6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 1.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Biopic of the beautiful Queen of France who became a symbol for the wanton extravagance of the 18th century monarchy, and was stripped of her riches and finery, imprisoned and beheaded by her own subjects during the French Revolution that began in 1789.
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Rip Torn, Rose ByrneDrama | 100% |
Biography | 24% |
History | 12% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
History is the guiding light of the world, the thing by which the present is measured and the future is predicted. It's not a linear reference point, though. It builds on itself, takes on new identities as time moves along, whether by need or by choice or somewhere in the middle. It's a playground for reflection and study and commentary, which is why it's always fascinated Hollywood and yielded countless examples of films that, for whatever purpose and with whatever tone, take a look back at, with varying degrees of accuracy, the world that was. Whether war or Rome or practically any point one can find on the world's timeline, and with any style or reimagining or vision of the way things may have been or probably were, it's history that so often seems the driving force behind the arts. It's with that in mind that one comes to Marie Antoinette, a movie that doesn't exactly promise a straight historical recreation, nor does it deliver one. Instead, it's a curious compilation of classic style and story, filmed on-location, but reworked not necessarily for modern sensibilities but rather to offer a more flamboyant and approachable portrait of an opulent world that was with darkness lingering on the horizon.
It's really not that complicated, people...
It was bound to happen. Of the previously reviewed Sony "Choice Collection" discs -- Neighbors, Little Women, Not Another Teen Movie, Spanglish -- all have proven rather impressive, ranging from solid to
fantastic. Not so with Marie Antoinette. The movie seemed primed for Blu-ray release for about a decade, or most of the format's lifespan.
There was official-looking cover art on Blu-ray.com for practically that entire time, but the release never materialized. Fortunately for fans, Sony has
seen fit to give it a go on the controversial BD-R release schedule. Unfortunately for fans, the release doesn't even come close to matching the
quality
of the aforementioned quartet of winning releases under the "Choice Collection" label.
The image appears unremarkable at its very best, the presentation bolstered by the 1080p horsepower behind playback but it's otherwise a far cry
from the cinematic excellence of Sony's best, and usual, quality, whether through standard releases or the "Choice Collection" label. It's pasty and
processed. The would-be gorgeous presentation by way of the film's opulent costumes and
richly
realized set pieces -- the film won an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Costume Design -- is nowhere to be found, replaced with a passable
at best, dreadful at worst, and usually in-between image that leaves the movie's many textural graces missing in action. Even the most rigid
textures, most complex fabrics, most resplendent furnishings favor a flat and pasty veneer over what most certainly could have been a textural
wonderland and, done right, a reference Blu-ray. Colors are nearly as disappointing, favoring a dull, slightly washed out appearance that robs them
of their true brilliance and punch. Whether, again, resplendent costumes and locations or even the abundance of natural greens on the Versailles
grounds, the picture fails to preserve or present the inherent richness with any sort of authenticity. Back levels are drab and flesh tones dull. Some
relatively minor, but still bothersome, print issues -- pops, speckles, splotches -- show up from time to time, too. While compression problems are
not of any particular concern, the image is at best a lackluster one and easily one of the most disappointing Blu-ray releases in some time, "Choice
Collection" or not.
At least Marie Antoinette's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack fares a good bit better than its video counterpart. While hardly itself a classic, it's at least capable with only a few flubs along the way. Balance occasionally struggles. Surrounds are sometimes a little too forceful or not engaged enough. Music can be a little stale, too, particularly in the film's opening minutes, lacking definition, separation, and honest clarity. It does open and tighten up a bit as the film progresses and enjoys a more fruitful, balanced, and lifelike presentation. Ambient effect are likewise a little timid in places and explosive in others, literally as a barrage of fireworks pop off in one scene and elsewhere, too, as organ music powerfully engages the stage, dialogue reverberates with authority, and multi-animal and multi-person hunting parties power through the soundstage. Dialogue dominates much of the film, however, and it's pleasantly neutral, grounded in the center save for when positioning allows it to open up, and it's usually well prioritized.
Marie Antoinette contains two featurettes and two deleted scenes. No top menu is included; supplements must be accessed in-film via the
pop-up menu. Though not housed in the extra-wide case that is featured with some of
the
"Choice Collection"
releases, the overall physical presentation still favors that rough-around-the-edges look about it. There appears to be a glitch with these
supplements
that does not allow the user to fast-forward through them; playback simply hangs until "play" is pressed again, though wait time seems influenced
by how long one tried to fast forward. Chapter skipping freezes the disc in the
player, requiring power cycling to get out of the supplement, or a chapter skip backwards to allow it to play through all the way by itself again.
Quality control
was obviously not on the agenda with this release, even with Sony's own gear, in this case a BDP-S700 and a PlayStation 3.
Marie Antoinette offers an interesting juxtaposition of classic 18th century stylings with a modern edge, not only in its technical construction but in its mismatched music, too, such as when with Bow Wow Wow's I Want Candy is plopped over a montage depicting Antoinette's excesses that would lead to her country's collapse and her demise (watch for an intentional? anachronism at the 55:54 mark). It's tonally mismatched but kind of intoxicating at the same time. If nothing else, Sofia Coppola brings something new to the table with the movie, a unique vision for a well-known character and point in history, and no matter how well or poorly it may be implemented, there's always something to be said for novelty in cinema. Sony's Blu-ray release seemed a decade in the making, and the result is...disappointing. Seriously underwhelming video (though certainly not the worst the format has ever seen), fair audio, and a few supplement (complete with technical glitches) tossed onto one of the studio's controversial BD-R "Choice Collection" discs yields a seriously disappointing release of a movie that deserves significantly better. So far, though, it's the exception to the rule; "Choice" is off to a decent, if not overpriced, start, but this isn't what fans want. Sad to say, but skip it.
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