FieMarie Antoinette, The Movie

Written, directed and produced by Sofia Coppola, the 2006 movie Marie Antoinette is a loosely based biography on Marie Antoinette, Queen of France.

PLOT

Born as an archduchess in Austria on November 2 nd 1755, Marie Antoinette was married at 14 to the Dauphine of France, Louis XVI and later became Queen at the tender age of 19. Chosen by her mother, the empress Maria Theresa, to wed to seal a union between France and Austria , Marie Antoinette has all her foreign items relinquished and is married quite suddenly without being given much time to get used to her new home. She is expected to forget Vienna , Austria and embrace Versailles , France .

Antoine, as she was known, and Dauphine Louis are expected to consummate the marriage immediately to produce an heir, but this situation is found to not be anticipated for Dauphine Louis. With an unrewarding marriage, Antoine must also bear the brute of the Versailles courtiers who not only consider her a foreigner, but also blame her for not having a child. She has to learn to get accustomed to an excessively helped lifestyle, which includes being dressed by another and being fed at an enormous table with large exhibits of food to be eaten only by herself and her husband, surrounded by hundreds of nobles who eye her every move. She further offends them by unconsciously defying French formality by participating on hunting excursions, clapping at the opera, snubbing royal and aristocracy members and giving food to animals.

Struggling with this new lifestyle, Antoine finds comfort by spoiling herself and living in luxury, dabbling in gambling, buying expensive gowns and eating lavish baked goods. With a lot of pressure to become pregnant, Antoine attempts several times to seduce Dauphine Louis and says she will be humiliated if her sister-in-law gives birth before her, which eventually she does. In shame, Antoine continues in her spending sprees ignoring France 's political and financial situation. She remains indifferent to the common French people and continues to indulge in her luxurious, almost reckless lifestyle, further perpetuating their dislike for her.

After a few years, she finally has children with her husband and begins to become less of a socialite and more of a mother. Antoine is soon mother to Marie Therese, Louis Joseph, Louis Charles and Sophie Beatrix. Louis Joseph and Sophie Beatrix unfortunately pass away, leaving the other two remaining. The French Revolution is at its peak and has begun their march from Paris to Versailles , forcing the family to flee.

This movie is dedicated entirely to Marie Antoinette and only briefly refers to the French Revolution to add to the climax as there is no intention for a political context. Taking a sympathetic view of a young girl being thrown into a foreign country that she will one day reign with her husband, the story is about a seemingly wild child growing into a woman. It tells a tale of choices, conformity, love, rebellion, societal expectations, power and independence. Marie Antoinette is a great movie with great actors to match.

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