Marie Antoinette (DVD, 2007)

... unfortuntely.

The opening sequence had Tina exclaim 'Paris Hilton of the day' !

The movie kept having modern day music interspersed within it,
ruining it for us.

According to the Bonus Features this was because the writer/director
Sofia Coppola wanted the young generation of today to want to watch
this movie.

Well it didn't work. Using modern day music in 'A Knight's Tale' did,
but this sure didn't.

Kirsten Dunst was right on in her portryal of Marie Antoinette. She looked
the part and acted the part.

Others in the movie did their part also to right the movie, including Rip Torn, and Jason Schwartzman, but the blame for this movie not hitting the mark is the vision of the writer/director.

We both lasted through the movie, only because we didn't have any other
new DVDs to watch last night!

For Kirsten Dunst fans this movie is OK. For those that like period pieces
the costumes are beautiful and the scenes are stunning inside the real
Versaille.

However, this movie is not one to watch to enjoy other than that,
another film where the writer/director is allowed to run with their
vision that makes it almost unwatchable for others!

There should be a Warning Label for these kind of movies!

Imagine yourself as a fourteen-year-old, simple, uneducated child traveling across the country for the first time in your life. Everything you have known and loved (your country, parents, home, brothers, sisters, maids, friends, pets, clothes, jewelry, perfume, etc. etc.) is stripped away from you and you are thrust into a rigid and incomprehensible system of rules and etiquette. You have been told -- no ordered -- to act like a queen and to perform your wifely duties with an unwilling (ignorant, incompetent, incapable, all of the above?) partner who you have just met. Your life depends on following all of these rules and you try your best, but you just can't seem to please ANYONE. Everyone (Mom the Empress, the gossips at Versailles, Grandfather-in-law's mistress, your husband the King of France, the people of France) all seem to criticize, ridicule and despise you and everything you do. You're confused, disoriented, frustrated, inexperienced -- OHMYGOD!! What to do?!?!

This is the ambiance into which Coppola ingeniously thrusts you in her creation entitled "Marie Antoinette." You are uncomfortable, and through this discomfort begin to empathize with this oft misunderstood and infamous historical character. Was she the cruel uncaring queen who told the peasants to stuff themselves with cake when bread was taxed and became unaffordable? Or was she a confused young girl fighting a losing battle with the circumstances and the historical situation into which she was thrust? You are allowed to decide for yourself in this movie as Coppola refuses to make the decision for you.

"We are all something, but none of us are everything" -- Blaise Pascal

This film does some great things, but it is also a very difficult story in which to immerse yourself. I don't think I truly cared about the characters until at least halfway through the film, when the walls started coming down, and their various humanities were revealed. I realize this was intentional - a parallel with the rigid social system of court at Versailles - but it made the film difficult.

Then again, other truly intelligent things this film did made it difficult to view. When the movie began, I wondered if I had not accidentally popped in a copy of St. Elmo's Fire or The Breakfast Club. The music in this film is exactly what you wouldn't expect out of a period piece - it is more what you would expect from a Molly Ringwald movie. But, again, I understand why this was done: it was meant to jar the viewer, to make him/her/it uncomfortable. Just as Marie was forced to leave behind everything familiar in her world when she travelled from Austria to France, the viewer is forced to abandon the tropes and traditions of this genre. The music, the camerawork, the acting, the direction is all very post-modern and at times over the top.

I found it a challenge to rate this film, and I admit to switching from every number between two and five before settling (uncomfortably) where I did. Very appropriate for a movie that takes you so far out of your comfort zone.

To clarify my seeming ambivalence, I love the film; I think it is a brilliant addition to film theory, something that will stay with us for a long time. However, when reviewing a film for eBay, I also have to take into account the entertainment factor. How entertaining was this movie? Was it something you could turn off your mind for, and view while you relax from a day of having to concentrate for the sake of your livelihood?

No, this film takes effort - effort you might not havein you at the end of a long day at the proverbial coal mines. Just like Lost in Translation, another brilliant film by Sophia Coppola that requires your every attention. It's not a story for any but the most precocious children/teens, and even most adults will have switched to the action movie they also rented before the film is halfway through.

Luckily for parents who would like to expose their children to a more thoughtful film, the gossip about Kirsten Dunst doing some exposing of her own is a whole lot of unsubstantiated hype (you see her rear end, and then there are some shots of her semi-sheer cotton night dresses from the waist up - nothing you wouldn't see twenty times per issue of Cosmopolitan or Maxim). There are some adult themes, as well, but the discussions circumlocute or euphemize; much talk there is indeed about keys and locks, and other suggestive, but easily seen as innocent, topics.

In the end, the decision is up to you. If you love films that take a little effort and pay off in the end, then this is a great choice for you. If you just want to be entertained, try Little Miss Sunshine, or The Guardian, because Marie Antoinette is not the film for you!

Interesting movie from Sophia Copolla! The movie's cinematography is wonderful and the scenery in Austria is beautiful! I loved the costumes and the characters! Although the movie wasn't exactly historically correct and there were some parts I would have like to have explored further. I overall enjoyed the movie and would recommend to anyone in the mood to see a movie that is full of life!

Sofia Coppola presents us with an excellent take on a legend, with a rarely taken modern approach at directing what would be a standard "period piece" it gives the viewer an interesting, if not alternative view.

Some people just don't understand.

This movie was not supposed to be a biography on Marie Antoinette. It was a modern day version of the historical events that happened during that time.

Just as Moulin Rouge had the modern day music, in old Paris. It doesn't make sense, but that's what makes the movie great in this day in age.

I thought all the acting was superb, and the wardrobe was amazing. Jason's part could have been a little better, but all in all, the movie was fantastic.

A great movie to hang out and watch with the girls!

I've read many if the negative reviews of this film and it appears they are based on an unfortunate American standard of bio flicks or period pieces.
Since when do American audiences demand historical accuracy in motion pictures? This is film is not trying to replace some college level special studies course in French History, it is Sophia Coppola's "vision" of the story upon which it is based.
Sophia Coppola has inherited her father's mastery of the visual and her mother's keen documentary storytelling sensibilities.
This film won't do the thinking for you. So, if you miss the storyline, perhaps Borat is more your style.
Coppola had to make some concessions to accuracy, (like the use of clearly American actors to play 18th century French nobility) but this does not detract enough from the film to make it anything less than good.
Cinematographically, the film is a masterpiece, each scene could win an award in visual appeal alone.
Copploa's use of modern music is bold. I've always felt the harpsichord produces musical vomit, so hearing Siouxsie and the Banshees in its place is a welcomed alternative.
This movie is a success if only one viewer is inspired to find out more about the title character, her life, times or any other part of French or World history.

I love this movie so much, the cinematography really surprised me and I couldn't take my eyes of the screen! After only watching it once I knew this was one of my favorite movies.

I loved the wardrobe and the time setting but the story line was incoherent. The cinematography was also superb and the movie was worth watching for that reason alone but a picture needs substance to be intersting and I am afraid it was sorely lacking. I found it not very exciting even though the actors gave their best. Sorry.. better luck next time. 2ndsight

I was dissapointed in the ending of this movie it left out the trials of this Queen and her own ending it was mostly about her youth and left you hanging.I do not recomend it.

This is the worst movie I have ever seen,much to my disappointment, being a fan of the MGM orginal. This film had zero history and terrible acting only a lot of pretty cakes and shoes. Sorry

Not as good as I had hoped it would be. Didn't watch the whole movie.
Don't think it is rated correctly.
Would not suggest it for young teens.

If you like history a little or love it, this is a good way to spark your interest in a very important part of history. They did an awesome job with this movie. They picked the perfect actress for the roll of Marie.

Fell in love with the time period and with Marie A. I liked it, it made me feel good, some parts where a bit slow and could have done without. Overall I liked it but I loved the costumes more.

When i first saw the movie in theaters I expected to be underwhelmed by it because I had heard a lot of mixed reviews and criticism. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, I loved the movie more than most I've seen in a long time.
As many have noted, the scenery and filmography is gorgeous, ornate, and very well directed. But what many have clearly failed to see is that it isn't an action movie or even really a drama, it's a historic comedy with the grandeur of a dramatic period peice. The mistake made by so many when viewing this movie, perhaps due to having watched one too many action films just before it, is that one cannot be waiting for something to happen because you'll miss the whole movie. Allow yourself to enjoy it for what it is, not what you expect current hollywood movies to be.
This said, if you simply don't like the movie for one reason or another, this is fine, but I'd say at least give it a chance.

This movie was very beautifully made. Although there are minor historic discrepancies, Sophia Coppola and Antonia Fraser did a wonderful job showing Marie Antoinette in a good light. It was refreshing to see someone portray the French Queen as merely human.

This is an interesting movie. The music is not what you would expect for that time period. I found that part very refreshing. It made the movie(which has been retold a thousand tims) different and unexpected. The costumes and locations were gorgeous.

What I don't get is the ending. It just kind of ends without ending. I just kind of stared at the screen. It is one of those movies that you will watch once and probably only once.

I eagerly anticipated the release of this movie onto DVD. I sat and watched for what seemed like forever for the movie to begin. Veeeerrrry slow moving and hard to follow. A desperate and immature Marie tries to bed her new husband without luck. There are a series of wild parties and meddling from the royal family to try and inspire the young prince to go to bed with Marie. The King of France dies and a while after it finally happens. They give birth to a girl. More parties where nothing of importance takes place. There is a little mention of the American Revolution. But boy how BLAH. Then what is worse is it ends with Marie having more children and then something terrible happens. I would tell you what but I would spoil the ONLY peak suspense of the whole film. And finally due to her radical parties, and spending France into poverty a mob comes for the royal family and Marie and the king make a BORING exit as they flee from the palace. Don't waste your time or money on this film unless of course you have been tasked with designing costumes from this era for a theatrical event.

I'm a huge costume buff of the 17th & 18th century. I bought the DVD knowing that it contained GREAT costumes! I add read other bad reviews about this film but I decided to view it anyway. They spoke perfect English without any accents at all except for a chosen few. The ending left you in the middle of her life. Why not take it all the way to the end? It drug on slowly at times with party scene after party scene. I had to research Marie Antoinette on the internet when I got home to finish where the movie left off.

I absolutely love this movie!! The music is fantastic, and the costumes exquisite! Kirsten Dunst is perfect for the role of Marie Antoinette.
Her love interest Fersen is quite the looker too!!
The pastries and shoe and dress confections will make your mouth water!

A sad ending for a very fashionable queen. But the movie for me is the best when it comes to the eye candy. I can watch it over and over.

I love this movie, it puts a little spice into the lives of Marie Antoinette and King Louis. Little did they know that they would both lose their heads for having fun! This movie is fun as well as historically based. The accuracy to history is almost exact. If you like period pictures, you will love this one.

I'm going to begin by saying that this is by FAR one of my favorite movies. I am bothered by the reviews stating how bad the film is based on its historical inaccuracy and music choices. In response, i would like to say that the manner in which this film was directed an produced was complete and utter genius, and i am prepared to back-up my opinion. First of all, (and let me state that I myself am French), French history has a vainglorious and gruesome tendency and can turn-off many viewers/readers. I personally find it to be downright frightening at times. The true facts are not displayed word-for-word in the film to spare us from the endless, confusing, and overwhelming events that took place during the Life of Marie Antoinette. There is just not enough film to display the true madness that lead to her destruction and the death of those dear to her.

The way in which Sofia was able to transport the viewer to a new style of historical place and time was simply breathtaking. The modernization of such an incredible moment in history enabled us to see the world as Marie Antoinette did. It was bright, fun, colorful, and delicious to see her world brought to life. It allows the viewer to relate to Marie Antoinette as if she were a person, and a girl at that, and not the arrogant monster of a queen that the people made her out to be. It showed the OTHER side of her life...the personal struggles and her reactions to the confusing and pressured life that she was born into.

I think the film is a feast for the eyes, the soundtrack is amazing, great cast/design/costuming, and Sofia & Kirsten have out-done themselves this time.