Product Description Marie Antoinette, the young and beautiful Austrian princess who was strategically married into the French monarchy, the most prestigious crown in Europe, was to become the symbol of the wanton extravagance of the eighteenth century French aristocracy and was to be France's last queen. This is the story of the woman who became one of the most romanticized and tragic figures of history. .com The contrast between the elegance of the French royal court and the barbarity of the French Revolution makes the story of Marie Antoinette, France's last queen, a vivid and hypnotic narrative. Marie Antoinette - The Scapegoat Queen follows the Austrian-born princess through the complex politics of her arranged marriage to her sometimes scandalous behavior as Queen of France to her harsh end on the guillotine, arguing that though often foolish, Antoinette deserved neither her savage fate nor her reputation as a callous tyrant. The documentary uses an impressive wealth of paintings, sculptures, and architecture to capture the flamboyance and playful flavor of the French aristocracy, and also uses occasional snippets of movies about the period to provide a little more visual activity. All in all, a thorough depiction of an incredible historical period...though whether Antoinette comes across as anything but a self-serving pawn of history is debatable, despite the documentary's emphasis on her few moments of dignity. --Bret Fetzer
J**O
She helped out the Bruthaman!
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.
A**E
great study on one of my most favorite subjects
i truly enjoyed this video. i know alot about this subject and this video was very very acurate and enjoyable.
L**C
Incredibly Dull
This documentary about Marie-Antoinette could have been great, given the title. I was interested to view this film to hear how the last Queen of France became a scapegoat. Instead, a dull and monotone narrator sounds as if she is reading off a Wikipedia article while film footage--that has nothing to do with Marie-Antoinette--plays in the background. Don't waste your time!
C**R
Boring!!!
The DVD arrived early especially considering it was Christmas and I expected a delay. That's the best part of this order. The DVD was extremely boring and the voice of the narrator kept going in and out. I recommend it to anyone with insomnia. I've started watching it when I want to take a nap.
S**N
marie antoinette
Very informative but the voice over is very boring - for what is a very exciting period of history there was no ooomph from the reporter.
S**N
Five Stars
Great documentary
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