All Pomp, No Circumstance

Rating: 3/10 (2 March 2007)

After Sofia Coppola's successful films THE VIRGIN SUICIDES and LOST IN TRANSLATION, many movie-goers awaited her next masterpiece with baited breath. Taking on the life of MARIE ANTOINETTE is no small feat, too. Here is someone who's short life and reign as Queen of France ended in head-tumbling fashion, but affected France's government for years to come.
It is unfortunate that a few factors ruined this film, causing it to get booed at the Cannes Film Festival and leaving it with lackluster gains at the box office. But many who were displeased with this rendition of her life have rightly showed their displeasure.
I'm not going to give you a history lesson, as I'm assuming most of you know about the life and times of Marie Antoinette. But I will give you some idea what to expect if you watch the film.
First, expect to enjoy the great sets and costumes. Any gal who loves to go shoe shopping will probably drool over the number of scenes involving footwear (perhaps too many) and their excellent designs. Heading from the feet upward, the dresses, wigs, fans, and head-wear are also very nicely arranged and in accordance with the times. The film was shot on-location in Versailles, so no one should be able to complain about the authenticity of the sets.
But from here the production takes a serious nosedive. The screenplay is riddled with boring and absent scenes (from Louis and Marie eating many silent breakfasts, to a complete lack of what was going on outside the palace walls). The end of Marie's life is run through in slipshod fashion, as if a race were on to finish the movie on schedule.
Then, of course, there's the music. Incorporating modern day music with historical elements has been done before. The one that most comes to mind is A KNIGHT'S TALE. Although not the pinnacle of film success, A Knight's Tale had some catchy tunes that went along nicely with the story. But with Marie Antoinette, the connections are distant at best. Can you imagine songs from Bow Wow Wow and The Cure infusing a renaissance-style film? If you're like me, this is a bit hard to swallow.
What happens in the end is we get a movie that is all pomp and no circumstance; visually appealing on almost every level but sorely lacking a decent script that would allow the acting to shine through. I'll give Kirsten Dunst a few claps of applause for her portrayal, as she made the best out of a pretty awful screenplay, but that's about it.
A bit of a snoozer, I'm afraid.