Marie-Antoinette

I finally got from amazon.fr the French DVD of this Canadian production with Marie Antoinette expert Chantal Thomas as historical consultant.

It is technically quite stunning when you think that ALL scenes are virtually recreated: just the actors and a few pieces of furniture are real. It really seems shot on location.

As a movie (a docu-fiction?) it is far too sketchy and superficial (just a succession of key moments in Marie Antoinette's life commented by a voice-over with a few dialog by the actors) to be absorbing. The acting is overall competent with Canadian actress Karine Vanasse really quite appreciable as the queen (her final reading of the testament letter is moving).

No Austrian childhood is shown: the movie starts just before the queen leaves her prison for the scaffold and starts remembering her first arrival in Versailles.

The film is historically quite valid (facts and period costume design are respected), even though Marie Antoinette is described as being a little too "tête à vents" even in her mature years. I also found one big historical error: Marie Antoinette is shown in the Conciergerie with both her children (the dauphin is taken from her in the Conciergerie) while it is universally known that she left the Temple prison for the Conciergerie alone.