Let Us Eat Cake!

Well, if you can't tell which movie I saw from reading the title, then you might want to stay away from "Marie Antoinette", which opened this weekend. A basic (and I mean BASIC) understanding of the history of the woman herself helps in enjoying this film, although an appreciation for fashion could easily act as a substitute.

"Marie Antoinette" is a fun movie, and if it isn't entertaining because it brings to life a fascinating story of a young queen, it compensates in other departments. The costumes for this movie are the best I've seen in recent years. Maybe Lord of the Rings come close with its interesting but reliable choices, but it still pales in comparison to the brilliance that is "Marie Antoinette". A new, extravagant gown in every scene, lovely shoes, ridiculous hairstyles, and sparkling accessories bedeck this visual confection of a movie. Marie's costumes are the centerpiece of the table, and this is the proven intent as one woman notes "she [Marie] looks like a cake". It doesn't hurt that the 18th century queen really had an excessive penchant for pretty things, nor that the movie's director has a similar attraction. Sophia Coppola has a talent for showing the beautiful side of things without discounting the less pleasant aspects (In "the Virgin Suicides," the languid tone is set to a cool, relaxed light, but the dark tone of the movie never quite disappears). The costumes in this film work similarly, dressing up the unhappy-- and doomed-- monarch, without hiding the pain still visible in her face.

Granted, Kirsten Dunst doesn't quite look or sound the part, but one cannot discount her theatrical talent. As the titular character in "Marie Antoinette," Dunst shows the queen's obsessions to be desperation in an unhappy situation, although she rarely notes it verbally. Rather, her expressions--along with some helpful editing--work to explain Marie Antoinette's over-expenditures. I must admit I had been undecided at the beginning of the film as to whether or not I would sympathize with the spoiled queen, but Coppola and Dunst had me convinced: Marie Antoinette may have been a bit of a ditz, and she may have wasted money on foolish things... but she was a human being, and one that probably would have lived longer if she hadn't had such shoddy advice.

The music in this movie adds to the feeling of youth mixed with stodgy ceremony and questionable influences. Marie Antoinette runs away from her unfortunate situation to upbeat songs, dances to modern hits, and pines to the same songs that many a current adolescent may appreciate. Intertwined with these songs is a classical score, and the contrast makes for an interesting thing to think about while you watch the emotions steamroll through Versailles.

While one is watching the rather liberal rendition of the life of Marie Antoinette, one must not forget her husband, a young man who was awkward, insecure, and considered by some to be stupid. Louis XVI was just as unlucky (and unwise) as his wife. He misplaced his trust and misjudged his subjects. Jason Schwartzman, however, is as talented as ever in this movie, and plays his role to perfection. He first appeared in the wonderful Wes Anderson's offbeat "Rushmore," where he played awkward and clueless. Perhaps the young actor was already preparing for this role as a king that also lacks bearings. Schwartzman's character is likeable, though, if pitiable. He changes, too, growing into someone that could have been respected had he not inspired revolution and his own beheading. It is a rare thing for characters to change in a real way, but these folks accomplish it nonetheless.

"Marie Antoinette" leads one to regret that Louis and Marie could not have been simple farmers. The most pleasant sequence in the film hints that such a fate would have served all involved well, but it was not to be. The two monarchs were young and foolish, then older, wiser, stronger, and still, for all intents and purposes, fools. Unfortunately, while art may understand and forgive such people, history does not take kindly to those who ignore it.

Luckily, here, we're dealing with art.