Marie Antoinette

Went to see Marie Antoinette yesterday, very impressed, it's very true to life and I love films set in that period ;) Lovely clothing and the style is amazing, but that film reminded me why I really don't want to be living there. Even bypassing the French revolution, the film's portrayl of how women were treated in those days was very true to life. Marry, have babies, etc. *shudder*

The costumes were amazing, and they actually filmed in Versailles, which was amazing. I've been there and still am very impressed, and it was great to see all the places I remember on the big screen. They didn't blackwash or whitewash anyone, which I'm very impressed at. It's easy to see Marie Antoinette as an insentive bint or as a tragic victim, but very hard to see her as both. She wasn't very bright (think sterotypical blond), and she did make some blunders, but come on. If every stupid person deserved to die then there wouldn't be anyone left alive!
Another bonus about the film was that it was very honest to it's title character, there was barely anything about the French revolution in it until the end, because until the end Marie Anoinette didn't know about the French revolution! She lived in a little bubble in Versailles and bubble only burst when the mob was actually on her doorstep (in case there are any doubters, she never said 'let them eat cake', she wasn't that nasty).

You do feel sympathetic towards her, but at the same time you're headdesking and thinking "Why did you do that, you little fool?" It was mostly bad luck that landed her in that situation, but neither she nor her husband did anything to improve their situation.

So yes, see it, it's brilliant, and the only drawback as far as I can see is having Christine Durst playing the leading role, she has an American accent that could sink a battleship and it can be very distracting in a French court! She's a great actress otherwise and plays the role very well, and I guess she can't help her accent. The guy who played Louis was brilliant though, exactly as I imagined him, and all the courtiers were historically accurate, even down to the queen's friends. It's subtle and fun and very much worth the money.

Marie Antoinette

Went to see Marie Antoinette yesterday, very impressed, it's very true to life and I love films set in that period ;) Lovely clothing and the style is amazing, but that film reminded me why I really don't want to be living there. Even bypassing the French revolution, the film's portrayl of how women were treated in those days was very true to life. Marry, have babies, etc. *shudder*

The costumes were amazing, and they actually filmed in Versailles, which was amazing. I've been there and still am very impressed, and it was great to see all the places I remember on the big screen. They didn't blackwash or whitewash anyone, which I'm very impressed at. It's easy to see Marie Antoinette as an insentive bint or as a tragic victim, but very hard to see her as both. She wasn't very bright (think sterotypical blond), and she did make some blunders, but come on. If every stupid person deserved to die then there wouldn't be anyone left alive!
Another bonus about the film was that it was very honest to it's title character, there was barely anything about the French revolution in it until the end, because until the end Marie Anoinette didn't know about the French revolution! She lived in a little bubble in Versailles and bubble only burst when the mob was actually on her doorstep (in case there are any doubters, she never said 'let them eat cake', she wasn't that nasty).

You do feel sympathetic towards her, but at the same time you're headdesking and thinking "Why did you do that, you little fool?" It was mostly bad luck that landed her in that situation, but neither she nor her husband did anything to improve their situation.

So yes, see it, it's brilliant, and the only drawback as far as I can see is having Christine Durst playing the leading role, she has an American accent that could sink a battleship and it can be very distracting in a French court! She's a great actress otherwise and plays the role very well, and I guess she can't help her accent. The guy who played Louis was brilliant though, exactly as I imagined him, and all the courtiers were historically accurate, even down to the queen's friends. It's subtle and fun and very much worth the money.