Sofia Coppola	...	(Director)
	...	(Writer)
Kirsten Dunst	...
Jason Schwartzman	...
Judy Davis	...
Rip Torn	...
Rose Byrne	...

Summary:




























While much was made of the fact that Marie Antoinette elicited boos at Cannes, the many favorable reviews attracted less attention. Inspired by Antonia Fraser's biography, Sofia Coppola fashions a portrait that's just as dreamy as The Virgin Suicides, her first literary adaptation, and the Oscar-winning Lost in Translation. Set to a soundtrack of post-punk (a conceit that adds more interest than resonance), the teenaged Marie (Kirsten Dunst, quite good) may be shallow, but she's rarely unsympathetic. The story begins in the late-18th century as the Austrian Archduchess agrees to marry Louis-Auguste (Jason Schwartzman). After bidding adieu to her mother, Maria Theresa (Marianne Faithfull), she travels to France, where King Louis XV (Rip Torn) sets the rules--and the list is endless (Judy Davis' Comtesse de Noailles is the primary enforcer). As for the Dauphin, he's just a boy, really, with more interest in his key collection than their marriage bed. Should Marie produce an heir, it might be enough to sustain her--since life is nothing but an endless shopping spree--but clouds gather on the horizon as an impoverished populace rises up against their extravagant leaders. Coppola merely suggests what happens next, although history paints a darker picture. Filmed in and around the Chateau of Versailles, Marie Antoinette is a riot of rustling gowns, sparkling jewels, and Manolo Blahnik-designed shoes. To say that style trumps substance does its maker a disservice, but the look of the thing does leave the deepest impression. --Kathleen C. Fennessy













Extras from Marie Antoinette (click for larger image)






Featurette:
On the filming of Marie Antoinette:
high bandwidth


Film Clip:
"The Introduction"
high bandwidth

Film Clip: "The Royal Treatment"
high bandwidth
Stills from Marie Antoinette (click for larger image)
















Beyond Marie Antoinette at Amazon.com


























The Book, Marie Antoinette: The Journey

More Period Pieces With A Twist

The Films of Kirsten Dunst