Royalty gone wild

Rating: 7/10 (9 March 2008)

Having had the privilege of seeing Versailles first hand, I was expecting a sumptuous feast and was not disappointed. Winning an Oscar for costumes, I cannot understand why it was not also a winner for art direction and makeup, but it did go up against Pan's Labyrinth.
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, it was an ambitious undertaking, and certainly to be criticized by historical purists, who think all movies should be documentaries if they dabble with facts. Just as book lovers expect all movies to be faithful renditions of their beloved tomes.
I am sure Coppola played loose with the facts, but presented an engaging story of two young royals that were not prepared to lead. Whether spending time hunting or gambling, they were more interested in the pursuit of fun than the problems of France. At least they spent some of that money helping the American rebels throw off the English.
Besides Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette, I certainly enjoyed Rip Torn as a randy Loius XV, who had a torrid affair with the lovely Comtesse du Barry (Asia Argento).