Surprisingly good

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2007)

I must admit the subject-matter of this movie didn't interest me much. The only really interesting historical facet for me was how the film-makers handled the love-affair with Axel Von Fersen, whom i wrote an essay about in a distant past. Anyway, the attraction for me was undoubtedly Sofia Coppola, mostly since "Lost in Translation" proved to be such a magical experience.
What i expected from this movie was something infinitely lighter. A minor and pleasant distraction. A beautiful little film with wonderful costumes, nice visuals and fair acting. Actually the movie surpassed my expectations. While it was not a masterpiece or a movie i'm likely to remember on my deathbed, it was still a lot more entertaining than i imagined it would be. The actors all do a fine job, Jason Schwartzmann surprising me the most as Louis XVI, and the visuals are wonderful. So the movie delivered where i thought it would. The bonus was the fact that the story was more engaging than i expected. The beautiful and frail Marie Antoinette feels like a real person and i actually cared about what happened to her. Sure in retrospect it might be difficult to feel any true sympathy for someone like her, someone who lives in extraordinary luxury while the masses starve. But it's hard not to see her as somewhat a victim of circumstance. A person placed in a time and place she doesn't fully understand, and who tries to make the best of it.
Marie Antoinette is sure to please those mostly interested in the beautiful surface. There is definitely enough of that since this is a beautiful-looking movie. It also has a very nice soundtrack to match the visuals, a mix between modern music and more period-like pieces. Surprisingly though there was also more to like beneath the surface, which made this movie that much more enjoyable. Worth watching! 7/10