Marie Antoinette reigns again

Director Sofia Coppola mixes period film with

80s rock music

By Catherine Ragsdale
The Collegian

I have to admit, when I saw the trailer for Sofia Coppola’s newest film, “Marie Antoinette,” I was excited.

Coppola combined two things I love: a period-piece film and 80s rock music.

I also have to admit I was skeptical.

The film is about France’s ill-fated queen from the 1700s. Bridging the gap between the 1700s and the 21st century is not something to take lightly, since it could go terribly wrong.

Coppola’s attempt was entertaining at parts, but ultimately resulted in a slow-moving film that lacked the major components for greatness.

Coppola teams up again with “Virgin Suicides” star Kirsten Dunst, who plays the naïve and unprepared Marie Antoinette.

The film begins with Marie leaving her home in Austria at the age of 14 to be wed to the dauphine of France, Louis XVI, played by Jason Schwartzman.

At the Austria-France border, Marie is stripped of everything Austrian from her pug dog to her last piece of clothing. She is dressed in French attire and given quick lessons in French customs because Marie has clearly not been taught anything about her new home beforehand.

Upon her arrival, Marie is introduced and married to her new husband in the same day.

Louis XIV was only 15 and very awkward and shy around Marie. This awkwardness culminated into an eating obsession for Louis and public disdain for Marie.

Marie faced much criticism for the lack of a pregnancy. She spent the rest of her teen years into her early 20s publicly shamed due to her husband’s lack of sexual desire and experience.

Marie did the only thing a young, naïve girl would know to do.

She partied and shopped like it was going out of style.

There was never enough Schwartzman in the film because Louis was always out fox hunting during Marie’s shopping binges and sleeping during Marie’s parties.

Marie’s extravagant lifestyle and Louis’ poor decisions lead into the second half of the movie.

I can see how Coppola is trying to relate today’s youth with the young king and queen.

However, the lack of consistent accents distracts from the movie. Dunst has no shame in her American accent. Many characters have English accents, and the French accent is the great minority.

Coppola also rushes through years of Marie’s life without any emphasis on how much time was actually elapsing.

It would have helped the film greatly to emphasize that it took seven years before Louis and Marie consummated the marriage and had their first child. You see the public humiliation Marie has to endure from the lack of bearing any children.

Many parts of the film are repetitive and irrelevant to establishing further understand of the characters.

At the climax, the lack of character development leaves you wondering why you spent so much time watching one woman shop and party it up.

I would wait until “Marie Antoinette” was available for rental.

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