I have to admit that seeing the trailers for Marie Antoinette really made me want to see the movie. There was something seductive about seeing the mix of lace, corsets, frilly hairdos piled to the sky and cute shoes cut with Gang of Four's "Natural's Not In It." And the premise was interesting -- the hated queen of France seen as a lost, isolated and lonely girl who was trapped in a bubble of royal protocol.
Not to mention, I do find Sofia Coppola to be a really interesting director (she's a better director than an actress, but I'm being catty). I liked Lost in Translation because it was another take on isolation and loneliness. This movie follows the same themes -- but instead of being in a foreign country, the heroine's trapped in Versailles and royal etiquette.
Unfortunately, the movie doesn't always hold up that premise -- which could've been a really interesting revisionist take on the situation. It manages to keep the sense of being locked in a bubble with diversions such as gambling, shopping and champagne for only so long. However, we all know how the story ends, and that's where it seems like Coppola lost interest.
Also, Jason Schwartzman, one hell of a fine actor, seems subdued in this movie. I know that Louis XVI may have been a child, but it seemed like a waste of his talent. Kirsten Dunst, while she captured the isolated shopping debutante quite nicely, she couldn't bring the backbone and strength required towards the end.
However, it is a very pretty movie. The costumes are fun, the shoes are fabulous and the cakes I wanted to nibble on. I also enjoyed the mix of 80's pop and anachronistic touches (like a pair of Chuckies mixed with high heel shoes). Overall, the movie's not a bad way for Coppola to finish out her "girlhood' trilogy, but I hope that she can bring more variety in the future instead of the usual little girl lost themes.
1 comment:
It was a trilogy? I didn't know that. Thanks for the review. I think that will be a renter for me.
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