Marie Antoinette

Like many people Sophia Coppola was brought to my attention through the wonderful Lost in Translation in 2004. When it was announced that her next film would look at Marie Antoinette, I was intrigued but not convinced. Add to this the bizarre trailer and you get a film I was unsure about. I needn’t have worried, while not a classic on par with Translation there is no doubt that Marie Antoinette is a success, a breath of fresh air to the historical genre and a very unusual film. Bringing her atmospheric and lingering style to the world of 18th century France, Coppola manages to imbue these historical figures with real humanity and, despite the use of 80s pop tunes, helps us relate to Marie, an Austrian sent to an arranged marriage in France and locked away at Versailles, growing and coping with the life thrust upon her. Coppola seems to understand isolation well and again it is through her careful use of laying scenes and placement of shots that she emphasizes Marie’s feelings. The opening of the film is stark and silent, hardly a word is spoken and it is masterfully put together. Now it has to be noted that, like Translation, this is a slow film. Not much happens and many audiences may find themselves loosing patience. Unlike most films this is about mood and repression, Marie in unable to show how she really feels, to express herself and so Coppola keeps her at a distance. The film is gorgeous to look at and the attention to detail is fantastic. The excessive nature of the royal existence is shown in detail, from luxurious parties to cakes and feasts and servants aplenty. But she also shows Marie as a girl who likes fun, she laughs and plays with her friends and revels in the lifestyle. Unlike so many films that treat the past as something that has already happened, there is a sense of modernity to this film. The modern songs help and it does a great job of making the film immediate, for these characters it is the present and it’s a refreshing attitude to history. Of course the film is not trying to be a documentary and the famous beheading is absent from the film, understandable so. The film is not about that, it’s not even really about 18th century France. It is a look at the human conditions of sacrifice, lifestyle and choice. However I do feel that the sense of disconnectedness hampers the film. We never delve deeper into Marie’s character, or that of those around her. We see glimpses and hints, and Dunst has never been better playing Marie perfectly with the right amount of charm and youthful exuberance, but we are never let behind her exterior, as she views her subjects from afar we do the same with her. Overall this is a great film, rich in atmosphere and those musical interludes Coppola is so great at. It is more a film to soak up and relax into, than one to study and analyse and an enjoyably shallow but unique cinema experience. Sophia Coppola impresses again with this dreamy and haunting look at the life and times of Marie Antoinette. Dunst has never been more radient and the film's use of modern songs and aimless excess blend wonderfully to provide a unique experience.