Marie Antoinette
Coppola and Cast Talk Modernizing Marie Antoinette
“What I was trying to do was make it impressionistic of what it would feel like to live there at that time,” she said. “I wanted it to be a style of acting and the setting is as natural as possible and that that’s the real place as opposed to an artificial movie set. So in that way it was the style we were working from. But then we take artistic license in altering things to convey more what it would feel like at that time, using music that gives the emotional quality that I wanted the scene to have as opposed to what actually might be the song [of the time]. A combination to create the impression of what it might have been like.”
Actor Jason Schwartzman, who plays King Louis XVI, thinks it’s not as much of a contradiction as history professors may suggest. "Although on paper it looks like a contradiction, I think it teams up pretty well with the spirit of the movie,” he said. "When I watch it, it doesn’t actually feel like it clashes. To me, it feels like they compliment each other very well and I know for me, the music was very valuable to me on the set, and I had these mixes in my makeup trailer and in my car and in my hotel. I always had the music playing around me and she always had it playing on the set, and I found it very, very helpful. Even the rock-and-roll music, it was great. When we shot the mask ball, we had all that music playing and it felt more natural. It felt very good. And the excitement of the music helps I think.”
The actual dancing at the ball was still appropriate to France in the late 1700s. “That was authentic,” said Schwartzman. “Along with my horseback riding, I went to these dance lessons and etiquette lessons, and she and I would dance every day. She improved every time we went to dance class, and I got worse somehow, and by three days in, she could walk around with a book on her head, and she just was a natural. I wasn’t, but I think it was alright because my character isn’t considered a famous dancer. He couldn’t cut a great rug they say, and so I was more off the hook, and I think my character was nervous in that scene, so it was alright if I wasn’t super graceful, but I loved the dance. I loved learning it. I never learned how to dance before and memorizing the dance steps, it’s very, it’s hard, and I love it. It was nice. It’s nice to try to achieve something.”
It’s not like the filmmakers are promising traditional costume drama. If you’re offended by the first shot of Marie Antoinette set to rock music, you’re welcome to leave. “It’s kind of like it’s our take so take it or leave it,” said Kirsten Dunst. “I think that’s what that shot is about. What we’re doing, we’re serious about it. It’s emotional, but we’re not going to get caught up. We’re going to take a different chance with this kind of thing and that I don’t care kind of feeling or something.”
Marie Antoinette opens this Friday, October 20th.
For more movie info, poster and trailers, go to the Marie Antoinette Movie Page.
Stay tuned for updates.
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