But Marie Antoinette and her rumored lesbionic girl crush? Sacre Bleu! The pearly pink and white candied cinematography of Coppola’s film wouldn’t have dared to make clear any associations between Dunst’s acquiescent ingénue and a yen for vaginal dainties. Certainly, the costume design is more moderated here than in Coppola’s film, but this only makes the film more sumptuously realistic. The problem is, the devil’s in the details, and there’s always a few of those swept under the rug. Whatever your thoughts were on the curious confection of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, that most recent of depictions is exactly the type of amplified and suppositious material that cinematically relates to us the gloriousness of history. What’s remarkable about Farewell, My Queen is the ability it has to seem refreshing about such a romanticized topic as Marie Antoinette and the storming of the Bastille. With only days left before history meets up with us, Sidonie uses her connections to try to get closer to the queen, certainly aware that all of Versailles is in danger, but blind to the futile drive of her devotion.
Her complete obliviousness leads her into a fraught confidence with her eager reader, whom she uses to quell a lover’s tiff, and later, as bait. As revolution looms, the ridiculous self absorption of the Queen becomes ever more apparent, more distraught she has brought the ire of the people against her lover. A list of names is circulated of those the people wish to behead, of which the King and Queen are at the top. But Versailles is about to be turned upside down, as the very next morning news hits that the Bastille was stormed. But Sidonie is not the object of the Queen’s affection, who is, in fact, notoriously obsessed with Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac (Ledoyen). It’s July 14th, 1789, and Sidonie Laborde (Seydoux), has been summoned to read to Marie Antoinette (Kruger), with whom it’s immediately evident a flirtatious connection exists. With his latest effort, he’s given us a heady concoction of historical intrigue, with a tart hint of salaciousness that drains away the generally unrealistic nature of supposedly authentic reenactments. Jacquot, whose films are often showcases for France’s most talented actresses, having crafted films for Isabelle Huppert, Isild Le Besco, and Virginie Ledoyen, is also no stranger to period royalty pieces, having helmed a 2004 film for French television concerning Princess Marie Bonaparte, starring Catherine Deneuve. Based on a novel by Chantal Thomas, we’re witness to the last week of Marie Antoinette’s reign, as told through the eyes of a member of her court. The first of underrated Gallic master Benoît Jacquot’s films to reach theaters on US Shores since 2004 (he’s had steady output since then, however) is the extremely enjoyable, Farewell, My Queen. Moi Petite Reader: Underrated Jacquot Depicts Decadence on the Eve of Doom
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