Marie Antoinette (1938)

To me, this movie is perfection.

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The Queen of MGM plays the Queen of France in this opulent historical costume drama from 1938.Norma Shearer received her fifth and final Oscar nomination for playing the doomed Marie Antoinette, and boy does she earn it. She owns this movie, taking her character on an arc from giggly girl to wasted wretch and everything in between. Robert Morley received a supporting actor nod for his work as Marie's husband and King of France, and he's sensational as well. Perennial Oscar nominee Cedric Gibbons received a no-brainer of a nomination for the film's art direction, while Herbert Stothart rounded out its quartet of nominations for the original score.The film is long, but for the most part doesn't overstay its welcome. I say "for the most part" because of a plot line featuring Tyrone Power as Marie's love interest. This story grinds the film to a halt whenever it takes center stage and was clearly added as an obligatory bone to throw to the audiences who wanted some romantic swooning with their French revolution. Power has about as much personality as the statues that adorn the film's recreation of Versailles, and his whole story line could have been excised without harming the film in the least - - in fact, it would have been better because it would have been a good half hour shorter.Had a costume design category existed in 1938, "Marie Antoinette" would surely have been nominated and would likely have won.Grade: A

Probably the best word I can use to describe this film is "splendid". It was meant to be, and it is probably the most opulent and lavish film ever produced by Old Hollywood, and undoubtedly one of the most expensive. Incredibly, Norma Shearer manages to dazzle over and above the glittering jewels in an outstanding Oscar- winning performance. Tyrone Power is dashing and John Barrymore is great as aging monarch Louis XV. Robert Morley steals the show creating an unforgettable character as the Dauphin and later King whose reign ended tragically but inevitably in a bloody manner. The history seems generally accurate although necessarily somewhat speculative and condensed because it spans two decades and a great number of events. It is of course impossible logically to feel any sympathy for the pampered remnants of a cruel old royal society. Nevertheless, everyone should view this film for Shearer and Morley and their tremendous acting accomplishments to see how logic can be overcome by emotion. This film is a classic Hollywood demonstration of how superb technique and style can soften and twist the ugly truths of aristocratic privilege into something more sympathetic, at least as far as empathy for individual characters in a script. Hollywood was very talented at such twisting of the optics of myth and did it frequently.

Norma Shearer was at her best during the silent era and the pre-code period between 1929 and 1934. Once the Hays Code rolled in, she was stuck with what have been described as "queenly roles" in rather stuffy period pictures like Romeo and Juliet (1936) and this film, Marie Antoinette (1938). Despite its reputation, this is not a bad movie, just a rather standard Hollywood biopic.Shearer does well as the queen and undergoes the transformation from innocent teenage bride to weary tragic queen beautifully. Tyrone Power is handsome and solid, but doesn't get to do much as the queen's lover. The rest of the cast is good, but not exceptional.The sets and costumes are breathtaking. It's a shame this was not filmed in Technicolor as was planned. The ornate settings beg for it.All in all, not bad, but nothing special.

Update review April 2014:I am an historian, most recently studying the French Revolution including Marie, Louis and later Napoleon Bonaparte.I feel that this movie portrayed Marie as intelligent and caring, not as the buffoonish idiot of many stereotypes. According to my professor, she never said, "Let them eat cake!" Marie was courageous and brave. She loved her children.Previously to the Revolution, France had been visited by several years of severely cold winters, perhaps worse than the Polar Vortices. This made for terrible wheat crops, hence severely high bread prices. The people could not pay their taxes. The royal treasury was broke. People could certainly not have "cake". Wait! There's more French financial devastation:Marie Antoinette gave money to the fledgling America, during our own Revolution of 1775-1783. It takes a lot of money to fight a war. France was the enemy of England, and wanted to see us get our freedom. This was courtesy of Marie's friend and ours, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, who was Ambassador to England during the American Revolution.The French Revolution began in 1789, over a decade later, ending in 1799. The French non-nobles decided that they wanted their freedom from all nobility as well as from the royal family. The Guillotine dispatched many aristocrats, including the king and queen.Tons of nobles and priests were killed in the murderous guillotine. The Catholic Church almost ceased to exist. Marriages could now be performed in a civil status, no longer only being allowed to occur in a Catholic Church. Atheists and agnostics increased their numbers decreased markedly. Some nobles managed to escape to other countries.Later, during the 20th Century, the U.S. returned the favor of assisting France. We sent troops to help them, during the onslaughts of World Wars I and II.I really liked Tyrone Power in this movie. He was of course dashing, handsome, etc., etc., etc. Looks-wise, he was all the things that Louis was not.The fancy dress costumes in this movie were breathtaking. They were just stunning. The costuming of Marie in her cell was quite a change from the royal gowns, however.10/10