Saturday, January 6, 2007

Spotlight reviews of the Coppola film

I have not yet seen Marie-Antoinette (2006), the film by Sofia Coppola. It never came to State College. I will definitely watch the DVD and then write my own review. In the meantime, here are some reviews that I found interesting.

Here is a monarchist's review. I do not agree that Marie-Antoinette would necessarily have liked the same music that Ms. Coppola enjoys, had they been contemporaries. Theodore does offer some great insights, though, as usual.
http://www.angelfire.com/in3/theodore/opinion/marieantoinette.html

It seems the film did not do well in Canada.
http://www.lavantage.qc.ca/?nav=article&id=1144416505

A socialist's review. Considering that the film embraces the Marxist interpretation of class conflict being the cause of Revolution, the working class is totally ingnored.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/nov2006/mari-n24.shtml

A Roman Catholic review.
http://traditioninaction.org/movies/008mrAntoinette.htm
According to Madame Campan, Marie-Antoinette did go to Confession and receive Communion secretly from a non-juring priest while still at the Tuileries. Biographer Andre Castelot mentions how she also was able to confess and receive Viaticum from a priest faithful to the Holy See while at the Conciergerie awaiting her trial and death. She did not mention it in her letter to Elisabeth because she dreaded betraying the priest, and the guards who had made it possible for her to receive spiritual succor. This is still not evidence that Marie-Antoinette had an affair with Fersen (there is no indication of any affair, as the above review says), only that she was a faithful Catholic who relied upon the Sacraments of the Church.

I will add some more reviews later and if anyone has a review they would like to share, please let me know.

How could I have forgotten this one?
http://www.lemague.net/dyn/article.php3?id_article=2145 Share

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I suppose it depended on locality. As far I know, the movie never came to the Pittsburgh area. Only a few theaters in the metro Washington, DC area had it. (Strange!) The "Washington Post" gave the movie a favorable review.
I guess I'll have to wait for the DVD as well.

Anonymous said...

Madam, I have not seen the film, Idoubt if I will, even though I trust the review of Theodore. Why? Quite simply put, I do not want the face of Kristin Dunst replacing that of my beloved Queen. (Any more than I want the face of Mila Jojovich in my mind as the face of the Maid.) I have read the reviews; I found the socialist on the funniest, because they wish to maintain any shread of lies and calumny about Marie-Antoinette in the forefront of the peoples mind. "Yes she was BAD because she had money, position and POWER!" Class envy is such a horrid way to view life.

The French and Canadian French reviews are quite the same. Why? Because forever the French must cast Marie-Antoinette in the role of a pitiless, uncaring despot. Still today we hear, "Let them eat cake!" yet we know this was not said by her. A good Christian does not brag on what or how much they spend on the poor, or their acomplishments in their faith.
NO, the martyrdom of the of the Queen must be perpetuated as being HER fault. "Yep, she asked for it, and got what she asked for." The French Government cannot justify her martyrdom before history, or before future generations.

elena maria vidal said...

Yes, Elisa, it is strange.

M. de Brantigny, I could not agree with you more, on every point. I thought the socialist view to be amusing as well, which is why I had to post it. I prefer NOT to see it; I really cannot stand the pop music. But many people have asked for my opinion; I guess I must try to watch it at some point....