Marie Antoinette 2006

Drama

Starring : Kirsten Dunst , Jason Schwartzman

Directed by Sofia Coppola

Screen Format : Widescreen

Language : ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1,FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1,THAI: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitle : English, French, Thai

Runtime :

Story :

While much was made of the fact that Marie Antoinette elicited boos at Cannes; the many favorable reviews attracted less attention. Inspired by Antonia Fraser's biography; Sofia Coppola fashions a portrait that's just as dreamy as The Virgin Suicides; her first literary adaptation; and the Oscar-winning Lost in Translation. Set to a soundtrack of post-punk (a conceit that adds more interest than resonance); the teenaged Marie (Kirsten Dunst; quite good) may be shallow; but she's rarely unsympathetic. The story begins in the late-18th century as the Austrian Archduchess agrees to marry Louis-Auguste (Jason Schwartzman). After bidding adieu to her mother; Maria Theresa (Marianne Faithfull); she travels to France; where King Louis XV (Rip Torn) sets the rules--and the list is endless (Judy Davis' Comtesse de Noailles is the primary enforcer). As for the Dauphin; he's just a boy; really; with more interest in his key collection than their marriage bed. Should Marie produce an heir; it might be enough to sustain her--since life is nothing but an endless shopping spree--but clouds gather on the horizon as an impoverished populace rises up against their extravagant leaders. Coppola merely suggests what happens next; although history paints a darker picture. Filmed in and around the Chateau of Versailles; Marie Antoinette is a riot of rustling gowns; sparkling jewels; and Manolo Blahnik-designed shoes. To say that style trumps substance does its maker a disservice; but the look of the thing does leave the deepest impression. --Kathleen C. Fennessy