Marie Antoinette Widescreen (PG-13) Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Rip Torn, Rose Byrne |SwapaDVD.com

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Content Advisory: Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Sexual Situations
Movie Release: 2006
DVD Release: 02/13/2007
Format: DVD - Color,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Audio Tracks: English, French
Subtitles: English, French
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 2 hrs 3 mins
Studio: Sony Pictures
Total Copies: 14
Genres: Historical Film, Period Film, Biopic [feature], Historical Epic

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 Dunst) is only 14 years old when she's pledged to marry Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), the 15-year-old king of France, in an alliance that has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with love. Sent to France and literally stripped of her former life, Marie weds Louis, but to the consternation of the royal court, he seems either unwilling or unable to consummate the marriage while their advisors clamor for an heir to the throne. Young and more than a bit out of step with the new life that's been thrust upon her, Marie gives herself over to the pleasures of life in Versailles, knowing and caring little of the political intrigue that surrounds her. In time, Marie's trusted older brother, Joseph (Danny Huston), is brought in to coach Louis on the finer points of marital relations, and before long the couple is finally blessed with a child. However, as Marie tends to her children in the gilded cage of her palace and enjoys an affair with a Swedish nobleman, political power plays are throwing France into chaos, and the growing ranks of the poor rebel against the royals and their life of privilege. Also starring Rip Torn, Judy Davis, Steve Coogan, and Asia Argento, Marie Antoinette was given a controversial reception when it premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Kirsten Dunst - Marie Antoinette
Jason Schwartzman - Louis XVI
Judy Davis - Comtesse de Noailles
Rip Torn - Louis XV
Rose Byrne - Duchesse de Polignac

Keiahna M. (bubbles76) wrote on 3/18/2009...

1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

I agree with Sara C; this movie is definitely an acquired taste. I thought that it did a good job showing how stifling Marie Antoinette felt when she first arrived in France, how she spent extravagently to drown her unhappiness and boredom, and how disconnected she was from politics. But my goodness, it took a while for them to get to those points! And I felt like the last 45 minutes, which really had the meat of the film (the French people's discontent with court, her personal family troubles, and the culmination) went relatively quickly. They lost a golden opportunity to build up to the end. And speaking of the ending why did it end so abruptly? If you aren't familiar with how Marie Antoinette's life ends, you are left somewhat puzzled. I thought it was a decent film, but I think they could have left some stuff out of the middle and fleshed out the end a lot more. And all those colors in all the costumes made me feel somewhat as if I was trapped inside a giant, garish birthday cake. I liked how 80's music was mixed in, but I think it was misplaced in some spots. And I wish they would have chosen someone else to play Marie. Kirsten Dunst was not the best choice, although I generally love her!

Sara C. (SarithaAnn) wrote on 12/7/2008...

3 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Definitely an acquired taste and not a movie that everyone will necessarily love. I think a lot of people will dislike the fact that it is a period piece but with modern music and some modern flares. For me that is what made me really enjoy the film. It made this movie a little different. Also, anyone that is thinking they are going to watch a historically accurate movie are going to be sadly disappointed. This is definitely a Hollywood-stylized period piece and I love it.

Maddi P. (dooped) wrote on 5/3/2008...

3 of 6 member(s) found this review helpful.

Marie Antoinette is the kind of movie that you really need to go into with a film school kind of attitude. In all honesty, it's beautiful. The sets are stunning, the costumes gorgeous, the scenes are glorious and more like slow-motion dream sequences than actual scenes. In quintessence, it's eye candy. But it certainly lacks in storytelling. The scenes are dry, the dialogue forced. It's boring, long, drawn-out and excruciating to the general public. No one can relate to the high-society characters in love with no one but themselves, and this in itself makes the movie prone to harsh criticism. But the trick to loving Marie Antoinette is to revel the magic of the visuals. No one can deny that the film is captivating in its costumes and party scenes. If anything, it's more like a timeline of that period, like home movies of French royalty, than an actual progressive movie. It's an art-house film with a Hollywood budget, which easily confuses viewers looking for a Hollywood epic. Take what you can out of Marie Antoinette and call it a night, because in all reality it is a very good movie. You just have to look at it the right way to find the beauty.

Shim F. wrote on 2/18/2008...

0 of 7 member(s) found this review helpful.

Marie Antoinette,bored me.
The movie was about eating, buying stuff, and parties in France.
It got boring after the first hour.

Danielle T. (sugarkane) from FITCHBURG, WI wrote on 12/2/2007...

4 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.

I really liked this film, but then again, I really like Sophia Coppola. I read the book by Antonia Fraser that this movie was based on, and I think it was very well represented. Also, I liked the 80's music in the movie, it was a nice twist.