Ludzie pragną czasami się rozstawać, żeby móc tęsknić, czekać i cieszyć się z powrotem.
Marie Antoinette departs in French couture, tightly laced up in a corset and wide
pannier, and with a new identity as the Dauphine of France. The light fichu is ex-
Culture Unbound, Volume 3, 2011
105
changed for a taut necklace. The childish hair ribbon is gone, and instead her hair
is decorated with a neat tricorne, of which symmetry and regulated shape indicate
her new role. Dressed in icy light blue she finally meets Louis (Jason Schwartz-
man) with his entourage, and they depart for Versailles.
The cinematographic qualities of the shot and its editing also promote and rein-
force how the characters are perceived. For Marie Antoinette the static camera
aesthetics, which fill every frame with both space and detail, contribute to theatri-
cality encouraging contemplation and the absorption of the film image on the part
of the viewer. The static images create a somewhat agoraphobic atmosphere,
where the characters look small and lost. A case in point is the wedding scene. Set
in Versailles, the hall has a wide expanse and, despite of the gilded and floral dec-
orations, looks harsh and cold. Dressed in white, crème and gold, Marie Antoi-
nette and Louis both appear chilled, uneasy and confused. The subsequent close-
ups reinforce the feeling of unease, focusing as they do on eyes and empty glanc-
es. Onlookers surround the couple, making them seem even more uncomfortable.
These static sequences, composing a large part of the movie, are at times inter-
vened with fast montage sequences like the one accompanied by Bow Wow
Wow’s ‘I Want Candy’, which resembles the aesthetics familiar of a music video.
Close-ups of shoes, fans, textiles, ribbons, gowns, jewellery, champagne, pastries,
playing cards and counters, are edited with a fast flow in a graphic style, the sepa-
rate objects are thus linked together by the colours. The sequence is immediate,
depicting the experience of hedonistic fun as Marie Antoinette and her friends are
partying and trying out new outfits. Hence, the long shots as well as the long takes
are more fluent and allusive; the close-ups are instantaneous. The cinematography
thus contributes to the constitution of an emotional unity, a cohesive fictional
space of fluent pastels.
Boudoir
The emphasis on the non-verbal, on interior life and affect, is further unfolded in
the intimate space of the boudoir. Marie Antoinette’s private apartment might
translate as the boudoir, and it is the site for unembellished and undisguised depic-
tions of anxiety and anguish. Stressing the costume drama as a tale of personal
conflict, these emotions are visualised through clothing. An example of this is the
scene that takes place at dawn, after one of many parties, in which Marie Antoi-
nette wakes up amidst the detritus of the festivities. The innocent look from before
is gone; instead a decadent look is reinforced by the fact that she has been sleep-
ing in her gown and make-up from the night before. The sequence is quiet, with-
out dialogue, and accompanied only by the instrumental ‘Tommib Help Buss’
performed by Squarepusher. The static images showing the park in front of the
castle, which opens the sequence, are lit simply by the soft light of daybreak, in-
tercut with images of plates and trays with leftovers, champagne glasses, both
106
Culture Unbound, Volume 3, 2011
empty and half-filled, and expired candles. Movement breaks the stillness as serv-
ants carefully start to clean up the mess. As the camera pans the remainders of the
party are exposed: shoes and empty champagne bottles on the floor, shawls tossed
over chairs, and flower arrangements all broken up. Finally the panning reaches
Marie Antoinette sleeping in her party gown. She is awakening by the sunlight
shining through the window; with dishevelled hair and smudged make-up, she sits
down and stares at the surrounding mess. She has lost an earring, the turquoise
dress is creased and a piece of the garnished bodice is loose exposing the corset.
She pulls herself together, walks out of the room, struggling to keep her hair in
place with both hands. The cautious composition of these material details, the
stillness and lack of dialogue, taken as a whole, combine to convey an expression
of complete emptiness. The next sequence continues and reinforces the feeling of
void as it shows Marie Antoinette huddled up in a bathtub wracked with a hango-
ver. The dark circles under her eyes denote vulnerability and cracks in the façade.