to their wedding dance that it is hard to believe they were in the same film. The wedding is a very period minuet. Everything looks like the inside of a music box! The ball is rocking with 1980's tunes. It managed to create an atmosphere that was extremely erotic without ever being overtly sexual. You can really tell why the rich were having so much fun! It would be very easy to be seduced by that kind of living!
There are many more things I could tell you about this film but I'm gonna close this one out! I highly recommend that you see this film. It is refreshing to see a director who is unafraid of taking great risks. Sophia Coppola is the true star of this film. Sit back, relax and prepared to be transported to a world you will never forget!
Teaser Trailer:
Full Preview:
Click Poster to go to Bad Ass Website:
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