Sofia Coppola

I'll likely be checking out PRISCILLA soon. I've struggled with Sofia's work at times. VIRGIN SUICIDES is by far my favorite. But I downright hated films like THE BEGUILED remake. I revisited MARIE ANTOINETTE since it seems as though it could act as a companion piece to PRISCILLA. I saw it when it came out initially, and like a lot of people at the time, I didn't care for it. It has gained popularity over the years with Millennial/Gen Z cinefiles, and while I'm not in love with it still, I found myself really enjoying it this time around. Is it thin? Oh yeah. indulgent? Yes. Could it be better? Most certainly. But for what it is, I think it's really cool, and decadent by design, which is key.

I like the idea of Sofia making a movie that is essentially about her, or at least, she can identify with the idea of being brought up into something massive and important that she didn't ask for, which is both a gift and an unlikely burden. This is not a historically accurate film, nor do I give a shit about any of that. Clearly neither does Sofia. She goes for airy and sensory, not dense. The film is almost achingly sumptuous, and the facades create the emptiness. It captures the essence of Marie Antoinette, but not necessarily the real Marie Antoinette. She's more a loose symbol for wealth and privilege here. The story of a young girl being forced into royalty, who revels in her riches to dilute the melancholia/boredom in her life, works for me. She's essentially portrayed here as a Paris Hilton, a Kim Kardashian, etc.. People so out of touch that some may struggle to connect. but it's interesting to bathe in the perfume of it all, through the eyes of someone who understands that mood, and how to convey it tastefully.

The modern approach to history gives it this feeling of youthful exuberance thats very 70s inspired, wistful and cinematic. You can see every socialite in pop culture transposed over Marie Antoinette here. And eventually the distinction of the era almost disappears. For me, this is okay, because the film is precisely about those who choose to turn a blind eye to the realities of the world, because they can afford to, at least for a time. Unlike THE BEGUILED, a film that embodies so many complex central themes, that Sofia chooses to water down or downright ignore, for fear of tackling a heavy subject she doesn't comprehend. You cannot tackle a movie where so much of its story hinges on the thematic tension of those plot threads, strip it down to near nothing, and expect the story to still hold up. It was flimsy and flakey at best compared to the original film. A story full of juicy, sexy, intense melodrama, and you somehow manage to zap all the sex appeal and tension out of it. Completely counterintuitive to the material she's adapting, and all it does is highlight her ignorance/weaknesses as a writer, rather than recognizing them.

MARIE ANTOINETTE however, is where she recognizes the ignorance and wisely, makes that the focus. I think it's a wonderful showcase for Sofia as an artist. Is this socialite life that she depicts for us a content one? No. The young girl misses out on being a young girl, and the effect is rather wistful. It's a cage she's trapped in, but at least it's chic. Kirsten Dunst to me embodies the rosey-cheeked, powdery-pale face of a European young woman in a 18th century painting, slight curl of a devilish smile at the corner of her mouth and all. She's charming in the role. This one is pretentious in ways but, feels a lot more genuine to me than say...SPENCER, the aesthetically driven Princess Diana film from a couple of years ago. But I dunno. What do ya'll think? I struggle a lot with the pacing of the beginning, as well as the third act, where a lot of the eventual outside world bleeds into Antoinette's life. Felt it could've been handled better overall, as a powerful contrast to an opulent life, now over.