Barnes & Noble

This revisionist take on one of history’s most colorful -- and perhaps unjustly notorious -- monarchs reunites Virgin Suicides writer-director Sofia Coppola and star Kirsten Dunst. Embodying France’s young, ultimately doomed queen, Dunst transforms Marie into a living, breathing human being possessed not only of flaws and foibles but also passion and intelligence. Thrust into an 18th-century maelstrom of political intrigue by virtue of an arranged and largely loveless marriage, the erstwhile Austrian princess -- isolated from the social and economic crises tearing France apart -- gets lost in a fantasy world of conspicuous consumption and abortive dalliances with eligible bachelors. Coppola brings contemporary sensibilities to the story, and as a result the film quite deliberately abounds in jarring anachronisms of dialogue, music, and character. Although traditionalists may find this approach off-putting, it certainly constitutes a fresh treatment of familiar material. Jason Schwartzman wryly portrays Louis XVI, the clueless heir to the throne, who fails to consummate his marriage to Marie for an astonishing seven years. Rip Torn is terrific as Louis XV, a shrewd ruler with hearty appetites for food and flesh. And Asia Argento does particularly well by the underdeveloped role of Louis's sultry mistress, Madame Du Barry. As might be expected, the period detail is impeccable with regard to costumes, location, décor (Coppola was the first director to have the run of Versailles), and even depictions of the lavish meals prepared at court. A feast for the senses, Marie Antoinette, anachronisms and all, is a richly detailed slice of history as seen through a very personal directorial eye. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Writer and director Sofia Coppola puts a new spin on the life and times of one of Europe's most infamous monarchs in this lavish historical drama which fuses a contemporary sensibility with painstaking recreations of the look of the 18th century. Born to Austrian nobility, Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) is only 14 years old when she's pledged to marry Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), the 15-year-old king of France, in an alliance that has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with love. Sent to France and literally stripped of her former life, Marie weds Louis, but to the consternation of the royal court, he seems either unwilling or unable to consummate the marriage while their advisors clamor for an heir to the throne. Young and more than a bit out of step with the new life that's been thrust upon her, Marie gives herself over to the pleasures of life in Versailles, knowing and caring little of the political intrigue that surrounds her. In time, Marie's trusted older brother, Joseph (Danny Huston), is brought in to coach Louis on the finer points of marital relations, and before long the couple is finally blessed with a child. However, as Marie tends to her children in the gilded cage of her palace and enjoys an affair with a Swedish nobleman, political power plays are throwing France into chaos, and the growing ranks of the poor rebel against the royals and their life of privilege. Also starring Rip Torn, Judy Davis, Steve Coogan, and Asia Argento, Marie Antoinette was given a controversial reception when it premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 043396159105
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 2:03:00
• Sales Rank: 3,869

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