Marie Antoinette: A Film by Sofia Coppola

I wasn't quite sure what to expect after seeing short previews for this film. Director Sofia CoppoIa is known for her odd and offbeat films The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation. This film is definitely in the same offbeat category yet in a category all its own. It's a historical biography teen flick with an '80s soundtrack.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the film provides a different view of the French queen Antoinette, who's most famous for her flippant "let them eat cake" comment and her crude demise. The pre-queen teen is forced to leave her home, her family, friends, EVERYTHING behind. The clothes are stripped from her back and her puppy from her arms for she is only to have what is French now. You can't help but feel sorry for her. Antoine (as her mother calls her) is played by Kirsten Dunst, a teen movie staple who also starred in The Virgin Suicides. She is wonderful in portraying her as a young, naïve, and warm Austrian girl whose marriage is arranged with a somewhat clueless French prince Louis played by Jason Schwartzman.

The rituals the royals must follow are ludicrous and often obscene. On their wedding night, the marriage bed is surrounded by a room full of people including the king and a cardinal. In a later scene, the queen is forced to stand naked while surrounded by women who ritually take turns attempting to dress her. The king and queen are constantly questioned and about their sex life and continually urged to produce a child for the sake of France and Austria.

This of course would be enough to turn off even the horniest of teens. However, as months pass, Louis still finds it difficult to consummate the marriage. Antoinette, though, is the one who is chastised and ridiculed for not producing an heir. She turns to clothes, parties, food, drink, gambling, and an extramarital affair to fight the loneliness and rejection by her husband.

Finally, after instruction from Antoinette's brother, the two produce a daughter and years later a son. This appeases her countrymen for a short time. Still, Antoinette's spending does not cease and this along with Louis' support to America in the Revolutionary War, the French go hungry. The famous "let them eat cake" quote is dismissed in the film with the young Queen claiming to her friends that she would never say that. The viewer wants to believe this.

The film is historical fiction yet you can't help but imagine the Queen just following the social moirés of her class and doing what is expected of her. You don't believe she's evil or wants her country to starve but is simply naïve and self-absorbed as most teens are.

Nearly two hours into the film, a riot breaks out and the Bastille is stormed. The King and Queen refuse to leave until the danger is just too great. The royal family is seen riding away in their carriage looking longingly at their castle. The last scene shows their luxurious bedroom in ruins.

Music from the materialistic 1980s is a fantastic backdrop to the hedonistic lives of the privileged royalty and upper class of France. I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow rings out as Antoinette and friends gorge on delicacies. This pairing of contemporary music with a period piece is similar to A Knight's Tale. Both films are entertaining if not educational. I enjoyed the film while my husband said it was "okay", claiming it was somewhat of a "chick flick" with not enough action.