Marie Antoinette

Writer and director Sofia Coppola puts a new spin on the life and times of one of Europe's most infamous monarchs in this lavish historical drama which fuses a contemporary sensibility with painstaking recreations of the look of the 18th century. Born to Austrian nobility, Marie Antoinette (Kirsten ...more

Despite the unprecedented access to Versailles that Sofia Coppola was granted during the filming process and despite the way the director bathes her film in candy coated hues, Marie Antoinette is a flawed film. For starters, it's a bit of a snoozefest. How a director as talented (and not to mention, of such an esteemed pedigree) as Miss Coppola could make such a compelling story about unfit teenagers thrust into the role of running a country, and then losing their heads because over it, ...more

As she did in her masterful Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola creates an involving sense of physical place in her period biopic Marie Antoinette. The first hour of this film plays well, in large part because the viewer enjoys being inside this remarkably ornate universe. After the film is over, one will be left with vivid memories of tea, shoes, and desserts, but without any idea about the lead character. Early in the film the young Austrian princess (Kirsten Dunst) is forced to give up her ...more