Marie Antoinette (1938)
My multiple attempts to watch Marie Antoinette have been documented. I almost had another "Oh fuck me!" story when the disk from Netflix froze about 45 minutes in. Luckily, I had my absolutely terrible commerical disk cleaning/repairing device and the day was saved.
Quick Impressions? 1) The first half of the movie felt a lot slower than the second. That's not to say that the first half dragged. It's just that the film doesn't let up once it hits the Revolution era.
2) Performance-wise, it's almost easier to talk about who really didn't work: Tyrone Power and the kids. Power is pretty boy lost and the kids just couldn't match the tone of the adults. Almost everyone else is great. Shearer doesn't hold back and gives the performance of her career. Robert Morley brings a great amount of pathos to the King and the shifts in his relationship with Shearer are quite rewarding. Schildkraut is a wonderful chameleon - he's just at home at a ball in full frippery as he with the National Convention (this time with a different kind of frippery).
3) So, so pretty...this was an expensive production and it shows.
More thoughts later...but no promises.
Quick Impressions? 1) The first half of the movie felt a lot slower than the second. That's not to say that the first half dragged. It's just that the film doesn't let up once it hits the Revolution era.
2) Performance-wise, it's almost easier to talk about who really didn't work: Tyrone Power and the kids. Power is pretty boy lost and the kids just couldn't match the tone of the adults. Almost everyone else is great. Shearer doesn't hold back and gives the performance of her career. Robert Morley brings a great amount of pathos to the King and the shifts in his relationship with Shearer are quite rewarding. Schildkraut is a wonderful chameleon - he's just at home at a ball in full frippery as he with the National Convention (this time with a different kind of frippery).
3) So, so pretty...this was an expensive production and it shows.
More thoughts later...but no promises.