Customer Reviews

Marie Antoinette: Scapegoat Queen

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I'm African-American and a militant, so let me mention something first: there was a biracial man named Saint Georges Something and he was dubbed "the Black Mozart." Whereas many aristocratic French were prejudiced against him, Marie A. supported him and tried to find prestigious positions for him. Now say what you want about Marie A. being lavish and naive and spoiled, she could be seen as anti-racist. She fought for a Black person in the same way that the honored Eleanor Roosevelt would do centuries later. Go, French Girl! (There's a good children's book on the Black Mozart out there if you want to learn more.)
Some may think this is slow and the narrator is disinterested about the subject. I would say please remember that she's speaking English as a second language. I am still surprised that she pronounces Robespierre as if it had four syllables.
The documentary does do cheesy things like having a cut-out carriage move on a map from Austria to France. It also uses some silent era film whenever it wants to show moving images. Still, if you can't get enough of Marie A., then you'll love the info that this provides.
Unlike S. Coppola's film and another Marie A. documentary, this gave details about her childhood and her final days. In other works, Marie is seen spending extravagantly because she just feels like it. This work, on the other hand, said it was expected of French royalty to act in that way. This work says much about the rumors of her bisexuality. The work said she probably spoke French in Vienna before being married. Some say the contemporary French thought she meddled in politics and this reminds me of how Hillary was lambasted at the start of her husband's presidency.
I don't think this documentary had a huge budget, but it's still quite worthwhile and informative.

The narration on this DVD along with the graphics are excellent as an introductory to the French Monarchy, Austrian Monarchy, Marie Antoinette, and the French Revolution. The telling is tight and the pronounciation is French. I am very pleased to keep this DVD in my collection and believe anyone else will find it a great starting point if they desire more detailed information or a great overview if they are just interested in gaining snapshot of this part of French history.