Marie Antoinette

 

Storytelling

    Marie Antoinette tells a story of sudden fame, lavishness, and obsession. 14-year-old Maria is the daughter of royalty in Austria when she is suddenly pulled out of her home country to marry the prince of France Louis-Auguste. Immediately the overboard fancy lifestyle is too much for Maria and she also struggles to connect with her new husband. After the king dies, Maria and Louis have to take on more responsibility but Maria uses this to overindulge in luxuries like parties, clothes, and a massive garden. The way the story is told makes the audience want to side with Maria because she truly is a kind person, but she has no idea how to hold power or run a country. The audience is happy for Maria because she can finally do whatever she wants but there are constant whispers about how she overspends and isn't focused on the country and people of France.

Cinematography

    Director Sofia Coppola uses mise en scene in a way that shows how the French royalty live life by overindulging. In every scene, people are seen wearing extravagant dresses, uniforms, and costumes. The furniture and decorations are luxurious and everything is meticulously placed. There are several wide camera shots that center Maria and Louis surrounded by over-the-top foods, desserts, and drinks which often go to waste. I also appreciate the focus zoomed-in shots when people are eating or putting on jewelry because it shows how much they can carelessly indulge which contrasts the people of France who can barely afford food. Coppola also uses close-up shots to focus on people's faces to show when they are feeling lustful to create intimate moments and tension between them.

Cultural Relevance

    One part of this film that I found to be culturally relevant was the modern pop music that was used in place of the traditional classical music that is normally used for films that take place in the 18th century. I think this helped the audience feel more connected to Maria and made her seem more like the young teenager that she was. Something else I thought was relevant was how throughout the entire movie people are constantly whispering about other people and trash-talking behind everyone's backs. I thought this was interesting because typically we view people from this time period as very proper, and these people are supposed to be of royalty so we would expect them to be more mannered but they're not. Lastly, I think an element of mise en scene that helps the film is the vibrant colors and pastels used in the costumes, props, and setting make the movie more lively and current instead of the very serious dim tones used in movies from this time frame.