'Antoinette' in translation

Everyone knows who Marie Antoinette was, at least in terms of popular culture. Most people know she was beheaded and coined the phrase, "Let them eat cake." She was a terrible, irresponsible ruler, yes, but what most people forget is the fact that she was sent off to Versailles at the age of 15 without a clue as to how one rules a foreign land. \nUsing Antonia Fraser's book as a template, director Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation") examines the life of Antoinette during her time spent at Versailles, along with all the ups and downs that came with it. Starring Kirsten Dunst (who appeared in Coppola's excellent directorial debut, "The Virgin Suicides") as the ill-fated queen, Antoinette is transported from Austria to France, literally stripped of all personal possessions, married off to the sexually unresponsive Louis XVI (played by a deadly serious yet still humorous Jason Schwartzman), and then expected to give birth to a son -- all of this before her sweet 16. \nCoppola pays great attention to the sumptuous decadence that was Versailles at the time. Everything is lavishly designed, but considering the French government allowed her full access to filming in the famed palace, what you see is more authentic than reproduction. The costumes are grandiose -- one can be certain that if "Marie Antoinette" collects any Oscars, it'll have this one in the bag. \nCoppola also fully makes this film her own, having precedence over the screenplay, soundtrack selection and ordering her personal cinematographer, Lance Acord, on the shots she wants. The influence of Terrence Malick and Stanley Kubrick's vastly underappreciated "Barry Lyndon" are evident in heaping doses here, although Coppola's treatment is certainly more sugary than its predecessors. \nThe soundtrack is in many ways what makes the movie. Coppola treats Antoinette as a pop culture icon, and while the usual period piece orchestration shows up, there is more 80s music than you can shake a scepter at. With selections from The Cure, New Order and Gang of Four, in addition to modern artists including Aphex Twin and The Strokes, the music will certainly bewilder some and impress others. I'm clearly part of the latter. \nThere is a lot to love amidst the occasional lull in pacing with "Antoinette," and Coppola's trademark study of disconnected youth found within all her films shines brightest here. In only three films she has cemented herself as one of the filmmakers who will help shape the future of cinema.