Movies

In 1768, Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) is a young princess in Austria. Her mother sets her to marry the future French king Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman). She is naive and inexperienced in the ways of the Versailles court. There is King Louis XV of France (Rip Torn), his mistress Madame du Barry (Asia Argento), and Comtesse de Noailles (Judy Davis). The Dauphin is distant and Marie struggles to connect with him. They are not sexual and she's under pressure to give an heir to the throne.Sofia Coppola delivers a bright, light Marie Antoinette. She's very modern. There is some nice tension as the pressure builds for a baby. The movie fades away after that as France falls into revolution. Dunst is better as the young teen more than the older queen. The movie has the costumes but the drama isn't always there.

Not only was this movie the worst I movie saw in 2006, it is high ranking among the worst movies I've seen in my life (and that includes such winners as Devil's Rejects and the Hulk). The only redeeming aspect of was the costumes and scenery, everything else was horrible. Kirsten Dunst was not very well suited at all for this character. Her performance came off as very artificial, not realistic at all. The movie's blatant disregard for historical accuracy was pretty disturbing. It didn't focus on the French Revolution at all. That would be like making a film of Abraham Lincon but just leaving out the Civil War. Or maybe I could make a movie about the Titanic but ending the movie before that bad sinking part happens. It's a pity I can't give it negative stars.

i know some people have said that it is entirely eye candy (and what amazing eye candy at that) but it actually does an artful adaptation of the book, which i read before seeing the film. it includes many of the important, beautiful, and sad parts of the book without getting bogged down with all the particulars and names like many of the period movies do. the soundtrack is great, a clever blend of 18th century and modern...the parts are well acted and the American accents rarely detract. If you want a historical account of her life, read the book...if you want Versailles and Marie Antoinette brought to life in a heart-breakingly beautiful fashion, go see this film...it is truly one of the most visually stunning movies i have ever seen.