Written by Indi Hajeski, Photo courtesy of SCAD
The SCAD Cinema Circle screened its second film “Marie Antoinette” by Sophia Coppola, Thursday Jan. 30. Both the film and Marie Antoinette were important in fashion, as Marie Antoinette was a trendsetter of her time and the film won an Academy Award for best costume design in 2007. Beating other nominees such as “The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Curse of the Golden Flower,” which also displayed strong costume design.
Neither Antoinette or the film do anything innovative for their respective time period, but their presence is still valuable. Her influence was prominent in the Rococo period – most notably was her transition to cotton outfits. The popularity led to an increased growth of Southern U.S. plantation cotton farms.
The first shot of the film shows Antoinette laying in a lounge chair, getting her feet rubbed and eating a piece of cake off of her finger. The shot intentionally caters to the common depiction of Antoinette, portraying her as pampered, spoiled, gluttonous and extravagant.
The story of “Marie Antoinette” critiques the culture of the wealthy and their disconnect from the rest of the world, but still makes them human. The second shot is Antoinette waking up on the day she leaves for France. It reintroduces the character of the story with a warmer tone, she still contains the preexisting qualities, yet they are overshadowed by her kindness and naivety.
This decision is intended to subvert the audience’s expectations of the film, because then the theme changes as well. Coppola intended for the theme to focus on the detachment rather than greed and egotism. Dialogue pieces plant those seeds, pointing back to the theme. “We have everything right here,” says Louis XVI when refusing to go to Paris.
The film is an enjoyable experience for the spectacle of its fashion alone, but gives a new look on the life of the final French Monarchs. “Marie Antoinette” doesn’t intend to be a historically accurate movie – the use of a 1980s soundtrack gives that away as soon as the movie starts. Coppola chose to show the extravagant and romanticized lifestyle over time. “Marie Antoinette” wants us to look at how history may repeat itself, and how long it will take for the poor to once again eat the rich.
