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^Marie Antoinette is actually my favorite film, and it's sad that everyone reads it the way they do. It's not really a period drama at all. The viewer shouldn't expect the same thing as they would from a film like The Duchess a huge climax or anything, because rather than focusing on telling a story, Coppola spends the entire film elaborating on a mood. The movie's just as much about melancholy as it is Marie Antoinette, and it's not too dissimilar from Lost in Translation, which on the other hand got oodles of critical acclaim.
I think a lot of people find it easy to write off though because of the complete superficiality of the characters, but really, isn't that the point? The whole film shows rich kids dressing up and spending their money on parties and cakes and clothes, but beneath it all, there's a palpable sense of their boredom and ennui. Other directors have done some very similar things, (Antonioni comes to mind right away) but for whatever reason they've been celebrated because of their use of visuals and slow narratives. I'm not going to argue that this particular Coppola deserves a place up there with the masters of cinema, but it'd be nice if she got some credit for her most ambitious project.
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