The Marie Antoinette Colour Palette

As I type this I'm watching the Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette. I've fallen in love with the colours! The fashion and the decadance is soaked in these vibrant pastel colours, like an exploded candy store. Everthing in the film is intensly decorated and over the top. It is not a serious historical study, but it is still a very interesting portrait of a young woman thrown way out of her depth.

I've heard people criticise this film for its lack of historical accuracy. People cringe that these american actors don't even put on a french acccent as they frolic around 18th century France. These people need to lighten up a bit. The film is Copolla's personal vision of Marie Antoinette. Yes, it is girly and lavish and over the top, but isn't that fitting for a film that describes a royal shopaholic? It's a romp and it's fun. It's not realism, it's a romantic impression - like an Adam Ant film clip.

By ignoring the usual constraints of period drama, Copolla has brought the 18th century to life. She knows that her audience is modern and sees with a modern eye, therefore she has adjusted various elements to suit. The colours are exciting, the lighting pops, the music is an ecletic combination of pop, punk and alternative rock. At the same time she has paid real attention to other historical details, such as the food and the locations. The resulting film is a beautiful desert and I cannot help but be drawn to it.

For a more indepth and richly written look at the fashion in this film head to: http://www.bandelle.com/blog/page/2/
I poached the image from her blog as well.

In other Copolla news...
Leigh and I watched the new Francis Copolla film, Youth without Youth, the other night. It's brilliant and gorgeous. Tim Roth is fantasic in it and the cinematography is spot on. Worth a watch for sure!