It’s hard to believe, but Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” was booed at its Cannes premiere in May of 2006. The film also received mixed reviews from critics and is still “rotten” on RT.
Critics were annoyed with the loose portrayal of real historical events and figures in the film. Not to mention Coppola’s artistic decision to include indie rock songs within the film’s period setting. A creative decision which I found inspiring.
The film has somewhat been reappraised by a few critics in the years since, and, in some circles, developed a cultish following. Coppola is now reflecting on the legacy of the film. starring Kirsten Dunst as the French queen (via Vanity Fair).
“I’m always happy that I get to make what I want to make. I was happy we got to make that movie, but nobody saw it […] It was a flop. So the fact that it’s lived on and people talk about it has been really satisfying because so much work went into it. It makes me happy that now it’s kind of found its way and people enjoy it.”
“Marie Antoinette” was Coppola’s follow-up to her 2003 critical smash “Lost in Translation,” so expectations were sky high for it. It turns out that now, 17 years later, both of those films, along with “The Virgin Suicides,” are the consensus three best one’s that Coppola has directed.
There’s something to like in every one of the seven films Coppola has directed, but I don’t believe she’s hit any kind of greatness since “Lost in Translation,” more than 20 years ago. Will her upcoming “Priscilla” break that streak for me? Maybe. It’s been selected as the Centerpiece film of the upcoming New York Film Festival.
Coppola’s other films include “Somewhere,” “The Bling Ring,” “The Beguiled” and “On the Rocks.”