Movie Discussion, June Edition
Welcome to another one of history_haven 's summer events, the historical movie discussion!
Each month this summer, I will post a link to a movie for you all to watch along with some points for you to discuss.
The pick this month is...
Marie Antoinette
Starring Kirsten Dunst and directed by Sofia Coppola. This movie is rated PG-13.
You can watch Marie Antoinette for free at Movie2k.com. Just wait for the MegaVideo player to load and click the little red button.
Unregistered users are only allowed 72 minutes of MegaVideo time before they are required to wait an hour. You can bypass this by restarting your router, or you can simply wait the hour before refreshing the page and finishing the movie.
Happy watching!
Once you are done, please come back to the Haven for the discussion.
Warning: Some small spoilers under cut.
(1) What I've always found interesting about this movie is that it illustrates the fact the Marie Antoinette was very young and very unhappy.
Torn from all she know at the tender age of fourteen, she was sent to the pompous French court, where her entire life down to the most intimate detail was put on display for the court. Did this lifestyle perhaps dissociate her from reality?
(2) As Marie got older we see more maturity in her changes in lifestyle. She begins to downplay her elaborate spending (though it probably wasn't any more lavish then most French monarchs), and attempted to appease the French people's every growing unrest.
Her efforts were futile in the eyes of her starving subjects, and she became the figure-head for all that they hated. One can understand their anger, but did she really deserve it. Or was she merely a convenient scape-goat?
(3) Marie Antoinette is often mocked for her little pretend village, the Petite Trainon, but can we really blame her for building a refuge in the midst of her gilded cage? Was the Petite Trianon, perhaps, an expression of a secret desire she had for a simpler life. She certainly enjoyed her privileges, but did she wish to escape from the life she was married into?
(4) I find it interesting that the director chooses not to display the execution or the violence leading up to it. This remains a Marie-centric film, and avoids excessive focus on the politics of the time.
The ruined bedroom shown in the last scene effectively symbolizes Marie Antoinette's end. Was it truly a deserved fate?
I am waiting to see what you all have to say. Please participate.
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P.S.: I've been meaning to mention this for awhile, but hey... better late then never...
The Haven now has 60 members! Yay! Err... 65 actually... (I told you I was late) Go and celebrate!