I Want Candy

Rating: 8/10 (20 April 2009)

Energetic', 'Bright', and 'Lively' are adjectives which best describe Sofia Coppola's film, MARIE ANTOIENETTE. Many historical films are pedantic in that they seem to labor in an attempt to accentuate the difference between a certain historical period and how it contrasts the present. This film is very impressionistic in that Marie's perspective is almost that of a modern teenage girl. She is portrayed as a kind hearted soul who is thrust into an arranged marriage designed only to strengthen relations between two super-powers. Her personal feelings are not even addressed, and much to her dismay, the marriage is not consummated for over seven years. Her attempts to adapt are rebuffed, so she employs the flamboyant and eccentric court life of Versailles as a distraction. The political drama and intrigue of the French monarchy is infused with the whimsy of youth as Marie tries to find her place. The screen is drenched in pastels and scenes sprout inexplicably like an MTV video while the soundtrack blasts the songs of 1980's New Romantics. This music, although wildly out of historical context, embraces the spirit of a young girl who is trying to have the best possible time in troubling circumstances. Whether or not this is an historical accurate picture of the real Marie Antoinette (which is really beside the point), Sofia Coppola's characterization beautifully encapsulates the lightheartedness of a young female in a daunting situation.