Luxurious, carefree life in the Palace of Versailles before the storm (the French Revolution)

Rating: 8/10 (1 January 2018)

RELEASED IN 2006 and written & directed by Sofia Coppola, "Marie Antoinette " chronicles France's iconic but doomed queen, Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst), from just prior to her betrothal & marriage to Louis XVI at 15 in 1770 to her reign as queen at 19, her eventual decline, and the close of her reign with the fall of the Palace of Versailles, located a few miles West of Paris.
This is an opulent and beautifully stylized interpretation of the historical events combining period tunes with anachronistic modern music (new wave, post-punk and electronica), which successfully humanizes the historical figures and their world for a contemporary audience. The first two acts effectively show what life in Versailles was like for royalty & nobles in the 18th century; but the last act subtly conveys the looming upheaval of the brutal French Revolution, which was the consequence of foolish spending and blithe, luxuriant living without concern for the common people.
THE FILM RUNS 2 hours 3 minutes and was shot in France with studio work done at Pinewood Studios, England. WRITER: Sofia based her script on Antonia Fraser's book Marie Antoinette: The Journey. BOX OFFICE: With a budget of $40 million, the film took in a little over $60 million worldwide.
GRADE: B+/A-