Better than I expected

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 2010)

Although this movie tries to go through 19 years in the lives of Louix XVI and Marie Antoinette (from their wedding in 1770 to their departure of Versailles in 1789) in a rather fast pace, I was quite surprised that it does attempt to dismiss at least some of the often repeated image of Marie Antoinette as an empty-headed, frivolous and unfaithful queen. The hostility she met when she first arrived in Versailles and which would culminate in pamphlets accusing her of the most ridiculous things are hinted at, though they could and should have been elaborated a bit more. As with most movies based on some historic event or character, there are bound to be loads of inaccuracies. Two that I did not find mentioned in the "Goofs" section are: - Marie Antoinette was born on November 2nd 1755. Louis XV passed away in May 1774, when Marie Antoinette was 18 and a half, going on 19; yet in the movie, she is congratulated for her 18th birthday after Louis XV's death. - One would expect a sunrise on November 3rd in 1774 to be quite chilly of not very cold; not the type of weather where one would sit in the grass next to a pond to watch a sunrise. But all in all, despite the fast pace and lack of some details, despite the elaboration of the often suggested but never proved affair between Marie Antoinette and count Fersen, this movie did better than I expected. Perhaps the great performances and of course the wonderful surroundings and costumes have helped my appreciation.