Marie Antoinette

Dream projects filmed exactly according to the expectations rarely turn out as perfectly as the directors imagine. Sofia Coppola, in particular, relied on a lightly conceived story this time after two thorough psychological analyses, in which she struggles to balance the strong moments. The relatively insignificant plot of the fulfillment of marriage is unreasonably stretched out for half an hour, and although the ending suggests a lot, an ignorant viewer will not understand how things turned out for Maria in the end. It is said of Coppola that she makes movies just so she can include her favorite songs in them. I always smiled at this statement, but while watching this piece, I thought several times that there must be something to it. Music, in at least half of the cases, disrupts and often spoils the atmosphere when it places the viewer in an environment reminiscent of a teen comedy. Fortunately, thanks to the fact that the director has a keen sense for music, there are at least an equal number of cases where everything is perfectly tuned, especially in more thoughtful passages. By this, I mean it took me nearly a third of the film to embrace this unconventional play, but even at the end, I have the feeling that it didn't turn out as well as it could have. Perhaps next time, a departure from the theme of unhappy women could help. (30.04.2007)

Asking why Sofia Coppola actually made this blockbuster and looking for profound answers to it is pointless. The director simply wanted to make it because it seemed attractive and marketable to both the producers and the international audience. It is a well-known, emotionally charged story, set in such a distant history that it allows for any sort of personal interpretation of the nature, behavior, and value system of the former French queen without any problems. From a filmmaking perspective, it is not a disaster, although it should be noted that the film does not work as a story of the executed monarch, but rather sells the charms and acting skills of Kirsten Dunst, as well as the generous set design that at least partially attempts to convey the splendor and luxury of the royal court at Versailles. Unfortunately, the film's weakness lies in its script - and not just because it fails on a dramatic level. Marie Antoinette absolutely lacks a sense of capturing the mindset of the time period, which I wouldn't necessarily blame Sofia for, as the majority of so-called historical films do not address this either. What is worse is that the director fails to place the character of Marie Antoinette in a comprehensible historical context. It is telling that the Third Estate and the emerging civil society, which had such a fundamental influence on Marie Antoinette's fate in the last years of her life, are reduced to a group of people raising their hands in a demonstration outside the palace gates. Sophie wasted a unique opportunity to approach the character of Marie Antoinette in her own way, to give her greater depth, and although Kirsten Dunst is almost constantly on the screen, the audience definitely doesn't experience any deeper exploration of her character's thoughts and inner world. A separate chapter is the soundtrack, which, in my opinion, absolutely doesn't suit the events on the screen. Modern music occasionally suits a historicizing film, but here it is significantly disruptive. Overall impression: 60%. (19.03.2017)

Kirsten Dunsts Rolle ihres Lebens bereitet mir die gleiche Freude wie ihr erster großer Triumph in Interview mit einem Vampir. Außerdem ist die Zeit vor der Französischen Revolution in meiner filmischen Wahrnehmung genauso magisch wie die 1920er Jahre, mehr braucht es also nicht zum Glück. Außerdem hat die Regisseurin es gewagt, die klassische Sicht auf die historische Rolle der Antoinette zu revolutionieren, und das ist nur gut so. Im Nachhinein ist ihre frühere Zusammenarbeit in Verlorene Jugend also aufgewertet worden, was mir nicht wirklich gefallen hat, aber das ist okay, solange die Mädchen sich gefunden haben. Ich verbeuge mich, ich applaudiere. (04.02.2009)

Ausgezeichnet! Man kann sagen, dass Marie Antoinette ein süßer, rosa Amadeus ist. Besonders gefallen hat mir Folgendes: die Verspieltheit des Films, Kirsten Dunst, der sensationelle Soundtrack, der nicht nur klassische Kompositionen, sondern auch Rocksongs enthält, die wunderschönen Kostüme und die hervorragenden Schauspieler*innen in den Nebenrollen (vor allem Danny Huston und Steve Coogan). Eine große Überraschung. (24.07.2010)

At times, I had the feeling that I was watching the movie "Bling Ring", but from the perspective of those VIPs who this time no one steals from, only conspires against them. Sofia Coppola approached the biography of a woman who had to captivate her greatly in a modern way, which is immediately evident in the musical component, which is by the way great. It is clear that the costumes are stunning, but otherwise, there is not much to hold onto. I like that Sofia was brave and tried it differently, but it's just a beautiful facade where the story somewhat fades away. And since I don't particularly like Kirsten Dunst, she was even more annoying to me here. (05.03.2014)