Tea at Trianon: A Glimpse of the New Film

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, June 26, 2011

A Glimpse of the New Film

Now I have had my first glimpse of stills from the upcoming film, Farewell, My Queen, on a German site, HERE. It is based upon the novel by Chantal Thomas. Diane Kruger is playing Marie-Antoinette. (Via Vive la Reine.)

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12 comments:

Gabriela Delworth - Instructional Designer said...: Hello,

Is it going to be available here in English?

~ Gabriela ~; June 26, 2011 at 10:17:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Oh, yes, it is being filmed in English.; June 26, 2011 at 12:30:00 PM EDT
May said...: I wish someone would make a film of TRIANON!; June 28, 2011 at 4:42:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, me, too. It is frustrating since Farewell my Queen is VERY similar to TRIANON in many ways. (TRIANON was published first.); June 28, 2011 at 5:25:00 PM EDT
The North Coast said...: That has to be deeply frustrating, Maria, and it is very unfair.

That said, this beautiful actress looks completely perfect for the part.

Since you've published very well-written and popular books, you might be able to sign on with a top-flight literary agent who can help promote your work to publishers and film makers alike, especially if you can translate your books into film scripts. You have some great material in your historical novels, especially in THE NIGHT'S DARK SHADE, which deals with a period and subject that hasn't been done to death, unlike the story of Marie Antoinette. Audiences are hankering for something they haven't heard of a million times before, and the Cathar period is bound to be fascinating to readers and viewers who've had enough of the 18th century.; June 29, 2011 at 12:21:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thanks, NC. Diane makes a great MA. Yes, I have been trying to find an agent for years. The thing about Farewell my Queen is that, like the last film, it does not include the Revolution and the end of her life.; June 29, 2011 at 7:24:00 AM EDT
Geremia said...: Is Farewell my Queen the most similar film to your book Trianon?; November 9, 2013 at 6:49:00 PM EST
Geremia said...: Have you seen Louis XVI, l'homme qui ne voulait pas être roi?

The French neo-Royalists seem to like that it portrays Louis XVI very differently from how a Republican would.; November 9, 2013 at 6:52:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, Alan, Farewell my Queen the novel shares some similarities with my novel Trianon.; November 9, 2013 at 7:45:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, Alan, I have seen the film you mention and I think they do a pretty accurate job portraying Louis XVI.; November 9, 2013 at 7:47:00 PM EST
Geremia said...: Having finished Louis XVI, the Man Who Didn't Want to Be King and your Trianon, we watched Farewell, My Queen and deeply regret it. Honestly, it is on par with the pornographic, slanderous pamphlets in the Queen's era.

Besides the unnecessary nudity, did Queen Marie-Antoinette really have same-sex attractions with La Duchesse Gabrielle de Polignac? I don't remember that in Trianon… And did she really make her reader Sidonie Laborde be a decoy and dress like La Duchesse just to save La Duchesse's life?

Louis XVI, the Man Who Didn't Want to Be King is much more like Trianon because it actually gives the King a part with dialogue, shows Trianon more, shows Marie-Antoinette's children more, mentions more history than just the Storming of the Bastille and a passing reference to the defecting of priests, and includes scenes from the King's trial.

Two thumbs down for Farewell, My Queen.; November 17, 2013 at 7:50:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Alan, I agree with your assessment. There is no evidence of MA having a same sex attraction.; November 17, 2013 at 7:53:00 PM EST