ON CRITICISM AND THE WOMAN HERSELF:
I actually saw this film about three years ago, when I was in high school and really into history. In my quest for knowledge about the world's famous figures, I acquired an intense hate for Marie Antoinette. I saw her only as "Madame Déficit," the girl who became queen and spent all of France's money on clothes and scandal while her people starved. Which is true to some extent; obviously, the French people felt similarly about their political leaders, and started a revolution. It also annoyed me to no end that Marie Antoinette was so idolized by the fashion world. And so, when I saw this movie for the first time, I really was just not into it.
That is the reason why, I think, I first perceived Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette as boring, extravagant, and vain... After seeing it a second time, I still do not think this movie is the best thing ever made. However, it definitely made me a hell of a lot more sympathetic towards Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI. I don't know why I was unable to understand the amount of pressure they were under, before their reign and during. Marie was stripped of her home life, shipped off to a new country, and expected to produce an heir to secure the alliance of their two nations. And then she became queen while still a teenager. Though I don't think one should react to such pressure by gambling, drinking, and buying material luxuries at the expense of the nation, how am I to know how I would react? What would I do in that situation, when personal freedom has been crushed under the weight of political expectations and horrible, unbearably routine monotony? Obviously this is a much better position to be in than a poor beggar on the streets of 18th century France, but it's still important to consider the difficulties forced upon royalty. Especially women like Marie Antoinette, who were not seen as valuable until an heir to the throne could be produced. To be barren was to the ostracized by the political sphere.
Plus, Louis XVI was not yet 21 when his father died and he took the throne. He was forced into a marriage just like Marie Antoinette for political harmony, and clearly had some insecurities about sex that he was not ready to deal with at the time. But he had the pressure of producing an heir as well. And let's be honest, who knows what they're doing as young adults? Certainly not enough to rule a country?
What I'm saying is: political rulers though they were, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI (and any other popular historical figure, whether highly idolized or hated by the public) were just people. Though it makes sense to dislike their choices or extravagant lifestyles, you have to consider the struggles they went through. You have to consider that every historical figure was once a toddler who had no grasp on their class position, or what was expected of them. They laughed and cried and fucked up just like the rest of us. The mistake I made when I first saw this movie, of which I committed a lot in those days, was seeing these human beings as two-dimensional, cardboard cut-outs who were never as fully alive as I am.
And that has been a concept I've been obsessed with ever since reading "Atonement" by Ian McEwan. In that novel, a little girl named Briony confronts her troubles with writing by realizing how incredible difficult it is to understand that every person you see, interact with, or dismiss is equally as alive as you are. She discusses this in one of the early chapters, and it remained my favorite part of the book throughout. That idea has stuck with me ever since. Now, I always try to remember that no one who has ever lived has one dimension (like a partying queen who betrays the starving subjects by buying herself nice things) to be criticized, or devotedly worshiped from afar. Everyone holds an entire universe within, with a million different personalities and multitudes. That is always something worthy of considering before you make judgements about other human beings, especially if they live in a time or place incredibly different from your own. I still wouldn't call myself a fan of Marie Antoinette, but I'm glad this film made me confront my feelings and misconceptions about her.
ON THE FILM:
The second time around watching this film, I really appreciated the mixture of past and present elements. Sometimes the music was modern, and at other times it appeared to fit with its surroundings. And sometimes, there was a pair of Converse hightops in the background. I always find it really interesting when movies obviously disregard all historically accuracy, and this film did it with such intent, I couldn't help but fall in love with that dimension. It made the movie so much more stylistically appealing, and brought it out of the typical period drama format.
Going along with the dismissal of historical accuracy, I loved that no one cared about the diversity in accents among the actors. In fact, I enjoyed that both the king and queen had American accents. In my opinion, it was done for a purpose: I think that Marie Antoinette's foreign voice among the many proper British-accented servants made her stand out right away as the rebellious teenager who doesn't understand the point of rigorous routine. It gave her a bit of an edge. But that just goes along with the weird and very untrue stereotype, really, that Americans are wild, while the British are uptight, reserved, and cold. So that's also something to take into consideration. And though I don't necessarily agree with Marie Antoinette's insistence on material goods and frivolity, the clothes in this film are stunning. Again, the clothing really highlighted the combination of past and present style elements. I was absolutely swooning over Kirsten Dunst's pink hair. The cinematography of the film complimented its emphasis on style, making it a film with a lot to look at, and a lot of visuals to get inspired by, even if it is not the most entertaining movie in general.
I have to say that I really loved the ending. Instead of focusing on Marie Antoinette's death, it was about saying goodbye to the palace that she came to call home and invested so much of her life in. Even though it was at the cost of her people, she invested so much time and money into the improvement of that physical space. And because the film was so focused on the stylistic elements of Marie Antoinette's life, I think it was a very fitting choice to end with her leaving behind all of that luxury. She finally saw the cost of reveling in all of that luxury, using it to keep her warm in the isolation of royal life and its immense expectations, and at last is forced to let it all go.
(all movie images from kirstendunstweb.com)
♥ Happy Watching ♥
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