Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette (2 November 1755 - 16 October 1793), was Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria. She was the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and his wife Empress Maria Theresa, wife of Louis XVI, and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution, and is interred with her husband in the Chapelle Expiatoire in Paris.

In the movies

Given that she has become one of the most iconic historical figures, Marie Antoinette has appeared in many motion pictures. The most famous was Marie Antoinette in 1938, a multi-million dollar MGM studio extravaganza. It was based on Stefan Zweig's biography of Marie-Antoinette. Lasting over three hours and famed for its set designs and costumes, Marie Antoinette became an instant hit. Hollywood legend Norma Shearer starred in the title role. She identified heavily with the role and heavily researched every aspect of Marie Antoinette's life. Even today, there is still an emotional vibrancy and naturalness to her portrayal of the queen. She was nominated for the Oscar, but controversially lost out to Bette Davis for her role in Jezebel. For many people, Shearer's portrayal remains the definitive screen-version of Marie Antoinette. In Argentina, the film became the favourite movie of Eva Perón, who so admired Shearer's style that she later dyed her hair blonde.

Related Topics:
1938 - Stefan Zweig - Norma Shearer - Oscar - Bette Davis - Jezebel - Argentina - Eva Perón

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Her character has also appeared in several French-made movies on the life of Madame du Barry and several on the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Affair of the Diamond Necklace has inspired two movies, the most recent being in 2001. Heavily-romanticised and with the facts distorted to favour the Countess, the film was panned by critics. Joely Richardson played Marie Antoinette, with Hilary Swank, Jonathan Pryce, Adrien Brody, Brian Cox and Christopher Walken also starring.

Related Topics:
Madame du Barry - Napoleon Bonaparte - 2001 - Joely Richardson - Hilary Swank - Jonathan Pryce - Adrien Brody - Brian Cox - Christopher Walken

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In 1989, the French historian André Castelot wrote the script for L'Autrichienne (a cruel nickname given to Marie Antoinette, meaning something along the lines of "the Austrian Woman," or, more strongly, "the Austrian bitch.") The film starred the German-born actress, Ute Lemper, as Marie-Antoinette and the entire script was based on the transcripts of the queen's trial in 1793.

Related Topics:
1989 - 1793

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At the moment, US director Sofia Coppola is completing Post-production on an adaptation of Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette for the big screen under the title Marie-Antoinette. Filming commenced in early 2005, with some scenes being shot at Versailles. Kirsten Dunst is starring as Marie Antoinette, with Jason Schwartzmann playing Louis XVI, Asia Argento as Madame du Barry, Rip Torn as Louis XV and Marianne Faithfull playing Marie Antoinette's mother Empress Maria Theresa.

Related Topics:
Sofia Coppola - Post-production - Antonia Fraser - Marie-Antoinette - 2005 - Versailles - Kirsten Dunst - Jason Schwartzmann - Louis XVI - Asia Argento - Madame du Barry - Rip Torn - Louis XV - Marianne Faithfull - Empress Maria Theresa

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