MARIE ANTOINETTE (Sofia Coppola, 2006) **

Rating: 5/10 (10 July 2007)

Sofia Coppola, while evidently in possession of some directorial talent she inherited from her seemingly washed-out father Francis, has managed the unenviable feat of making progressively less interesting movies. Her latest venture was, in hindsight, unsurprisingly booed at its Cannes opening as, despite all the visual sumptuousness a lavish budget can afford – including Oscar-winning costume design and great locations – her film is a tedious misfire by the end of it. An eclectic, rather bizarre cast – including Rip Torn (as a lecherous Louis XV), Asia Argento (as his concubine, Madame Dubarry), Judy Davis (as a doting Countess), Danny Huston (as Marie Antoinette’s brother) and even Marianne Faithful (as her mother) – cannot fail to provide moments of interest but the young leads (Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman) are vacuous bores; I have watched the all-star 1938 Hollywood version only once but I don’t recall Marie Antoinette being the brainless pleasure-seeker pining for an heir she is depicted here. For what it’s worth, the utilization of a contemporary rock soundtrack took me by surprise at first but, when one gets used to it, works surprisingly well.