Marie Antoinette
Short description
A young Austrian princess is married to the heir of the French throne to improve political relations between two rival nations. Finding her husband distant and the royal court stifling, she seeks distraction through romantic flirtations and a lavish lifestyle. Her spending habits and foreign origins eventually make her a target of public resentment once her husband becomes king.
Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, this historical drama was directed by W.S. Van Dyke. It followed his previous work, Rosalie, in his filmography. The movie stars Norma Shearer in the title role, alongside Tyrone Power, John Barrymore, and Robert Morley. The production featured a large credited cast of 128 people.
The film was made with a budget of 3 million USD. It received four Oscar nominations for best actress, best supporting actor, original score, and art direction. Audience reception is generally positive, with a rating of 7.3/10 on IMDb based on 3,600 votes and a score of 6.6/10 on TMDB from 37 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film used thousands of luxurious dresses, and was shot with lavish sets. Costume designer Adrian (1903-1959) specifically studied the historical period depicted in the film (the second half of the 18th century) during trips to France and Austria in 1937. He also studied portraits of Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) and even examined them under a microscope to discern the fabric and embroidery details. Immense attention was paid to detail. Fabrics were created specifically for the film, and the stitches were so small they were impossible to see with the naked eye. Due to the embroidery, trim, and precious stones used, some of the dresses were very heavy. The dresses worn by Norma Shearer (1902-1983) in the film weighed a total of over 1,768 pounds, or 800 kilograms, with the wedding dress being the heaviest.
- Initially, it was planned to film the entire movie in “Technicolor,” and the sets and dresses were constructed with this in mind. The “MGM” film company even sent a fox-fur-trimmed item of women’s clothing worn by Norma Shearer (1902-1983) to New York to be specially dyed to match her eye color. However, considering all the additional costs that using “Technicolor” would entail, it would further increase the film’s already gigantic (for the time) budget of $1.8 million, and the filmmakers decided to shoot in black and white after all.
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