Simply beautiful...a visual masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (18 September 2008)

"Marie Antoinette" is probably one of the most underrated, under-appreciated and completely misunderstood movies. It rarely gets the credit it truly deserves, most likely because people who were expecting a history lesson were disappointed when the movie didn't deliver. But Sophia Coppola herself said that "this movie is not a lesson in history" and, indeed, it's not. I never had a chance to read the book (by Antonia Fraser) the movie was based on, but it seems that in the movie they intentionally avoided all the better-known facts about Marie Antoinette (i.e. her involvement in politics, her tragic demise), and chose to focus on lesser-known facts of her personal life instead, with the assumption that people already know all there is to know about her. And if you don't know much about the French queen's life (and death), watching the movie could get pretty confusing, because it offers almost no explanation as to which event happened when and why, and who is who at the court, and how they are related to Marie Antoinette and to one another. You really have to KNOW about all the circumstances of Marie Antoinette's life and who were all the people portrayed in the movie in order to be able to understand everything. You have to know about Marie-Antoinette's somewhat unhappy (at least for the first 7 years of it) marriage to the French dauphin and subsequently king Louis XVI, you have to know about her political influence, and her fondness for fashion, opera and other arts, and about her longtime affair with Count Ferson, and that she had four children, two of whom later died. You have to know that Louis XVI had two younger brothers and that they had two wives, with all of whom Marie Antoinette was very close. You have to know who Comtesse du Barry was, and who Madame de Lamballe was, and who the Duchesse de Polignac was, and what the libelles were and what (and where) the Petit Trianon was, and so on. You have to know quite a bit about the history of France, too, at least, of that period. If you don't know any of that, it will be very difficult and confusing to watch the movie, because nothing really gets explained in it, they just throw random facts at you, clearly assuming that you have either read the book or know your history.
Those who do not require a history lesson, will probably find this movie delightful - the cinematography is simply breathtaking, the costumes are unbelievably beautiful, as are the sets (if I'm not mistaken they actually filmed at Versaille). The movie is also historically accurate, which is rather refreshing. Another thing that's refreshing is the lovely unconventional soundtrack. I know that some weren't exactly happy about the fact that pop, post-punk and alternative (mostly from the 80's) were used in a film set in the 18th century and expressed their desire for more contemporary music, but I think the soundtrack was just right, it fits the visual perfectly, I can't imagine any other background music being used here. Actually, not just the soundtrack, but EVERYTHING in the movie is just right, there's not one thing that's excessive, or, on the other hand, missing from the movie - the sets, the costumes, the scenery, the music, they all complement each other perfectly, fitting together like the pieces of some incredibly, impossibly, intenesely beautiful puzzle.
Another reason to love this movie - the lovely Kirsten Dunst, who is simply amazing as Marie Antoinette. She gives a wonderful performance in this one of so few sympathetic and favorable portrayals of Marie Antoinette. As for me, the main reason I love this movie (aside from its brilliant cinematography, historical accuracy, great performances and kind portrayals of historical figures whose reputations were undeservedly blackened by Jacobinian propaganda) is because I feel that Sophia Coppola not only managed to capture the spirit of the time, she also managed to create this warm, inviting atmosphere. Somehow she manages to make you nostalgic for what you never knew, for this era that is long gone. You look at all those breathtakingly beautiful images on your screen and you just want to be there. French Cosmopolitan called "Marie Antoinete" "plus que un film...un happening" ("more than a movie...an event (or a happening)"). After watching it, I think I know why.