Review: 'Marie Antoinette' (2006; PG-13)

 

Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst), a teenage Austrian archduchess, is married off to Louis-Auguste (Jason Schwartzman), heir apparent to the throne of France, to strengthen ties between the two nations. Marie goes on to become the infamous queen, when Louis-Auguste becomes Louis XVI, after his grandfather's passing. Because of harmful propaganda aimed at her, and Marie's own political missteps and extravagant ways, she brings about her and her husband's downfall.

I revisited this recently. I must say, l had a smile on my face throughout most of it. There's a great deal to enjoy, yet l missed most of it the first time round.

 
There are amazing subtleties in the sound design, especially noticeable in a certain dinner table conversation, just after Marie's arrival in France. You hear the off-screen speakers and get a sense that they are sitted at the table, though you can't tell where. You get a strong sense that it's a three-dimensional space. It's subtle yet impactful.

There's a humorous jibe at Austrian cuisine, something to do with apple strudel, during the 'crossover' ceremony, when Marie leaves behind her homeland and its mores, and meets her French in-laws for the first time. 

 

This time, l felt the weight on her shoulders, to not only bear a child, but a male child, an heir to the throne of France. I felt her frustration at getting her shy, awkward husband to merely look at her, in bed, let alone sleep with her.

 

This time I was attuned to the myriad gestures, etiquettes and protocols of French custom and culture, some of which Marie found ludicrous, as did I. However, there is an undeniable beauty to some of it.
 

Marie's in-laws stand in front of her and her husband's ornate four-post bed, and watch intently, as the two of them get into bed. Her in-laws, again watch intently, as she gives birth. Wow.

l enjoyed Danny Huston's dignified turn as Marie's older brother, Emperor Joseph II. His conversation with his brother in law, Louis XVI, Marie's husband, to encourage him to take the initiative in the bedroom, in siring children, is charming in its awkwardness.

 

Steve Coogan, as Mercy, Austrian ambassador to France, and Marie's advisor, awww, he's quite endearing. He reminds me of what Hector Elizondo's hotel manager was, to Julia Roberts' streetwalker, in 'Pretty Woman' (1990); a gentle, patient potter, gently molding rough clay into fine pottery.

 
Rip Torn, as Louis XV, Marie's father-in-law, is charmingly and poignantly decadent.

 
This time I recognised the French actor, Mathieu Amalric, in a scene at the masked ball in Paris, where he unknowingly tells a masked Louis XVI, who at the time hadn't yet consummated his marriage to Marie, that he is capable of bearing children with Marie.

I so adore Rose Byrne as Duchesse de Polignac. She has a charming carefreeness and sensuality. Asia Argento as Madame du Barry, the king's beloved harlot, is sort of like a dark serpent in the Versailles court. Argento does a commendable job of imbuing du Barry with a dark aura.

The music in this, is absolutely sublime, magnificent. One noteworthy musical moment is Marie's theatrical performance, for family and friends, in her private theatre. Another, is at her country retreat, when two minstrel players delight her, and us the audience, with a tune. There are many more.

 

 

The cinematography is quite something too. Some of the images have a transcendent beauty. Scenes set at Marie's private country retreat, yield some of these images. One unforgettable image, is of Marie and her companions, in their finery, sitting on the green, grassy edge of a lake as the water catches the first golden rays of the rising sun. Another is of Marie and her daughter, in white frocks, with a lamb, playing in green grass. There are many more. This film is a feast for the senses.

 

 
Jason Schwartzman is at once annoying and endearing, as Marie's husband. Jamie Dornan, who plays Count Axel Fersen, a dashing war hero who unlawfully beds Marie at her country retreat, bears an uncanny resemblace to Ben Barnes, whose body of work includes playing Prince Caspian in the second and third 'Chronicles of Narnia' movies, in 2008 and 2010 respectively. I'll say this, l can see why Marie fell for Fersen. 😄

 

In one dinner scene, when Marie is still new in Versailles, perhaps the same scene I mentioned earlier, someone admiringly describes her as looking like a piece of cake, and it's clear to see why. She has a delicate, rouged-cheek beauty.

 

When you can't see the beauty of a film, perhaps leaving it for some years, and returning to it when you're a little less naive, is the thing to do. I didn't enjoy this film, the first time I saw it in 2012/13, though I had a sense it was worth coming back to. But when I watched it in 2021, 8/9 years later, I was enthralled.

What's 'Marie Antoinette' getting at? It's a nuanced, sensual, celebratory, candy-coloured, rock music-infused, coming-of-age tale that depicts the transience of innocence, youth, empire, and life itself.
 

That's what l see, anyhow.