Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Let them watch cake

Went to see Marie Antoinette last night. Had some crazy old man in the front row who apparently had the hearing of a bat, because every time I took a swig of my drink, he would wheel round and glare at me for disturbing him. It wasn't even like I was rustling crisp bags or something. Whatever.

Anyway, the film itself was an odd confection. A bit like watching Dangerous Liaisons and Cruel Intentions at the same time. The narrative was a little too flimsy. I know her objective was to humanise Marie Antoinette and in that she succeeded, but it needed a stronger framework to support itself. None of the characters, save the title one, came into sufficient focus. A shame, because every frame was a work of art to look at. If as much care had been poured into the script as it had into the mise en scene, this would have been a masterpiece, one that rivalled the aforementioned Frears movie, rather than invited less than flattering comparisons to it.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

i always suspected you were a loud drinker.

Popcultureboy said...

Eric, it's a tough one. The visual opulence demands it be seen on the big screen. If Ms Coppola's charms as a director are lost on you though, I wouldn't waste the money, not even for the pugs. Though they are awful cute.

dirk.mancuso said...

I'm with Eric on the Sophia Coppola issue. I love me some Scarlett Johansen but LOST IN TRANSLATION has to be one of the most over rated movies in the history of ever.

And then there is the Kirsten Dunst factor. I fail to see the appeal.

But then we have Jason Schwartzman who I adore and a kick ass soundtrack featuring New Order.

Looks like the running time will be the deciding factor on this one...

Popcultureboy said...

It's a fraction over two hours including credits. And I really didn't notice, it certainly didn't feel long, you know? And besides, if you get bored watching it, you can easily distract yourself with the acres of prettiness on display.