The trailer for Canal+’s upcoming TV series, Marie Antoinette (2022), just dropped, and it’s not as bad as I feared! The series stars German actress Emilia Schüle as the legendary French queen, while the creator and writer is Deborah Davis, who wrote The Favourite (2018). It’s being billed as a feminist take on Marie-Antoinette, according to Vogue.
I totally stand by my rant about the first real still from the film, but luckily it doesn’t look like the whole thing will be a Disneyfied sparkle-motion princess disaster like that first ensemble implied.
Let’s take a look at some of the trailer’s highlights:
Yep, I was right that that blue crystal fantasy is her arriving-at-Versailles outfit. Oh goody, skirt-hiking in the first three seconds of the trailer!
James Purefoy as Louis XV. You know I like this, because I have a thing for Louis. I’m not too sure about the puffy hair on top.
Obviously the wedding night; obviously yes, we are contrasting naturalistic makeup/hair color during arrival with lots of makeup/powder once we arrive in Versailles. I quite like this look — the shape of the hair is great, as is the powder, and I love the paled-out face with strong cheeks and lips. They just need to ditch all the eye makeup!
This wasn’t an eye-makeup era. Portrait of Marie-Antoinette by Jean-Baptiste Charpentier the Elder after Joseph Ducreux, 1770, Palace of Versailles.
Of COURSE we’ve gotta have lesbian interest! I like how Marie-Antoinette’s (left) dress fabric looks like a chiné silk. Not a big fan of the 1980s Gibson Girl revival hair on the right.
Here’s an example of “chiné” silk. Robe à la française (closeup), 1760-70, Metropolitan Museum of Art
The wedding, I presume? Apparently we’re not shelling out for actual court gowns.
There’s Marie-Antoinette in the background-right at her wedding, wearing real court dress, as are all her ladies to the left. Cérémonie du Mariage de Louis-Auguste, Dauphin de France, avec l’archiduchesse Marie-Antoinette d’Autriche, soeur de Lempereur ; Célébré dans la Chapelle de Versailles, le 16 may 1770, par M.r de la Roche Aymon, Archevêque de Rheims, 1770, Bibliothèque nationale de France
And from the front. Le Dauphin et la Dauphine en habits de noces via louis-xvi.over-blog.net
Some Bitch has naturally occurring beachy waves? Or did she spend 3 hours with a curling iron?
The sheer white fabric is nice, the exposed boning is more Vivienne Westwood. Is that the Chevalier de Saint-Georges on the left?
I’m guessing these are the bitchy aunts, who according to this take have hairstyles that are stuck in the 1750s.
One of the aunts with 1750s hair in … the 1750s. Portrait of Madame Henriette de France by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1754.
Nobody freak out, but here’s another aunt with 1770s hair… in the 1770s. Portrait of Louise-Marie-Therese de France, called Madame Victoire by Joseph Ducreux, c. 1770s, via artnet.com
Marie-Antoinette sticking it to The Man, man!
Not sure who these two are, but the left-hand wig has a great texture and looks stolen from the Sophia Coppola movie; both ladies need the backs of their wigs restyled to create the looped-up “chignon.”
You know, this one on Mary Nighy as the Princesse de Lamballe.
The kind of looped-up back I’m talking about. Lauenbergers Genealogischen Kalendar für 1780: Coëffures Berlinoises, Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki, 1779, Rijksmuseum
You know I’ll be watching and reviewing the shit out of this as soon as it drops! So, stay tuned, and share your thoughts in the comments.
Love your source illustrations (and citations!)
Any idea if this will air in the States???
The BBC has picked it up, so I’m sure it will eventually.
I understand why they’re sticking to one, obviously adult actress. It would still be nice if they hired someone baby-faced to play Marie Antoinette in her earliest days at Versailles, underscore SHE WAS 14 when she first had to navigate this world.
Is Mary any relation to the fab British actor Bill? We need a Man Candy on him. Not sure on this Marie Antoinette bc no daughter of Maria Theresa would be caught dead with skirt hiking (er maybe with getting on a horse) or beachy waves. Looks very Woke. Yeck
She’s his daughter.
Thanks
Ask and ye shall receive! https://www.frockflicks.com/mcm-bill-nighy/
Thanks
The pic with the (possible) Chevalier de Saint-Georges reminds me there was a movie about him in the making, but I haven’t read anything about it in ages. Does anyone know about this?
It actually just showed at the Toronto Film Festival! There are reviews on Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chevalier_2022
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better casting choice for the future Louis XVI. Nice that they seem to be giving him some depth
The pic of her in the sheer white, the stars in her hair remind me of the same do for the silver ‘Rocket Gown’ from the 1938 Norma Shearer movie!
So this looks like it’s one of these strange multi-national productions, like ‘Borgia’ and ‘Versailles,’ where it’s filmed in English despite the actors countries of origin and then dubbed for various markets. According to IMDb, an executive producer on this was also one on ‘Versailles,’ therefore, considering the highest quality part of that show was its opening title sequence, I’m not holding my breath for a masterpiece.
I’m not kidding myself either – I will probably watch this to the bitter end.
The costumes do not look bad but I’m tired of the poor teenagy take on her, just to make a « cool » show… that was original in 2006 with Coppola, now it just feels so cliché.
The thing that has me the most worked up/worried is James Purefoy as Louis XV. Why? I mean, I love him, but who is his agent?
The young Louis XVI looks scary good! I cannot wait to see him