History Buffs: Marie Antoinette

[@HistoryBuffs]

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code historybuffs at checkout. Download Saily app or go to saily.com/historybuffs ⛵

[@jamestyler3606]

Nicky Poo!!!

[@TMX1138]

Can you also do Black Hawk Down?

[@ArtingFromScratch]

Please do SHOGUN

[@mattdemirhan6382]

Please do Chernobyl.

[@bonefetcherbrimley7740]

Another history buffs video? Hell yeah,I love these things! Thank you.

[@beneckendorff9256]

It's worth noting that Marie Antionette's children, after they were put in captivity in Paris, were subjected to brutal assaults and fed meager rations within dark cells. Louis-Charles in particular began to exhibit extreme symptoms of unstable emotions that were exacerbated by him being forced to give false confessions to his jailers that his mother had sexually molested him. This false claim was later used in her mock-trial, and was profusely denied by Marie who was frankly horrified and heartbroken that her son was forced to say such things.

[@dvdivine1962]

Damn that's sad.

[@bythebleezy2537]

Humanity never ceases do disappoint

[@WhenAllTheWarmthLeavesUs]

And some say the french revolution was good... Americans in particular...

[@matthewcarroll2533]

@@WhenAllTheWarmthLeavesUs Revolution can be good, but anyone who says the needless loss of life is good is a fool - american or not. And I've never once heard an American saying the revolutions in France during that period was "good". Not once have I heard that sentiment but I admit I'm not everywhere. Still though, what an incredibly insipid and callous thing to say if true. (Yes I am american, TX)

[@letsnotgetstressed8552]

Of she didn't want that to happen to her children, she shouldn’t have supporter the “divine right of kings” against even the teachings of the church. When you teach people that your family’s right to rule comes from god, the only way to stop civil war is to get rid of the whole family or make everyone disgusted and horrified. The only people responsible for the fate of the Capetian children were their parents.

[@killerofgems5923]

"Where did she come from?" "From every bed in Paris." Holy shit that's a fucking roast lmfao

[@marykateandnoashley]

misogyny is soooo funny haha

[@marykateandnoashley]

typical male “humor”

[@killerofgems5923]

I mean it's a movie set in a specific time period and used a good buildup for the punchline which was unexpected. While I understand that some jokes do go too far in some media with misogyny, that doesn't mean that with proper execution, bad and uncomfortable topics can't have good jokes made that utilize it as a tool. This joke isn't made by some conservative whose only goal is to make jokes about hating women, it's instead used as a way to show Marie Antoinette trying to fit in within an unfamiliar place with women who aren't good people. It isn't glorifying misogyny here, which might be what you think given your comment.

[@thatonehumanoid7756]

@@marykateandnoashleyhow is it misogyny to say a woman sleeps around? Thats not something only women can do? Insulting a woman isnt inherently misogyny.

[@mortache]

@@marykateandnoashley yes women should be held accountable for their misogyny

[@zacharylewis2802]

Ridley Scott’s Napoleon is looming, Nick.

[@madkoala2130]

Maybe just skip it just like Pearl Harbor and review actual Napoleon movies. Not that abomination of the cinema.

[@gandraburbogdan3031]

@@madkoala2130 He already did Waterloo, so I don't think he will do another movie about Napoleon other than Ridley Scott's Napoleon

[@Story2ScreenMovieReviewPodcast]

No, I want Nick to do The Last Duel.

[@jamesmeow3039]

Ohhhhhhh

[@liamcdm3689]

​@madkoala2130 He's done some terrible films like Braveheart, Timeline, 1492 Conquest of Paradise and Elizabeth. I would love to see nick utterly destroy that pathetic excuse of a Napoleon film.

[@monmothma3358]

I always saw it as Sofia trying to portray that feeling of living in a bubble, the way Marie and her friends possibly did, not venturing far from Versailles. A luxurious bubble, isolated from real life for the majority, of which they knew little. Of course, she might have then used the opportunity to show the contrast once Marie was ripped from that fantasy into a total nightmare. As it is, the viewers are isolated too, into what almost amounts to a feel-good movie.

[@mads597]

Your insight just gave me a lightbulb moment! There are so many direct parallels between this film and the other Coppola/Dunst collab, the virgin suicides. Fascinating!

[@oneinfinity]

I mean that might be true, but by pretty much omitting the entirety of the French Revolution she not only cuts out the most interesting part of her life, but also inadvertendly ends up whitewashing the opressive absolute French monarchy.

[@monmothma3358]

@@oneinfinity I don't disagree with that. I definitely think it would have been a better movie if she had included these things. My post was more of an attempt to understand why she didn't.

[@91chrisperez]

Excellent! I referenced the common Sofia Coppola tropes to my girlfriend and how it fit this film so well, especially after watching the Virgin Suicides. Though I’m sure she knew of that well before and wanted to just hear me talk about one of her favorite film and director.

[@lucinae8512]

She used the same direction in Priscilla. It almost felt like a companion piece to Elvis, which showed how fast, colourful and trippy Elvis lived his life performing at his peak or forced to by Colonel Parker all over the country. Priscilla on the other hand, had an uneventful and sterile life in a closed off mansion: a beautiful flower waiting in still calmness for her owner to come back and admire her, only for that owner to decay faster than her and choosing to leave him.

[@IowanMatthew683]

Critical reception and historical accuracy aside, I think it's fair to say that choosing Kirsten Dunst in her prime in the mid-aughts was single-handedly the best decision of this film. She was 24 at the time (a good age considering Marie Antoinette was married at 14 and was executed at 37) and literally looked like 18th century royalty in this film.

[@markgarrett3647]

She's a Marie Jeanne Antoinette.

[@hermanoguimaraes6343]

14 years old. It is almost unbelievable that really happened.

[@daniellebrown9381]

It's one of my favorite movies I love Kirsten Dunst so much

[@paulsoldner9500]

No, no it wasn't.

[@mwv1217]

It very much mirrors the 1938 version as well

[@tomemeornottomeme1864]

On the point of 'it's hard to tell how time passes', the movie DOES subtly let you know via fashion. The 1770s were the last decade of the super wide panniers (the dress going straight out at the sides), but transitioned into more relaxed styles throughout the 1780s, which the movie does show. Her hair begins to get wider instead of taller, the dresses change shape, etc. It's subtle but if you know fashion history, it does actually show it fairly well.

[@keetard]

This, the costumes tell the passage of time already through both the historical silhouette and how the colors reflect the environment and ongoing turmoils.

[@Alpha-Andromeda]

How else did the channel want the passage of time to be marked? With a calendar ? … perhaps someone failed to understand the nuances of hairdress and fashion as a timeline ? 😉

[@leecalmdown]

1000% this. It’s seamlessly integrated into the storytelling, and even without an extensive knowledge of dress history, you do get a sense that time has passed.

[@Mildredpotka]

Fairly? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Ron-d2s]

@@Alpha-Andromeda Cheech and Chong's The Corsican Brothers....... the year is 1789 Again 1789... It's still 1789... In Star Trek TNG you can tell what season it is by Picard's collar Worf's hair-do and Riker's beard. In Star Wars you can tell if it's BBY or ABY by the size of the Blah Blahs on the do-hicky.......... it would be nice to have a less esoteric and more obvious indicator is all's I'm saying.

[@mnels5214]

One of my favorite little details in this movie are the servants at the Petit Trianon cleaning the chicken eggs and putting them back so they won't be gross when the little dauphine pulls them out of the nest. A nice touch.

[@gabrielalvarado7849]

1. This never actually happened. 2. Marie-Thérèse wasn't the Dauphine back then. Not trying to sound rude, just correcting!

[@melowlw8638]

@@gabrielalvarado7849 when u say 'this never happened" do u mean the egg thing??

[@sarahmillard6401]

These scenes are filmed at the Hameau de la Reine, rather than the Petit Trianon per se. Despite its fantasy appearance, it was a real working farm, but where the Queen could be very private.

[@Ocyla]

This movie was just sooooo gorgeous in every way. The food, the desserts, the jewelry, the clothing!

[@nicbahtin4774]

Yea no way it is made today

[@scotbotvideos]

Not forgetting Kirsten Dunst herself.

[@iateyursandwiches]

​@nicbahtin4774 why do you say that?

[@nicbahtin4774]

@@iateyursandwiches cause most films are made to serve the woke message. or just made by incompetent people

[@chinab1524]

@@nicbahtin4774oh good lord go touch grass

[@nm7358]

Louis XVI was such a history buff and a science nerd that on his way to the scaffold where he was about to be guillotined in 1793, he still inquired if any update was received about the La Pérouse Expedition.

[@fuzzyhair321]

well, he did smash into the nsw coast line. funny how that went after the king lost his head

[@Squato]

@@fuzzyhair321 That was five years before that. At this point, they had been trying to work out why no one had heard anything since that meeting in with the First Fleet. Hence the French Navy had been sent out to try and discover an answer for this issue, and would play other bits of things in future.

[@donrubix7423]

7:08 and he wore high heels so he was 6,6 feet or 2m tall

[@MirandaDaugherty-j2u]

Well yeah he payed for it😂

[@francescaderimini2931]

He may have been Autistic or suffered from OCD.

[@tereziamarkova2822]

I actually like that Coppola focused solely on Marie Antoinette's personal life, even if she had to sacrifice some historical context surrounding her. A lot of biopics just cram in as much of their subject's life as possible without really telling a coherent story, and even this one is guilty of that to some extent, but at least it knows what it is about and sticks to it. Plus, some inaccuracies aside, it is among the more faithful period dramas out there. Like compare this to, say, the Elizabeth movies Nick has reviewed and you'll see the difference.

[@cathywaters6233]

Agreed. I enjoy this movie, and I find myself watching it once a year.

[@sakurapablo671]

Don’t forget, there’s a lot of movies that is base on certain royal families or rulers within the last 110 years, which is hard to find on streaming or digital.

[@calebleland8390]

Honestly, the only way you could do the entire story justice is with a miniseries. But this isn't a sweeping epic about the entirety of her life at Versailles and the MANY contributing factors leading up to the revolution. As you said, this is simply a look at Marie, and it works for that.

[@antoniacowan1216]

Same, I enjoy that it's just her, it kind of shows her lack of awareness as well.

[@jonahfalcon1970]

@@calebleland8390 No. You can't separate that. At all. Question: if you take the politics out of it, why was she beheaded? What Sophia Coppola wanted was a princess. Marie was a fucking QUEEN. You CAN'T take it out of the story, or all you get is some mean poor people were just jealous.

[@nickchapsas]

I'm so early Marie Antoinette still has a head

[@jonathancarlson6127]

I’m so early Emperor Joseph was played by Jeffrey Jones, not Danny Huston

[@herrquh]

History Buffs: .NET Framework 1.1

[@KissSlowlyLoveDeeply-pm2je]

yeah so funny. what about her 10 year old son? do you laugh about that too?

[@jbatts834]

@@KissSlowlyLoveDeeply-pm2jeLet me guess, your a woman?

[@wendyHew]

@@KissSlowlyLoveDeeply-pm2je Steve Coogan should have played her son imstead. bet you would be really into that.

[@Galistarwater]

Fun fact: Originally, one of Marie Antoinette's sisters, the beautiful Maria Elisabeth, was supposed to go the France with her and marry the widowed King Louis XV, making it a double wedding. But Elisabeth got smallpox and it marred her beauty, so it was just Marie Antoinette who went ahead to France, while Elisabeth later became an abbess. You could consider this a blessing in disguise because although Elisabeth didn't get to marry the French King, she kept her head

[@williamfrank962]

While this movie may have historical inaccuracies, I really feels it drives home the fact how young mentally Marie Antoinette was. It also focuses on the grandiose lifestyle of the higher classes of France and how to them this was just every day life and how detach they were from the 3rd estate. Also the dresses and clothes in this are fantastic and I’m not even into fashion but I’ll watch this movie just for that fact alone.

[@anne-louiseluccarini4530]

Marie Antoinette was the youngest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Hardly of inferior class. It was a political alliance, like all of the Habsburg marriages. She was terribly unlucky - he wasn't even the heir to the throne - the heir, and his heir, died one after the other. It's a bit like what could happen with Prince Harry, if the worst happened.

[@PollyW326]

I've read so much and am so into Marie Antoinette and her story. This film I don't watch for historical accuracy as much as I do how gorgeous it is to look at. Thank you for your fantastic videos, History Buffs!

[@biffbobfred]

You mean Bow Wow Wow wasn’t at the court of Versailles!? I get what you mean. Some movies are about feeling not accuracy. The soundtrack spoke that loudly “I’ll take modern music if that’s the feeling I want”

[@bardocomunista]

The movie was thought to be a representation of what a teenager feels but Sofia coppola used the setting of marie antoniette , thats why there is sometimes things from the modern era

[@Cancoillotteman]

To be fair I didn't mind the soundtrack and timeline inaccuracies as much as the lacking of perspective on her spending sprees. Litteral hundreds or even thousands of French people died of starvation from many causes includes her spending. Showing the revolutionaries as simply an angry bloodthirsty mob is kind of a disservice to history.

[@annagibson6466]

@@Cancoillotteman Marie Antoinette's spending was a drop in the bucket of royal spending, which itself was a small fraction of court spending. Nobody died because of Marie Antoinette's spending. People died from starvation because there was no nationwide infrastructure to prevent it--there still isn't, today. The film hints at the events outside of Versailles in a way indicative of the type of protective bubble people at Versailles were in (although the film ignores that Marie Antoinette was aware of bread shortages and hardships, and repeatedly donated food, money, and expressed empathy for suffering--she even wrote after the October 5/6 march depicted in the film, 'I hope if there is bread, many things will be righted.') as it's intended to emphasize the isolation of the French royalty to reality outside the palace.

[@Cancoillotteman]

@@annagibson6466 A couple of things here : - First off what do you mean there still isn't infrastructure to prevent famine ? France is a developed country and hasn't faced wide-spread hunger since 1946-47 (not that I mean wide spread, inequalities still make some go hungry). - Second the Royal couple was in a duty to show the example for its people, and in times of hardship showing off luxury was and still is of very poor taste. - The amount of livres her lifestyle costed was far from "a drop in in the bucket". Of course it was a very small percentage of the state budget but that does not change the fact it was a huge amount of wasted money from an indebted state. How do you pay for infrastructure if all your budget goes in wigs and luxury ? I don't know for a precise number, maybe it could be estimated, but it is certain that people did not survive from lacking some budget because of her lifestyle. I understand the goal of the movie and it is precisely my point that it aims at ignoring the true reasons of the people's anger.

[@thelordyourgod]

This is actually my favorite movie of all time just for aesthetics. Every Easter urn off the sound and watch the movie with the music in the background. Sofia Coppola is a genius.

[@eleonorepb4565]

@@thelordyourgod Her main talent is to have the money to hire truly talented people. I hope that reincarnation exist so she could try the life without cheating and got what she derserves.

[@MR.Brownell2001]

2 videos in 1 month, feeling very blessed.Keep up the good work man your videos are awesome

[@dreamcourier]

This is the movie that made me a history buff. It made me look up why she was executed and what this movie got right and wrong. I still watch it almost twice a year cause I love everything about it lol. I know it's a weird domino effect from Marie Antoinette to loving Nick's videos about the history of world wars, drug cartels and everything in-between. This movie made me (as a highschool girl) feel immersed in her world. From all the 🎀Girly pop history buffs🎀, Thank You for covering this movie, Nick! 🎉 I was in a happy disbelief when I saw this thumbnail 😄

[@thenoblepoptart]

Such a classic film

[@cz-hc7bu]

The female portraitist depicted in the film was Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, who painted several portraits of Marie Antoinette and her children. In 1785 Wertmüller was commissioned by the Swedish king Gustav III for the portrait you referenced, but most of the other well known portraits of her were done by Le Brun.

[@pucklimburg1429]

And Marie-Antoinette actually didn't like the portrait by Wertmuller, she preferred the more flattering style of Vigée-Lebrun. I really like how Sofia Coppola made a subtle reference to her like this, considering they had such a special bond together. Thanks to Marie-Antoinette, Vigée-Lebrun could become succesful as a woman painter.

[@leecalmdown]

A couple things: -I actually sort of understand why we don’t see any of the French people’s suffering from a filmmaking standpoint. The movie as a piece is about the queen’s inner world and isolation, and keeping us with her helps reinforce that feeling and the audience’s sympathy with her. Never seeing the turmoil underscores the themes (girlhood alienation being a common motif in Coppola’s movies), even though in doing so it sidesteps the genuine moral stickiness of the Queen’s complicity as well as the struggle of the French people, which isn’t awesome, but that’s Sofia Coppola for you. -Also, small nitpick, but the “random lady” painting the queen and her children in the gardens of the Petit Trianon is meant to be Vigée le Brun.

[@patrick_dy3r]

Great video, Nick (as expected)! Got some suggestions for next videos: 1. Titanic (1997) 2. Glory (1989) 3. Zodiac (2007) 4. Capote (2005) 5. Spotlight (2015) 6. Flags of Our Fathers / Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) 7. Bonnie & Clyde (1967) 8. All the President's Men (1976) 9. The Queen (2006) - if you want to be really ambitious, maybe try Netflix's The Crown? 10. Lincoln (2012)

[@horatiohuskisson5471]

To add to that: 11. The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) 12. The Liberator (2013) 13. 42 (2013) 14. At Eternity’s Gate (2016) 15. The Lost City of Z (2016) 16. El Cid (1961) 17. The Danish Girl (2015) 18. Defiance (2008) 19. Hidden Figures (2016) 20. Che! (2008) 21. The Alamo (2004) 22. Tesla (2020)

[@caolanmcflynn2412]

The crown.peaky blinders.downfall.darkest hour.oppenimer

[@alexiaNBC]

Would also include Cromwell (1970). Very well acted but has SO many inaccuracies and is dull to watch.

[@KabbalahSherry]

I've been begging Nick to cover the Malcom X film for well over a year now. 🥲 Maybe one day... lol

[@fishh9786]

Hbo chernobyl

[@danielwarren7110]

one of the things that i felt spoke volumes about Maria Antoinette was when being taken up to her execution she slightly tripped and her shoe fell off and she trod on the foot of the executioner, and she said sorry. "Pardon me sir, I meant not to do it" ... I think that spoke a lot to her actual personality, a duck out of water but a kind soul who tried to fit in without actually understanding the world she lived in.

[@eleonorepb4565]

What about asking Austrians to invade the country (killing many people in the process but I guess that we don't care about them because they were poor)?

[@Iostnemesis]

I assume you're talking about the movie. Because in real life she did so much, she did so much charity work and tried to feed a lot of people she knew how bad things were but she couldn't fix them all she didn't have the power to do so, (her journals, journals of nobles, journals of friends and staff point to that) I hate how much of her reputation was destroyed because of a satirical column I don't remember if the full newspaper was a satirical publication but I know the let them eat cake came from at the very least a column, She was a good woman you can argue a great Queen especially considering the charity work and doing everything within her means to help. And she was a pretty good mother but she did have the opportunity to get to make sure her kids and herself were fine but she chose to stay.... I guess that is another one for the great Queen portion of her, she pushed back on the notion that she had an incestuous relationship with her son when they were listing her perceived crimes, it's really a shame she did not deserve to die that way.

[@danielwarren7110]

@@Iostnemesis nope not talking about the movie, think maybe you commented on someone else post.. she was a duck out of water, she did many great things but did not properly know how to use the French political game, and as such she could have done a lot more if she had played the game but at the same time if she had played it she might have done less, she was caring, she donated, she helped where she could but she was a victim of circumstance and the other political movements of others.

[@Java9393]

​@@Iostnemesisan aristocrat making charity, how noble dude. These people where living lucurious lives while thousands died of hunger. A noble cant be a good person by definition

[@NIGHTGUYRYAN]

what a fantastic video! too often the discussion around Marie Antoinette frames her as a victim and martyr of sorts, which really is missing the forest for the trees when it comes to the French revolution. I like that you included the perspectives of the French people, because thats frequently left out of the conversation and was especially absent from Sofia's film. There were a lot of things happening and a lot of people were crushed in the process.

[@mcatherine36]

But she was, in a way, very much a victim. Maybe not a matryr, but I can see how she is a victim. Married at 14, basically just a child, and forced to enter court politics at such an immature age, and probably lacking in education to really contribute in politics Not everyone is suited to play a political role, although I admire that her advisor at least tried to get her to do so. But she didn't deserve to die they way she did anyways seeing that there were people who had done worse than her to the working class of France.

[@dolorescordell129]

The film is visually stunning, and apparently surprisingly accurate. The first time a I saw it I was puzzled by the music. But if you consider that M.A. and her crowd were analogous to the "Beautiful People" of our own time, the raucous music really captures the youthful exhuberance of her "set", and how it probably scandalized the old guard - just like the young, rich and frivolous do today.

[@kamikazemelon787]

The movie that introduced me to The Radio Dept. Fantastic soundtrack I think, and you’re totally right with the last point.

[@anne-louiseluccarini4530]

She was taught music, singing and dancing by the best masters - it's what she loved. She wasn't brought up to be a Queen.

[@mitchellneu]

Two vids in a month!? You’re spoiling us, Nick!

[@Lynzae]

I saw this movie in 2007 and have occasionally re-watched it over the years. I have always had a history fascination, especially the 18th and 19th century. I did like how it humanized Marie Antoinette for me. After watching I started reading about her a lot. I especially felt sorry for her when I found out her last words were an apology for stepping on the executioner's foot. I don't think a truly bad person would've cared, especially in that moment. They were just ignorant and knew nothing about necessity of the common people. They'd never had struggled so they lacked real empathy. I think a lot of people born to wealth suffer from the same personality flaw.

[@eleonorepb4565]

"so they lacked real empathy", can also be said about the movie director. Glorifying at that point a woman who asked for a war to restore absolute monarchy should be considered propaganda.

[@cosmedelustrac5842]

Thank you Nick! As a french History buff, I am so glad that you cover a movie about french History. Even though Marie-Antoinette isn't the last Queen of France as you said at the beginning. For a future episode, I would like to recommend "Battle of the Bulge" (1965).

[@Aristotle2000]

I'm sure there are French Royalists who think Marie was the last legitimate queen in the proper succession.

[@Siegbert85]

The later consorts would have been empresses, non?

[@melissareohorn7436]

@@Siegbert85 Eugénie de Montijo who was Napoleon III's wife

[@Siegbert85]

@@melissareohorn7436 And he was emperor, not king. Which makes her empress, strictly speaking

[@marvelfannumber1]

@@Aristotle2000 Probably for Legitimists I guess, that is true. Since they wouldn't recognize Louis-Philippe. Though even there it's murky, as it depends on if you count Louis XIX 20 minute rule or not (in which case Marie Antoinette's daughter, Marie Therese would be the last Queen of France.

[@thatvintagechick2923]

Loved this episode!!! I especially appreciated you treating the movie equally as any other historical war or "great man" films instead patronizing or making fun of it because its a "girl movie" just felt so refreshing. I would love to see you do Frida (2002) next and the amazing history of Mexico's most famous painter!

[@pdruiz2005]

At 2:23. Fun fact: the Vienna court of the Hapsburgs was informal within a small coterie of the aristocracy very close to Empress Maria Theresa and her family. The Hapsburg family liked to let it all hang out during their free time when they were not forced to be at court doing courtly things. Thus you get a painting of a happy domestic scene (painted by Marie Antoinette's sister) where the Holy Roman Emperor is sitting in his pajamas puffing a pipe, the Holy Roman Empress is in a plain dress serving tea and pastries for breakfast, and their many imperial children are playing around them, all happening in a small, unassuming living room within the gigantic Hofburg Palace. Marie Antoinette, daughter to these august monarchs, grew up like this. Hence why she hugged a shocked and scandalized Comtesse de Noailles. Then there was a later scene in the movie, where Marie Antoinette nonchalantly served food and drinks to others in a hunting party. This scandalized French aristocrats so much that Marie Antoinette's Austrian minder had to warn her not to serve food and drink again. So Versailles, with its rigid and alienating French court etiquette that never let up for a second, really threw Marie Antoinette for a loop, sending her into a depression of sorts. Once Marie Antoinette became Queen of France, however, she had the power to introduce this Hapsburg informality to parts of Versailles. The Petit Trianon became a place where French court etiquette was ditched and informality reigned, with privileged aristocrats close to the Queen lounging about as if in someone's house. The same with the Queen's Village, where Marie Antoinette could pretend to be a young country lass, letting it all hang out, not following any of the French court protocol she so deeply disliked.

[@nm7358]

40:00 Not only the Dauphin died a month before the Fall of the Bastille, but right dab during the critical part of the Estates General when the Third Estate made their play that votes should be counted by head, not by each of the three orders. Whatever his indecisive inclination was, Louis XVI's mind also simply was not into the game because of his personal grief. It also contributed to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette getting closer and the latter becoming his principal political advisor, which ended up disastrous.

[@KS-PNW]

I remember watching this movie after it came out on dvd. I was in rehab at the time and weekly movie night was a big deal. A lot of people weren't interested at first, just me and a few of the older ladies. One by one people started drifting over. By the end everyone was watching. Kicked off a whole history trend for the next few weeks. Hard to explain but it was this really cool intimate feeling watching it together. Spoke to everyone old and young. Probably because we all could relate in a way to suddenly getting pulled out of "our bubbles" and suddenly having to face the world. Always gonna be special to me. Thanks for covering it!

[@TheGrievousReviews]

Today is now a good day History Buffs has uploaded.

[@bluestrife28]

This was a beautiful movie. It really showed the tragic trap that wealth, loneliness and her youthful rebelliousness built for her that she had to quickly grow up and realize she wasn’t going to get out alive. Kirsten was born for this. Everyone was perfectly cast. There’s an old but great book that takes Marie from day one to her final day called Marie Antoinette by FW Kenyon. I recommend it. It felt companionable to this movie and I can’t read it anymore without picturing these fine actors all. My favorite line from the movie is still: “This is ridiculous.” “This, madam, is Versailles.”

[@JarodFarrant]

Nick, you are an incredible person, putting out brilliant documentary reviews on historical films, and such a short amount of time shows us how you’re improving as a contact creator.

[@iml_mistikk2592]

Just say you want him to like your comment.

[@lisabyrne9513]

There is a fun touch in the punk montage where you see a pair of purple converse amongst all the shoes. It's a fun film and one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. I read Frasers book but I highly recommend Stephan Zweig's biography. It is amazing.

[@ItsBumbles]

Yessss so glad you're making content again

[@alexandrumircea]

With this film, I really enjoyed the artistic, intentional choice to withold most of the context (of this otherwise exceptionally famous historical biography) and to keep things fuzzy in terms of chronology, motivations etc. and make it all instead fuzzy like a lucid dream, or like an eighteenth century painting gallery coming to life. It makes the film stand out, compared to the usual conventions of the period film genre.

[@thejudgmentalcat]

30:03 I couldn't stop laughing at cartoon Nick with his head on the desk 😂

[@AT-rr2xw]

47:25 Coppola seems to make an effort to depoliticize her subject matter, whether it be class in this movie or race in her remake of The Beguiled. And that depoliticization results in certain...types of people...being removed from the story.

[@onthatrockhewillbuildhisch1510]

Cleopatra appears in your opening credits, yet you have never reviewed her movie. I would also like to see you do reviews on the various characters who sit in your audience in your opening sequence! (Pancho Villa, Genghis Khan and others). Love your work, Nick.

[@rainningstorm]

I always wanted him to review cleopatra. I hope to one day to see it happen

[@davemccage7918]

I don’t care what they teach you in school, Cleopatra was BLACK! 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@Del_S]

"You can have as many french dogs as you like" _Three days later_ "....They just don't taste the same."

[@frankd9945]

They're eating the dogs?!?

[@mikedavis1476]

​@@frankd9945in Ohio yes

[@spangelicious837]

​@@frankd9945 And the cats!

[@KS-PNW]

​@@mikedavis1476nope

[@Minifoe]

Stop releasing too many bangers... this is your warning... you are releasing too much good content

[@pedroborbapereira6391]

He's procrastinating on the Napoleon video kkkkkkkk

[@TheBigDaddyMoJo]

Nah he need to keep the quality coming

[@kumarg3598]

​@pedroborbapereira6391 that movie probably made his head explode😊

[@HypaBumfuzzle]

44:33 this statement by Lady Fraser is perfect for today's issues as well. Writing this one down. There are times you come across things you are meant to chew and think on.

[@painiscupcake5433]

The french revolution was a pre-communist revolution, as hypothesized in the book "Unhumans". This is what they do.

[@Kicksncoffee1983]

Was not expecting a History Buffs episode today. But I am delightfully excited. ❤

[@PopeSixtusVI]

The book Tyranny of Cliches by Jonah Goldberg (where he rebukes constant myths & urban legends) has a chapter on Let Them Eat Cake. The poorly translated words were referring to a standing policy whereby bakers were to distribute their unsold fancy buns to the unfed poor.

[@anne-louiseluccarini4530]

Brioche isn't so fancy - it's made with yeast and eggs, looks like bread but is nicer.

[@KS-PNW]

Like Nick said that line has also been attributed to a number of noblewomen over the centuries.

[@thax321]

This is an unexpected surprise. Watched this movie once or twice many years ago and I remember I liked it, but was also aware of its faults. Looking forward to 'rewatching' it via your analysis!

[@Sabrina96]

This is a good take on the film. I loved this film and saw it in the theatre. I'm a history person and read Fraser's book on Marie Antoinetter. Like Coppola states, she captures a take on Marie Antoinette and her sentiments. I absolutely love the soundtrack as that is my taste in music, The Cure Plainsong and All Cats are Grey, among the other New Wave and The Strokes, which were popular of the early 2000s. Coppola is a great director, and she has great tastes in music with her soundtracks of other films.

[@adampilot8275]

For the long times between drinks (episodes) this channel never seems to fail in producing gems.

[@sharksNstuff2029]

Great conclusion! I appreciate your interpretation of the film being that it's more of a character study than a historical figure piece.

[@ArtlikeDaVinci]

History Buffs has been working like rent is due 😤😤🔥🔥

[@lisboah]

I would love to someday see a review of "The Rose of Versailles" anime which portrays the origins of the French Revolution. I learnt more from watching it than in school.

[@wandererthroughtime]

x2

[@aviriolagusa6614]

There is a new Movie being made, releasing in January. So I could see it happening.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

Sad

[@ufcmma4]

Would LOVE to see reviews on the following films: - Enemy at the Gates - 'The King' - Schindler's list

[@GeoStreber]

"Downfall" is overdue for a video.

[@brunocarvalho5199]

Alatriste, that would also be great...

[@noobhero78]

Remember watching this in History Class! So glad your reviewing this movie! Hope you do the The Alamo (2004) too!

[@AceMoonshot]

An underrated film. More accurate than all the other portrayals imo.

[@daffodil852]

I loved The Alamo for the same reason I loved Marie Antoinette- it almost takes the people out of the stuffy historical confines and turns them into real people. I feel like Marie Antoinette could be a real person in any time, and in the Alamo it captures the feelings of the people inside.

[@KS-PNW]

I love that, that version of the Alamo showed more of the less glamorous side of things. Was living in Texas when it came out and the actual Alamo had a special exhibit with a lot of artifacts they usually didn't display. So many opium pipes lol..

[@anaveiga6610]

A great movie that can be seen as a sequel to this one is L'Autrichienne (1990). It portrays Marie Antoinette's final days, from her trial to her execution. The script, written by French historians Alain Decaux and André Castelot, is based on the minutes of her trial.

[@jarkkomakela7751]

Wow, video posted 3 seconds ago! Thanks for your excellent content Nick!

[@CafeDeDuy]

What I love about this movie is that it never went out to be historically accurate. Sophia Coppola movies are more of mood boards with a historical flair. This shows in the costume design where the 18th century clothes on Marie is more simplified to relate more to the film audiences (just like The Great). And a lot of the clothes she had worn wouldn’t be worn till 5 years later or so, but the silhouette is effective in telling the story it needs to

[@LouisaLouisaful]

"Mood boards with a historical flair" - such a clever way of describing Sophia Coppola's movies!

[@matthewalanrain5839]

Nick, your videos are just the best. Always a highlight of the Tube every time you drop a show on us. Thank You!

[@JH-lo9ut]

In 2014, the Swedish national archives made a number of original letters between Axel von Fersen and Marie Antionette available for forensic study. One study, published as lrecently as in 2021 had looked in to parts of the text that had been crossed out. Modern scanning techniques made it possible to separate the layers of ink, so that the crossed out words could be read. The rumours of a romantic relationship could be comfirmed, as the crossed out text contained very explicit declarations of romantic love from Marie Antoinette. Fersen had crossed out the spiciest parts of the letters, presumably to protect Marie, should the letters be found. Axel von Fersen was brutlly murdered in 1810, as sitting "Riksmarshalk" of Sweden, one of the highest public offices in the realm. Fersen was torn from his horse and violently lynched by anangry mob in the streets of Stockholm, after a rumour had spread that he had orchestrated the murder of crown prince Karl August (who had in fact died of a stroke) Fersen was literally beaten and stomped into pulp. "Mops" is not only the name of Marie's dog but it is also the name of the breed (Pug) in German and a whole bunch of other languages. The picture at 21:21 is not snuff, it is Swedish "Snus". It is a related tobacco products, but you can't snort it. It is moist and doughy, course-ground, fermented tobacco leaves. It would give you boogers from hell. You are supposed take an almond-sized pinch of it and keep it under your lip. It gives a very intense nicotine rush if you aren't accustomed to it. Snuff, or smelling tobacco, is dried and very fine-ground tobacco that you inhale in very, very tiny pinches through the nose.

[@Redipstick]

I enjoyed it because it was supposed to be about a teenager who became Queen and it was. I’m a historian and I didn’t watch for total historical accuracy - I watched for fun

[@helenf.7221]

I absolutely loved this movie. Reminded me of being a teenager and becoming a young adult. The characters were made to be modern so we could understand them. The ending was so sad because you realize all of the happy times she was charged with and beheaded

[@uniquechannelnames]

IN lI've toured a portion... a PORTION, of the Palace of Versailles and the Gardens.... and let me you, even the inconsequential guest rooms were just rich and magnificent. i mean truly... you just cannot fucking fathom the god-like magnitude of that palace. It is awe-inspiring it is shock inducing It is almost alien, *everything* gilded with gold and covered with marble. The hall of mirrors is absolutely stunning (the mirrors, although quiteb8 faded and a little warped, still worked), ceilings covered with expert paintings.. it's truly an achievement of jj7the human race, despite all the ridiculous shit that happened there. A powerful, physical, simply overwhelming representation of greed, selfishness, ignorance, especially of problems until they explode.

[@savannahperez8536]

I was jumping for joy as soon as I saw this on my feed. Ive been waiting for a video for months !! 😆😆😆 GENUINELY MADE MY DAYYY🎉

[@forTehMemes]

The film itself is listed as a “drama” film, not a “historical drama”. Just a drama about a Queen. It makes it more unique than other historical films since it’s done in a specific way to be more modern

[@leonardoferrari4852]

Then they should have done something "modern" instead of this kind of half assed jobs. If it's not accurate there is no point in setting it in the past

[@ExpatChef71]

​@@leonardoferrari4852 What you're looking for is called a "documentary."

[@leonardoferrari4852]

@@ExpatChef71 What you are looking for is called "fan fiction". Marie Antoinette has "historical" among its tags, so it stands to reason that it should be

[@ExpatChef71]

@leonardoferrari4852 What's wrong with a fictional drama in a historical setting?

[@ExpatChef71]

@@leonardoferrari4852 You realise fan fiction is based on existing fiction, not history, right?

[@izzythedude]

Nick is cooking with these videos!!!! 2 videos in two weeks?? Hell yes every time I see one of your thumbnails it makes my day!

[@tygressblade]

This is one of my favorites. Thank you. There is one scene was Marie Antoinette tells her minister that she and her daughter don’t need anymore diamonds towards the end of the movie. This is where one the Austrian ministers mentioned that Marie’s daughter was “a daughter of France”. Marie Antoinette also refused diamonds from Du Barry.

[@aure_774]

Thanks!

[@thatguywesmaranan]

last time i was this early, they were still sharpening the guillotine's cutting edge...

[@shroomyk]

This is one of my top favorite period movies. Such a feast for the eyes. Glad to see you covering it.

[@andrewm1516]

I'd love to see a review of Cromwell (1970)!

[@saadkhan1128]

please

[@itseperkele181]

Yes! Just watched it earlier today. Richard Harris is sssoooo good.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

And roll the Benny Hill music, to accompany a massive list of all the battles & sieges that were left out...

[@Iamhungey]

King Charles should have used the force.

[@Nomoredrama2000]

OMG I have been waiting for you to do this video for so long! I absolutely adore the story of Marie Antoinette.

[@Axelgear2006]

Small and unimportant correction: Marie Antoinette was not actually the last queen of France. That title goes to either - depending on if you consider empresses to also be queens - Maria Amalia Teresa or Eugenie de Montijo. Although the wives of the two restored Bourbon monarchs did not live to see their husbands' coronations, Louis Philippe I did ascend the throne after the July Revolution and his wife was given the title Queen of the French. Eugenie, meanwhile, was honoured as Empress of the French. And that, too, is skipping over Bonaparte's wives, who in turn were styled Empresses of France.

[@thomashavard-morgan8181]

Certain films you have to go into knowing you have to leave your history head at the door. Sofia Coopola has a specific style and desire to examine girlhood and womanhood through her films, using soft lighting, bold colours and music. This is an attempt at showcasing what it could feel like for a young woman, trapped in a system without agency, but also immune from criticism and all that would entail. It's about Marie in her bubble, unaware of the suffering of the people, dampening her own pain with pleasure at the detriment of the state, but being too unawares and too young to realise it, until reality hits her in her face and she is pulled from her bubble, but it is all too late. I think it does a great job at capturing that imagined feeling and imposing a modern spin, I was never expecting accuracy.

[@eleonorepb4565]

@@thomashavard-morgan8181 Then why not making a movie about a fictional character in a fictional country instead of pooping on History and people who fought for their rights? The equivalent applied to America's History would be to glorify a slave owner and hidding the horrors of slavery.

[@thomashavard-morgan8181]

@@eleonorepb4565 Sofia, didn't glorify Marie Antoinette, in fact she showed her to be spoiled and frivolous and at times thoughtless. The suffering of the French people is alluded to throughout the film. Also you cannot equate Marie Antoinette with a slave owner, a slaver owner chose to brutalise and own people, Marie was a political pawn with absolutely no agency or power in regard to changing the political or social landscape in France, does that absolve her completely no, but nor does it damn her completely either. Also, it is much more impactful to use someone that everybody knows to explore those systems and how they ultimately fail everyone.

[@coryrain]

I have a history degree and I adore this movie. There are so many things wrong, but man is it a fun character study. And the clothes! The clothes!!! Just like the Elizabeth movies, do not think you're learning history and you're good to go. 😊

[@marya.6867]

im a little bias because i really like marie antoinette history but that's also why i think its safe to say this movie is a good example of historic adaptation without compromising some poetic license and creativity

[@louissuliac]

37:04 I'm supposing the painter is a reference to Mme Vigée Lebrun, who was Marie-Antoinette's official painter

[@hencokotze2232]

It's seems remarkable that the flight to Varennes wasn't included. Propably one of the most dramatic episodes in the life of the royals, it's cinamatic gold

[@aliceDarts]

Thank you for releasing somethingnother than a World War flick or Pre Modern. This was a very enjoyable episode and I hope to see more. ❤

[@ajf104]

I never comment on videos but I rewatch yours constantly. Please, please review "The King". Lots of good historical and military inaccuracies in a great film. Would be perfect for this channel.

[@bobson3014]

My guess to why they changed which brother has a child first was because if it's the youngest then both older brothers were outpaced by their younger brother, whereas in the movie it is only Marie's husband.

[@dustymodels]

I think covering War Horse (2011) would interesting, as I recall it covers several different stages of the First World War through the lens of British/German/French people, with a good fill of dramatization probably warranting some discussion about accuracy, check it out if you can Nick! Cheers.

[@AW-uv3cb]

About the "whoever that is" [who painted MA's portrait with her children] - I think it's pretty obvious that it is Elisabeth Vigee le Brun (who gets a mention later on in the video), and the change was probably done as a nod to her long professional and personal relationship to Marie Antoinette, and to herself as a respected artist who is only now slowly reclaiming her place in the popular consciousness after a period of obscurity (most of MA'a best-known portraits were painted by her and she was one of the most in-demand portrait artists in Paris at the time).

[@stahppls2293]

Yeah that bit irked me, he answered his own question there

[@pucklimburg1429]

@@stahppls2293 Yeah ... Quite a blunder for a history buff.. Other than that I liked the video.

[@dieterdelange9488]

Even if it's not historically accurate, I adore this movie. And Antonia Fraser's book is incredible.

[@angelogarcia2189]

It may not be the most historically accurate movie. But the ending is Beautiful. The whole movie really.

[@jameszweep]

Oh my God, I’ve been waiting for a review of this movie! And dang I hate I don’t have the notification set and get immediately surprised when I open KZbin and see a new @HistoryBuffs video. Sweet!

[@Marguerite-tv4tq]

Kirsten Dunst is a splendid actress in every role she played.

[@iamza.]

Sofia Coppola is one of my favorite directors so I'm kinda fond of this movie. Say what you want about this movie but it's absolutely gorgeous to look at. I hope he covers Barry Lyndon someday. I know it's fictional but kinda based on a couple people.

[@persianking44]

*Babe wake up, a new History Buffs video just dropped*

[@AdAstra268]

Absolutely brilliant as always! Would be great to see a History Buffs on the BBC Wolf Hall series, especially since they're coming out with a Series 2 at the end of this year!

[@jerryrooster22]

This is a top 5 channel on KZbin.

[@virgovertas4828]

You are an Artist mate. I've been watching your videos since the Braveheart video. You're on the top of my list. Please don't stop. This. This is quality content.

[@austinpharris6270]

Always a good day when a new history buffs video drops

[@adammitchell3462]

I love your very unique style of content! I watch/listen to KZbin all day long whilst at work and anymore it seems as if YT offers nothing but the same old crap day to day but you offer me somthin that i actually look forward to!

[@IronDragon-2143]

This is great, Nick, and a real treat. So, as a request, can you do a review on Shogun? My Dad and I love it, but I'm interested in the true history that inspired the hit TV series.

[@roromcgorro2315]

Randomly clicked on this video, because I like history and hate scrolling… My God I enjoyed every second of this video. Instant subscribe and like from me. Amazing video and I just had a peak at the channel and… this must be what striking oil feels like 😅

[@theoneandonlyme9731]

I too am joining the Third Estate, so to speak, in requesting Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. I’ve been itching to see you tear apart another atrocious, historically inaccurate movie since your Elizabeth double feature.

[@jackcornell9509]

Perhaps the time line is a way of highlighting how time passed in Versailles. Constant parties, shopping, and gambling will make time seemingly pass alot faster. Like being in a casino and not realizing you've been there for 10 hours

[@jy.395]

37:05 I think the lady that is being portrayed was Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun. She was one of the greatest painters in the 18th century and was Marie's most favorite portrait painter. Yes, Vigee Le Brun didn't paint the painting depicted in the scene, but I think it's very neat that the movie includes her.

[@ShonanMiura]

Something I enjoy about these vidoes is that, in addition to learning a bit of history, we get a revisiting of interesting older films.

[@himarei]

It seems like the most interesting thing about Marie-Antoinette, according to the movie creator, is her life of debauchery. It is almost portrayed as a good thing, and the population are bad for not letting her live the life she wanted to. There is a lot relatable from 18th century France compared to our modern societies.

[@marianneshepherd6286]

My favourite Easter egg in the film is the pair of converse shoes in the background. Sophias brother put them there because he wanted the audience to remember that Marie Antoinette was 15 when she comes to the French court. What was refreshing was no 'corset scene' see Abbey cox video on not like other girls if you're interested ❤