Women's Issues in Marie Antoinette

Sofia Coppola’s third film, Marie Antoinette, was released in 2006. Starring Kirsten Dunst as the young Austrian queen, the film follows Antoinette’s arrival at Versaille until the end of her reign as the French march on the palace during the French Revolution.

Coppola has been at the receiving end of much criticism over Marie Antoinette as it seems to favour style over substance, focusing on scenes of Antoinette’s lavish and decadent lifestyle rather than having any concrete narrative. Visually, the film is extremely pleasing to the eye. Shot on location at Versaille and using Coppola’s usual pastel colour scheme, the costumes are divine, and is coupled with beautiful cinematography.

Although on the surface the viewer only sees a series of trivial events, such as banquets and parties, the film features a number of themes which can be related to feminist theory.
It would seem that Marie suffers from what Betty Friedan refers to as ‘the problem that has no name’. After her marriage her sole purpose is to produce an heir, something which is problematic due to the disinterested nature of her husband. A letter from her mother reads: “it is clear that the heart of your problems in your new home, is your inability to inspire sexual passion in your husband.”

Laura Mulvey states “the function of woman in forming the patriarchal unconscious is twofold: she first symbolises the castration threat by her real lack of a penis and secondly thereby raises her child into the symbolic.” Marie’s position rests on her ability to produce a son and whether she likes it or not her life is otherwise meaningless.

While watching the film, I was also reminded of The Age of Innocence. For example, the French King’s mistress, Madame du Barry, made me think of Ellen Olenska as both of them were regarded with suspicion and contempt due to their promiscuous conduct out of wedlock. Also, Newland Archer comments near the end of Wharton’s text: “Their long years together had shown him that it did not so much matter if marriage was a dull duty, as long as it kept the dignity of a duty.” This idea of duty is similar to Marie’s marriage, as it was really about maintaining relations between France and Austria than love.

Therefore in Marie Antoinette Coppola continues with her persistent themes of bored women, loneliness, detachment and nostalgia, some of which can also be recognised in her latest film, Somewhere. Todd Kennedy summarises “Coppola’s films stand as a direct commentary on visual pleasure and the depiction of “reality” as she sets the French Revolution to 1980s pop music.” This gives the impression that these are themes which apply to women both past and present.