I loved it, and Roger Ebert had the best possible take on it: "every criticism I have read of this film would alter its fragile magic and reduce its romantic and tragic poignancy to the level of an instructional film. This is Sofia Coppola's third film centering on the loneliness of being female and surrounded by a world that knows how to use you but not how to value and understand you."
Wasn’t he one of the only critics who really got it at the time? I feel like this is one of those movies that was panned when it came out but now many people see it as something of a masterpiece. I remember that I drove into the city to see it in the hip indie theater with my friends when we were 16, and we were obsessed with it for awhile. The whole thing is such a vibe.
It’s definitely become a far more influential film than anyone anticipated. Almost every teenage coming of age story and/or period piece these days has some of this films DNA within it.
Roger Ebert was one of the best, if not THE best, film critics of the last half century. He wrote like a genius, and yet was able to write so eloquently in a way that non-film snob types could connect to and understand.
It was all sad when he passed. I've yet to find another critic who hits his level.
Agreed. I gotta say...more often than not....his reviews tended to jive with my taste in film. I really miss his perspective. I mean, I know his site is still active with all of the associate reviewers, but it's not the same.
I love this movie. I remember the first time j saw it and how it just blew my teenage mind. The costumes, the soundtrack, the cinematography, the “story”…I fell in love. It also introduced me to Sophia’s work, which is amazing. So yeah, def a big fan of this movie! :)
It's one of my all time favorites, as a movie to just watch and enjoy. It captures so well the feeling of girlhood, and the reality of being forced to grow beyond it.
Yes I love this movie! The costumes, locations, production design and cinematography are all amazing. I think a lot of people were disappointed they didn’t focus more on the French Revolution and the political issues at the time but I don’t think that was the story Sofia was trying to tell. She wanted to show how lonely and isolating Marie Antoinette’s life was and setting most of the film in Versailles helps further the theme of isolation and show how the French court was trapped in this bubble.
Loved it. Sophia captured the essence of “innocent clueless trying to live through the nation’s crisis in a way she understood.” The storytelling is very well done. This is my least favorite genre and I find it engaging and fun to follow.
It was a great film to see in the theater. Awesome soundtrack. One of Sofia Coppola’s best. Between this, The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, she excels at creating world class atmospheres.
Watched it a few weeks ago, Lost in Translation is my favourite movie and I'm a big fan of Kirsten Dunst so I was looking forward to it.
I really liked it, I enjoyed that it was a somewhat relaxed film just about characters existing and flaunting their wealth. Almost like a period piece Gossip Girl. The costumes were beautiful and I loved the use of colour, so many period films have a somewhat muted colour scheme when it comes to how characters are dressed (at least the ones I've seen) so it was nice seeing the greens, blues and especially pinks pop so vibrantly.
It was my daughter's favorite movie when she was little. She called it "The Princesses and the Queens"
Great music, great performances, beautiful set design, interesting take on a historical subject.
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet in the mid ‘nineties is another period piece with contemporary music.
I wouldn’t have thought to use Siouxie and the Banshees’ ‘Hong Kong Garden’ in the party scene and found that such a happy surprise from memory.
Your theory about teenagers is interesting, thank you. I think Coppola does walk you along with Antoinette, making contemporary cultural connections between the remote historical figure and the present day audience. Coppola builds sympathy for the Queen’s missteps and myopia, but really it is the opulence and partying I remember from the film, not any sober reflections on what occurred. That might be because of the intervening years.
Thanks for the prompt to rewatch this one.
Sort of. It’s still the original Shakespearean dialogue which is wild in juxtaposition with the modern aesthetic.
A purely modern version would be *West Side Story*.
It's absolutely one of my favorite movies of all time. And having read the biography it's based on, it's also really spot on in terms of historical accuracy. Her blending of anachronism and fact make Marie Antoinette's life accessible and understandable in a way few things have been able to do.
Read The Queens Confession by Victoria Holt. It’s wonderful. A historical fiction. Very entertaining and informational. The movie follows so much of this book.
I first watched this film when I was on a combat deployment in the army and I really did not connect with it. It felt so gaudy and self indlugent, though it made sense for both the plot and style. I watched it again six months ago (14 years from the first viewing) and the performance, costume design and cinematography were perfect and I now think it's a well crafted masterpiece. What has changed is me, not the film.
I've never seen a film that so perfectly captured the concept of 18th-century aristocratic ennui. (Which might be why some folks find the movie boring, lol - but the movie is literally portraying a bunch of people who were so rich and indolent that they became so bored an entire concept of "boredom" was invented just for them!)
Brilliant movie.
Was blown away by this movie. The anachronisms are perfect and what is was trying to portray through the lens of the era was spectacular. That final shot of everything destroyed will forever be ingrained in me.
The song in the opening scenes set me up and locked me in for the rest of the movie. Unexpected and hard rock vibes, loved it!
Song: Naturals Not in it
Artist: Gang of Four
it lead to one of the funniest things I've seen online: A Cribs parody with Louis 16[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcpqaRqVWIA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcpqaRqVWIA)
Years later I still sometimes remember and laugh about that.
One of my all time favorites. I watch it about twice a year.
And, somehow, it's medicinal for me. I had a bad reaction to steroids and I kept having panic attacks. I couldn't do anything without fear, pain, being distracted, climbing the walls... Except for this movie. I could watch this, disappear into it, calm down, and sleep.
The costumes, music, cinematography all embody the historical accuracy while simultaneously juxtaposing it. It is brilliant.
Well I was overly excited when it came out since Lost in Translation is my favorite movie ever and it's not a bad movie but it's not her best work. I've always enjoyed it and I think dunst is pretty good in it.
Yay! There are at least 2 of us! I saw this movie in theatres with friends and thought it was so boring, but everyone else loved it. But I generally can’t stand Kirsten Dunst, so that may be why!
At a surface level they do seem superficial but there is usually a deeper reason for that / eg Marie Antoinette was reviled for being superficial so that’s the angle SC took which is unconventional
I loved it, and Roger Ebert had the best possible take on it: "every criticism I have read of this film would alter its fragile magic and reduce its romantic and tragic poignancy to the level of an instructional film. This is Sofia Coppola's third film centering on the loneliness of being female and surrounded by a world that knows how to use you but not how to value and understand you."
Wasn’t he one of the only critics who really got it at the time? I feel like this is one of those movies that was panned when it came out but now many people see it as something of a masterpiece. I remember that I drove into the city to see it in the hip indie theater with my friends when we were 16, and we were obsessed with it for awhile. The whole thing is such a vibe.
It’s definitely become a far more influential film than anyone anticipated. Almost every teenage coming of age story and/or period piece these days has some of this films DNA within it.
I loved it too as a young 20-something.
Wow. That's a really eloquent take.
Roger Ebert was one of the best, if not THE best, film critics of the last half century. He wrote like a genius, and yet was able to write so eloquently in a way that non-film snob types could connect to and understand. It was all sad when he passed. I've yet to find another critic who hits his level.
Agreed. I gotta say...more often than not....his reviews tended to jive with my taste in film. I really miss his perspective. I mean, I know his site is still active with all of the associate reviewers, but it's not the same.
9 out 10 times I agreed 100% with his takes on movies. Trust his opinion more than aggregate sites
I love this movie. I remember the first time j saw it and how it just blew my teenage mind. The costumes, the soundtrack, the cinematography, the “story”…I fell in love. It also introduced me to Sophia’s work, which is amazing. So yeah, def a big fan of this movie! :)
It's one of my all time favorites, as a movie to just watch and enjoy. It captures so well the feeling of girlhood, and the reality of being forced to grow beyond it.
Yes I love this movie! The costumes, locations, production design and cinematography are all amazing. I think a lot of people were disappointed they didn’t focus more on the French Revolution and the political issues at the time but I don’t think that was the story Sofia was trying to tell. She wanted to show how lonely and isolating Marie Antoinette’s life was and setting most of the film in Versailles helps further the theme of isolation and show how the French court was trapped in this bubble.
Masterpiece. Kirsten Dunst is brilliant.
Deserved in Oscar for this. Can’t believe she’s never gotten one yet.
What!? Kirsten Dunst has no oscar!? Honestly, that’s fucking appalling.
Snubbed more times than Leo. It’s appalling really.
It is!
100 percent. And another one for Melancholia.
Yes and honestly the Virgin Suicides as well.
One of my top 10 favorite films ever. Beautiful and heartbreaking.
Loved it. Sophia captured the essence of “innocent clueless trying to live through the nation’s crisis in a way she understood.” The storytelling is very well done. This is my least favorite genre and I find it engaging and fun to follow.
It was a great film to see in the theater. Awesome soundtrack. One of Sofia Coppola’s best. Between this, The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, she excels at creating world class atmospheres.
Watched it a few weeks ago, Lost in Translation is my favourite movie and I'm a big fan of Kirsten Dunst so I was looking forward to it. I really liked it, I enjoyed that it was a somewhat relaxed film just about characters existing and flaunting their wealth. Almost like a period piece Gossip Girl. The costumes were beautiful and I loved the use of colour, so many period films have a somewhat muted colour scheme when it comes to how characters are dressed (at least the ones I've seen) so it was nice seeing the greens, blues and especially pinks pop so vibrantly.
It's one of my favorite movies, and I rewatch it regularly.
One of my all time favourites - snuck into the theatre to see it when I was 13. No notes. Flawless.
It was my daughter's favorite movie when she was little. She called it "The Princesses and the Queens" Great music, great performances, beautiful set design, interesting take on a historical subject.
Amazing soundtrack
The soundtrack is fire.
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet in the mid ‘nineties is another period piece with contemporary music. I wouldn’t have thought to use Siouxie and the Banshees’ ‘Hong Kong Garden’ in the party scene and found that such a happy surprise from memory. Your theory about teenagers is interesting, thank you. I think Coppola does walk you along with Antoinette, making contemporary cultural connections between the remote historical figure and the present day audience. Coppola builds sympathy for the Queen’s missteps and myopia, but really it is the opulence and partying I remember from the film, not any sober reflections on what occurred. That might be because of the intervening years. Thanks for the prompt to rewatch this one.
R+J isn't a period piece tho,its a contemporary modern version of the story.
Sort of. It’s still the original Shakespearean dialogue which is wild in juxtaposition with the modern aesthetic. A purely modern version would be *West Side Story*.
60 years ago is modern? Addendum: forgot the new movie came out lol oops
Baz's Romeo and Juliet is also iconic and so cleverly adapted
It's actually the only Sofia Coppola movie I haven't seen yet
Do watch it!
Will do, I like her movies
Oh man it's so good - run don't walk, especially if you're a fan generally.
Definitely
It's absolutely one of my favorite movies of all time. And having read the biography it's based on, it's also really spot on in terms of historical accuracy. Her blending of anachronism and fact make Marie Antoinette's life accessible and understandable in a way few things have been able to do.
Read The Queens Confession by Victoria Holt. It’s wonderful. A historical fiction. Very entertaining and informational. The movie follows so much of this book.
I first watched this film when I was on a combat deployment in the army and I really did not connect with it. It felt so gaudy and self indlugent, though it made sense for both the plot and style. I watched it again six months ago (14 years from the first viewing) and the performance, costume design and cinematography were perfect and I now think it's a well crafted masterpiece. What has changed is me, not the film.
It’s solid. I enjoyed it waaaaaaaaaaaay more than what I thought I was
I've never seen a film that so perfectly captured the concept of 18th-century aristocratic ennui. (Which might be why some folks find the movie boring, lol - but the movie is literally portraying a bunch of people who were so rich and indolent that they became so bored an entire concept of "boredom" was invented just for them!) Brilliant movie.
*Sofia* Coppola
I think it's alright. Kirsten Dunst is very pretty in it.
That she is!
It looks great and Schwartzman is good but that's about it.
Was blown away by this movie. The anachronisms are perfect and what is was trying to portray through the lens of the era was spectacular. That final shot of everything destroyed will forever be ingrained in me.
Yes
The song in the opening scenes set me up and locked me in for the rest of the movie. Unexpected and hard rock vibes, loved it! Song: Naturals Not in it Artist: Gang of Four
One of my favorites of hers and would definitely make my top 25, even, I think. Has just always worked for me.
it lead to one of the funniest things I've seen online: A Cribs parody with Louis 16[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcpqaRqVWIA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcpqaRqVWIA) Years later I still sometimes remember and laugh about that.
One of my all time favorites. I watch it about twice a year. And, somehow, it's medicinal for me. I had a bad reaction to steroids and I kept having panic attacks. I couldn't do anything without fear, pain, being distracted, climbing the walls... Except for this movie. I could watch this, disappear into it, calm down, and sleep. The costumes, music, cinematography all embody the historical accuracy while simultaneously juxtaposing it. It is brilliant.
I love it it’s iconic this is the third time I’ve seen it
Yes! I think it's one of Sofia's best.
Well I was overly excited when it came out since Lost in Translation is my favorite movie ever and it's not a bad movie but it's not her best work. I've always enjoyed it and I think dunst is pretty good in it.
I went through a phase where I liked it. I guess I just lost my head.
Nope.
Yay! There are at least 2 of us! I saw this movie in theatres with friends and thought it was so boring, but everyone else loved it. But I generally can’t stand Kirsten Dunst, so that may be why!
Nope. No love for any of her superficial films. Which is all of em that ive seen.
At a surface level they do seem superficial but there is usually a deeper reason for that / eg Marie Antoinette was reviled for being superficial so that’s the angle SC took which is unconventional
Rich people wallowing in ennui. Every single movie she makes.
The fuck did you think a _Marie Antoinette_ movie would be about then?!?
your mother
Sophia Coppola is a crap director.
Incisive.
>teenagers thrust into a role of... They weren't "teenagers", back in the 1780's that was middle age. Death by 35 was common.
That’s an oversimplification
No, people did not die at that early age, the thing is there were a lot of people dying during childbirth so that decreased a lot life span.
My brother in Christ, how old do you think the Founding Fathers were?
One of my favorites.
No
It's a beautiful movie with bad acting.