baracine

IMDb (http://imdb.com/title/tt0422720/combined) says she will be directing a film by that name produced by her father. Luckily, no mention of Quentin Tarantino in any of the credits so far, except maybe as a consultant on the head-chopping scenes. I think it's bad enough that such a shallow and limited individual/film-maker as Ms. Coppola, with more than a touch of xenophobia, should tackle such a demanding and delicate subject in this particular juncture, but the casting of Kirsten Dunst (as Marie) and Jason Schwartzman (as Louis XVI) beggars even more disbelief...

The casting of someone called "Tom Meighan" as "Marie Antoinette's boyfriend" (sic) shows what level of intellectual wit and splendour to expect.

I guess after the numerous tearjerking, yet demoralizingly violent, lurid and graphic historical euro-flops that were "Vatel", "Elizabeth", "Le Roi Danse" and "The Affair of the Necklace", we can expect a kind of soap opera with dismemberments like "The Godfather", at best, or some existential, superficial, feel-good claptrap like "Lost in Translation" at worst.

The only good thing that can possibly come out of this is the issue on DVD, as tie-ins, of the film of the same name from 1937-1938 (directed by W.S. Van Dyke, starring Norma Shearer, John Barrymore, Tyrone Power and Robert Morley) and the 1956 French production with Michèle Morgan, shot in Versailles by Jean Delannoy.

Groucho

"Let them watch Godfather 3"

Baracine, have you seen Lost in Translation yet?

FinkPish

From the description the IMDB page gives, it might suit Coppola very well; another story about someone out of their element but forced to deal with the situation, with or without success. I will agree that the casting could be better, but this does sound interesting.

And to fair, history is full of situations that were "violent, lurid and graphic;" it isn't the fault of the filmmakers to want to recreate that.

baracine

No, I haven't. Have you seen the 1938 and 1956 versions of "Marie Antoinette" yet?

Groucho

Now, there's the surprise of the century.No, I haven't. And I won't be criticizing them until I do.

natevines

Looks great, historical movies are my favorite I always longed for a French Revolution one. This is more of a biopic, but I still hope for an awesome re-creation of the storming of the Bastille.

baracine

There's a slim but ghastly chance that "Tom Meighan" could actually be the lead singer of British Dirty Rock group Kasabian (named after one of Charles Manson's followers, Linda Kasabian) as Count Axel de Fersen, the Swedish aristocrat who defended the Queen with all his love and energy. America has really taken a roll in the gutter...

auto

Great thread.

FinkPish

I don't mind if you want to criticize the movie, even if nothing has been confirmed or even shot yet, but how does this have anything to do with America, especially if this Tom Meighan is British?

natevines

Because it's rumoured that he's cast in an AMERICAN movie, maybe?

FinkPish

That isn't my point. My point is how does this one movie, American or not, make America take a "roll in the gutter?"

baracine

The expression "America has taken a cultural roll in the gutter" has been all over the news for a solid year and it's partly responsible for W's re-election (a vast reaction of disgust from middle America to Ms. Janet Jackson's right nipple on the Super Bowl). It is also meant to attack the sleaziness of the media in general, the vocabulary used in sitcoms, hip-hop songs, news headlines, and reality shows, the level of violence and sadism in movies, video games, etc. I'm just reflecting the zeitgeist.

As for the logic of importing a third-generation British soccer lout with a lower-class accent, with no acting experience, to personify a Swedish aristocrat in an American film set in XVIIIth century France, draw your own conclusions...

I guess Kid Rock wasn't available.

FinkPish

I'm aware of what the expression means. I was questioning why you were using it to attack a film that no one has seen, doesn't have a confirmed cast, etc. I'm here to talk about the film and its possibilities, good or bad, not discuss whether this will be another nail in the coffin for American society.


Almost as strange as having an American girl play an Austrian who became queen of France

baracine

Quite so. You see, in the 1938 version, Marie was played by a Montreal (Quebec)-born actress (Norma Shearer) who became a Hollywood princess after marrying Irving Thalberg, the King of Hollywood, but was quickly disposed of after the untimely death of her powerful husband. I think that was much better casting, don't you?

sundog

Wait.

You accuse Sophia Coppola of xenophobia (based on a movie you haven't seen) but then take umbrage from her possible non-French casting?

Aren't you being a bit ethnocentric? As much of a surprise it may seem, movies are not real. They are not meant to be perceived as fact. Because a Swedish character in this production may speak with a "lower class" British accent it does not mean the past has been changed in order to validate it.

Would you take offense at Robert Altman's decision to cast Elliot Gould as a Jewish Marlowe in his production of "The Long Goodbye".

Or maybe it's just when non-French actors act French. That "Paths of Glory" could have been so much better had Kubrick used an authentic French cast . . .

jaeufraser

I look forward to this. Coppola has proven herself to be quite talented and I can't wait to see her tackle something a bit more lavish.

With regard to the OP, at first I was scratching my head thinking "what the hell is this guy talking about" but then I remembered his rather long thesis about The Mummy Returns being better than Kill Bill. So, good luck Sophia Coppola, baracine you're nuts but it makes for interesting reading, and I look forward to this movie.

Bugg

Wow! Yet you admit to not having even at least 50% of her cinematic output thus far. Do you even care about the validity of your own words or does it just pleasure you too much to listen to yourself sound like an uninformed elitest blowhard?

Tyler_Durden

Wow... I was going to respond to some of those statements, especially that third-grade logic about "better casting", but it's just not worth it. It truly amazes me how shallow, petty, self-centered and mean-spirited some people are. Let us know when you've grown up. In the meantime, I'll be following the development of Sofia Coppola's latest with interest - it sounds just right for her sensibilities and talents.

baracine

Especially now that Mick Jagger is practically a shoe-in to land the part of Louis XV!
(They're still working on fifty cent as Robespierre...)

Randy Miller III

Thanks for the objective news report, baracine.

The Ferret

Cool. I hope she can pull of what sounds like a movie with more scope. Maybe her dad can teach her a thing or two.

NatrlBornThrllr

Hey, guy, welcome to at least a month ago. Marie Antoinette has been on Sofia's filmography for ages. Also, nice job criticizing a director when you admittedly haven't seen 50% of her directorial body of work. Either my credibility-meter is broken, or you've just made a complete jackass out of yourself.

-JP

chente

Keep posting, Baracine! You are a great read.

mookyman

When I read your posts, in my mind you sound like Sideshow Bob. I'm not exactly sure why, but I thought I'd share.

HistoryProf

wow...i thought baracine was banned ages ago.....can anyone guess why?