Dim lust...

Rating: 6/10 (22 March 2007)

History has created many faces that will forever ordain the fabrics of time, be them famous or infamous. Such figures are popular themes for biographic movies, and while these figures were famed, their film portrayals do not always do them justice.
Most people, regardless of whether they took History as a subject or not, know from the beginning some information on Marie Antoinette and her eventual downfall with the French revolution: Marie (Kirsten Dunst), Austrian born, leaves her country of birth to marry the prince of France; she would eventually become queen when the prince was crowned King Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman). Marie was known as a queen who lived an exuberant life and was labeled as being insensitive towards the people of France.
While a biography of sorts, Marie Antoinette is flawed with some historic inaccuracy, but for those who know little about Marie, or have forgotten, these inaccuracies will come as merely grains of dust which can be brushed away. As a whole, the film is effective with its storytelling, but there are certain issues that hinder the process.
While setting off with a good start, Marie Antoinette continues in rather slow and mundane fashion. There is a certain mellowness in the atmosphere that never ever picks up pace, even when Marie begins living life to it's fullest; this is especially a problem when the slow pacing can be seen as metaphoric of Marie's lackluster life.
On the acting side, we are presented with genuinely decent acting. None of the characters portray their respective characters poorly, granted some actresses need only be fickle with their character, and this proves a strong point of the film. The various actors and actresses do not bring about award winning performances but what they do bring forth, is a sense of ease.
The film itself is a feast for the eyes. Sofia Coppola does an amazing job with her cinematography which not only helps us identify with the characters but also highlights the grandeur of the costume design and the royal splendidness of French architecture. However there is a stint in the movie which seems out of place in terms of camera facilitation, and it is very noticeable. Luckily Coppola finishes the film on a very artistic note, and it is easily one of the best scenes in the entirety of the film.
Another very striking aspect of the movie is the inclusion of contemporary music. While there are the usual classical melodies associated with historically based films, the modernised tunes are wonderfully added to create new life within the context of the story. With this, one is able to relate various events within the story to modern day society, and this becomes a strong talking point of the film. However, the popular music becomes unnecessarily used in some scenes and ultimately a strength of the film, becomes its weakness.
Rarely scattered throughout the film are various clippings of Marie being dressed and, while not fully visible, breast nudity can be seen. The film also plays on the low key love life Marie has with Louis and her eventual falling into an affair.
Marie Antoinette is a lovely film to gaze upon with the costume design and the imagery of the majestic buildings of aristocrat France. Even the acting is good, but tit all falls apart throughout the course of this somewhat historically incorrect film. The slow pacing is nagging and the overuse of modern music makes Marie Antoinette more a bother then a style.
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