Marie-Antoinette (1938)
Marie-Antoinette (OT: Marie Antoinette ) is an American biopic about the French Queen Marie Antoinette with emphasis on her relationship with Hans Axel von Fersen . The film is based on Stefan Zweig's biography, published in English in 1933 . The main roles are played by Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power . Directed by WS Van Dyke . In Germany, the film was shown in cinemas for the first time on January 21, 1951.
action
The Austrian Empress Maria Theresa explains to her daughter Marie Antoinette that a wedding with her and the Dauphin of France has been arranged. Marie expects a life of pomp and luxury and a fulfilling marriage. She is therefore all the more surprised that her husband turns out to be shy and introverted. Ludwig's only joy is working as a locksmith. He also leaves his wife alone on their wedding night. The Dauphine quickly gained the trust of Louis XV. , her husband's grandfather. Marie Antoinette tries to compensate for the inner emptiness by participating in the frivolous debauchery of the scheming Duke of Orléans . At a masked ball, she meets the Swedish diplomat Hans Axel von Fersen , who, however, is not impressed by her commanding manner. Despite mutual affection, Marie Antoinette remains loyal to her husband.
After two years of marriage, she receives a present from Madame Dubarry . The gift is an empty cradle, an allusion to the fact that she has not yet given life to a successor. After an argument at a ball between Marie Antoinette and Madame Dubarry, the king thinks that his grandson's marriage should be annulled. However, the dauphin refuses to give in to the king's wish. At the same time, the Duke of Orléans turned away from Marie Antoinette. She finds consolation when she meets von Fersen again, who confesses his love for her. When Louis XV. dies, the cancellation plans are off the table. Marie hopes that Axel will understand that he cannot have an affair with a queen. After declaring his love for her again, Axel leaves Paris. The new king turns out to be a loving husband. The hoped-for offspring will soon appear. Marie gives birth to a daughter, Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte , and a son, Prince Louis Joseph . Ludwig wants to be a just ruler, but he cannot eliminate the social injustice in these times. The citizens show their disgust for the foreign queen when she becomes involved in the collar affair. This happens at a time when the population is incited by many agitators, in particular by the Duke of Orléans. The French Revolution breaks out. The king has lost power over the military and the royal family is arrested. The family friend, Princess de Lamballe , is executed. Axel returns to Paris and bribes a guard. The escape succeeds, but the fugitives are soon caught again. A court, to which the duke also belongs, condemns the king and his family. The king will be executed the very next day. Marie and her son were previously separated from the rest of the family. The son is forced to testify against his mother in court. Both are sentenced to death. Axel seeks out the exhausted and visibly aged queen and stands by her in the last hours of her life.
background
The film had been in planning since mid-1933. The casting of the female lead with Norma Shearer , wife of MGM production director Irving Thalberg , ultimately led to a falling out with William Randolph Hearst , who saw Marion Davies as Marie Antoinette. After Thalberg's death in 1936, his best friend Sidney Franklin took over the production and initially also the direction. Cost reasons eventually led to the engagement of WS van Dyke , whose nickname One-Take Woody came from his ability to shoot almost every scene in a film from the very first shot. Franklin received an Honorable Mention in the film's credits for his dedication.
Charles Laughton , Peter Lorre , Oskar Homolka and John Gielgud were in discussion for the role of heir to the throne before the role went to Robert Morley. Anita Louise appeared in Madame du Barry as Marie Antoinette in 1934 . For the production, photographs of the palace in Versailles were used as a background montage. For the sets, all rooms of the palace were faithfully reproduced, such as the ballroom and the grand staircase. The studio planned to shoot the film in Technicolor initially, but escalating costs led to it being shot in black and white. Edwin B. Willis , who later also won an Oscar, was assistant to the decorator Cedric Gibbons . Douglas Shearer provided the sound . Jacques Tourneur worked as an assistant director .
Theatrical release
With a production cost of $ 2,926,000, Marie Antoinette was one of the most expensive MGM productions since the company was founded in 1924. The budget was even higher than the costs of Maria Walewska with Greta Garbo from the previous year. In the US, the film grossed a comparatively high amount of US $ 1,633,000, which was supplemented by foreign revenues of US $ 1,323,000. A cumulative total of $ 2,956,000 couldn't prevent the studio from ending up with a horrific loss of $ 767,000. However, this was still well below the losses of Maria Walewska .
Reviews
The lexicon of international film describes the film as "an overly long, bombastic historical painting, without claim to historical coherence, but entertaining". Cinema found the film to be a "pompous, Oscar-nominated production." Variety considered the film a "brilliant, historical tragedy".
Awards
The film went to the 1939 Academy Awards with four nominations , but won none of the trophies:
- Best Actress - Norma Shearer
- Best Supporting Actor - Robert Morley
- Best equipment - Cedric Gibbons
- Best film music - Herbert Stothart
At the Venice International Film Festival in 1938 , Norma Shearer won the Coppa Volpi as best actress in 1938 . In addition, the film was nominated for the Coppa Mussolini as best film.
Web links
- Marie-Antoinette in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Marie-Antoinette at Turner Classic Movies (English)
- Criticism of the Classic Film Guide (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ cf. Notes on tcm.com
- ↑ cf. normashearerfilms.blogspot.de ( Memento from April 29, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- ^ Marie-Antoinette. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 11, 2019 .
- ↑ cf. cinema.de
- ↑ See review: 'Marie Antoinette' ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Variety . 1938.
