Marie Antoinette Film Analysis

Marie Antoinette, 'I Want Candy', Coursework

by

Niamh Gallagher

In this essay, I will be analysing a scene from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette. I will be looking at the micro-elements of sound, mise-en-scene and cinematography.

The scene begins with a medium close up tracking shot panning to the right across various pairs of shoes with a mid-shot. The shoes connote with wealth, opulence and lavishness; things that Marie Antoinette was infamous for. The colours of the shoes are pastel and sweet looking, representing Antoinette’s childlike, precocious nature. The use of the Converse shoes in this scene are intentional and not a historical anachronism, they are a metaphor for Antoinette herself; a young, carefree typical teenager. The shoes are also added into the scene to show that Marie Antoinette was just a teenager when she became Queen of France and in today’s society Converse shoes represent and are popular among youths and teenagers. They are used to show that Antoinette’s behaviour was not outrageous or over the top but that she was behaving like any other normal teenage girl, which helps the audience relate to her more. Another similar close-up of exotic silk sheets and fans is shown, further cementing Antoinette’s flare for a luxurious lifestyle.

This opening montage is used to establish the decadence of the era and the importance of Marie Antoinette looking the best she can. This is important as she is judged on her appearance, as she is a trophy being shown off by her husband and it is important because of their status as all eyes are upon them. In order to fit into Versailles Marie Antoinette had to be accustomed to the manner of dress, beauty, hair and makeup, shown throughout the clip. The lighting is saturated to an almost sickly, bright candy-like hue to personify the rose-tinted world the characters live in. The characters live the high life and all the props shown represent this, they are in an almost excessive quality, which suggest gluttony and superficiality.

The non-diegetic sound playing is ‘I Want Candy’ by Bow Wow Wow, this being a use of Contraptual sound. Contraptual sound is often used to juxtapose the images on screen with the music. The juxtaposition in this case is the 80’s music paired with the 1700’s France setting. The director, Sofia Coppola, uses this because the modern soundtrack helps show updates the life of Marie Antoinette for a vastly different century. Coppola also changes the audience into viewing her as a girl who just wanted to have fun just as girls do today. As an audience we begin to sympathise and feel empathy for Antoinette, sympathy due to be trapped in a loveless marriage whilst being the center of malicious gossip. We feel empathy due to Antoinette being a young girl who wanted to be an individual but is forced to conform to the policies of Versailles, much like the youth of today if you replace with modern values. With the use of modern materials, the film itself is not atypical of a period historical drama which can be stuffy

The frame switches to a medium long shot of Marie Antoinette and her friends, Yolande de Polastron and Princess Marie Louise of Savoy, cavorting whilst being shown various fabrics. They are dressed in grand, extravagant ball gowns and jewelry, which signifies their wealth and positions as members of the French aristocracy. The clothes and also setting is important as the viewer can easily relate them to the 1700's; the pompadour hairstyles, massive dresses and the classic décor all are code and conventions of that era. 

The frame switches to a another montage featuring various close up shots of cakes and sweets being placed upon a table, poker chips and pouring of champagne. The use of cake is tongue-in-cheek as Marie Antoinette herself was falsely quoted saying 'Let them eat cake' upon learning French peasants had no bread to eat, making her appear somewhat delusional to severity of life for her people. The cuts are fast paced to show the quantity of the goods and the ease of getting them, representing over-indulgence and greed. By using the prop of poker chips, which connote with gambling, shows how reckless Marie Antoinette was with money, which earned her the moniker 'Madame Deficit' among her people as she amassed huge debts due to her excessive spending. The use of champagne is meaningful as champagne has connotations with wealth and affluence.   

 

The camera cuts back to medium shot of Marie Antoinette and her favourites gushing and cooing as they caress silk sheets. Antoinette herself is placed in the centre of the scene, Coppola uses the Rule of Thirds here as an audience our eyes stray to the middle of the frame, exactly where Antoinette is. This signifies that she is the central figure and the most important due to her positioning. Antoinette and her companions have two toy-type dogs with them, these type of dogs connote with fashion as they are viewed as accessories. The placing of the dogs in scene purposeful as Marie Antoinette was viewed as a fashionista and a trendsetter among the populace of Versailles.

 

The camera switches back to another montage of close up shots of more poker chips, overflowing champagne towers and pastries. A loose over the shoulder shot of a woman putting a diamante choker around a dog's neck conveys the triviality of Marie Antoinette; she wastes money on buying extremely expensive jewelry for a dog whilst her subjects grow hungry in poverty.  The montage scenes focus on the items and how they are being consumed and how lavishly they could be presented. The montage continues with more close up shots of shoes, gambling paraphernalia, alcohol, cakes and sweeties. The continued showing of alcohol could be interpreted to suggest that Marie Antoinette lead a lifestyle of hedonism and debauchery.

 

The frame is switched to fast paced close up shots of a dress fitting for Antoinette; cutting from multiple locations such as her sleeves, hemline and waist as a tailor works upon the frock. The camera switches to a close up shot of a pink pair of shoes walking, slowly panning akin to the movement of the person's steps. The person is walking quite briskly, giving the  impression is they have no time to waste. The camera cuts back to Antoinette at her dress fitting before switching back to the owner of the pink shoes. The pink shoes move out of the shot and are replaced by various black, dull shoes, indicating that the owner of the more colourful footwear is of high standing then the owner's of the other shoes, who look like they belong to servants due to their plainness.

 

The camera flicks to a medium shot of a grandiose door opening, revealing a flamboyantly dressed man, owner of the pink shoes. The colours he is wearing are loud, almost garish and ostentatious, further reflecting the pompousness of the era. He is accompanied by an entourage who are carrying hairstyling equipment, indicating the hairstylist is far too influential to do such menial things as carry objects. His importance and authority is further shown as when he enters the room it is announced. The hairstylist's facial expression is snobbish and haughty, things that aristocracy are stereotyped as being. The camera switches to a close up shot of a hairpiece panning down, the hairstylist's hand reaching to grab an accessory placed in a dish is in frame. The camera moves to show a two shot of the hairdresser and the top of Antoinette's sky-high pompadour haircut, filled with eccentric birds and feathers. The sheer height of the hair is important as at the time period the high the hair showed how much wealth the wear had. The camera pans down the length of the hair in an humorous manner, showing how ridiculous it looks, till we see Antoinette's face; ecstatic, rosy-cheeked and smiling, indicating her happiness over looking good.