Surely one of the greatest artistic gambles of recent years, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, seeks to find a new, fresh way to tell the kind of story that's only been told before with conventional Hollywood glitz (and with the usual dramatic conventionality).
To put things in perspective, it's been 68 years since screen legend Norma Shearer received an Academy Award nomination for portraying the French teenage queen Marie Antoinette, in the 1938 version lavishly produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, then the glitziest of all Hollywood studios. Happily, Kirsten Dunst, though better known for her portrayal of Mary Jane in the Spider-man movies, is an ideal choice for the title role, bringing plenty of charm, innocence, and ultimately great dignity that the part requires.
Much has been made of Coppola's decision to fill the soundtrack of her Marie Antoinette with catchy pop tunes from the 1980s, although I personally didn't find that aspect of the movie to be the most interesting artistic decision.
I felt it was much more interesting to bring a naturalistic approach to many of the scenes in the movie; take Marie Antoinette's arrival to Versailles, for example. Instead of expository dialogue to explain the significance of the event, there is mostly silence and natural sound, and a few shots from her point-of-view. The intrinsically introspective nature of the movie will no doubt put off many viewers, just as it has put off quite a few film critics. At the very least, we should give Coppola credit for trying out a daring new approach, instead of taking a safe and somewhat predictable approach.
"I became interested in the things Marie Antoinette went through that were relatable on a human level," Coppola said in the film's production notes. "She was basically regarded as an outsider in France and had to deal with in-laws who didn't approve of her, a husband who wasn't interested in her and this entire court, which was highly critical of her. She was like the new kid in school but in a very alien environment. I could imagine her going off to her private room with her friends to escape the severe rules of court etiquette. I began to imagine what it would be like to be in that situation.
"Throughout history she's been portrayed as a villain, but as I read about her, the more she seemed quite sweet, a little naive or sheltered, but mostly a good-hearted, creative person who was unaware of the world outside of Versailles."
In the queen's marriage to the passionless King Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), Coppola also saw parallels between Marie Antoinette and modern-day wives trapped in loveless marriages. "I was taken by the idea that, because she was so unhappy in her marriage, she started shopping and going to parties as a distraction, like a contemporary rich wife in a loveless marriage," Coppola said. "She really didn't want to go home to this guy who was always rejecting her, so she found other ways to distract herself."
Working from Antonia Fraser's recently-published historical biography, Coppola was also blessed with the cooperation of the French government, which reportedly granted unprecedented access to film in Versailles, the sprawling palace with more than 700 rooms, capable of housing 20,000.
Coppola's cast includes very talented character actors, most notably Judy Davis as Comtesse De Noailles, Mary Antoinette's supremely uptight etiquette expert, and Rip Torn as the lusty King Louis XV. In a bit of offbeat casting, Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon plays the royal Aunt Victoire, one of Marie Antoinette's confidantes.
The lavish costumes, one of the film's key assets, were designed by Milena Canonero, the legendary designer who's already won Academy Awards for Chariots of Fire and Barry Lyndon.
"So many of our costumes were in the framework of the song 'I Want Candy'," Canonero said, in reference to one of the songs in the soundtrack. "We chose colors and textures that remind you of things you would want to eat. We go from very pale and soft to more shocking. You can say we were very influenced by the period but we don't present a classical vision. It's more of a fashion statement. At times, it was very rock-and-roll."
"Marie Antoinette" opens October 20, 2006 and is rated PG13. Drama. Written and directed by Sofia Coppola. Starring Danny Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Kirsten Dunst, Molly Shannon, Rip Torn, Rose Byrne.
