Those expecting an insightful, albeit fictitious account of the last days of Marie Antoinette in power in the broader context of the beginnings of the French Revolution will probably (like me) be disappointed. Instead think of a French version of Upstairs/Downstairs set in the Palace of Versailles where the vast majority of this story takes place. Historical insight takes a firmly directed back seat to the routines undertaken by palace staff, both courtiers, underlings and social aspirants and their inter-relationships occasionally with the Queen.
The primary tale involves a well cast Léa Seydoux as Sidonie Laborde, an upwardly mobile, ambitious commoner who is an oral reader to the Queen, as well as being more than a little fixated on her persona in general. I liked Diane Kruger as Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France. Besides oozing a strong degree of sensuality, she is appropriately cast as the Austrian born Antoinette. The trouble is there's not really enough of her onscreen, despite Kruger, being ostensibly the second lead. The same could be said of Virginie Ledoyen as Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse de Polignac, a favourite of the queen. Her character is underused as well. The film suffers through having the major narrative thread buried under myriad, insubstantial sub-stories involving minor characters. The really interesting dynamic involving the 3 female leads and the allegedly lesbian attractions the Queen may have felt/experienced are only ever really touched upon superficially.
Historical major flash points such as news about the storming of the Bastille are simply discussed as gossip and rumours among the Palace occupants, which I suppose were the chief mechanisms of social media of those times. But really, it doesn't make for riveting viewing. Most viewers I'm sure will find the "climax" to the main thread regarding Sidonie's final personally dangerous task for her queen, anticlimactic, rather than suspenseful as it should have been.
Overall, though well-acted and of marginal interest, Farewell My Queen is a pretty insignificant film, set amongst one of the most significant periods of European history. In hindsight I was probably a little generous in giving it 6/10.
The primary tale involves a well cast Léa Seydoux as Sidonie Laborde, an upwardly mobile, ambitious commoner who is an oral reader to the Queen, as well as being more than a little fixated on her persona in general. I liked Diane Kruger as Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France. Besides oozing a strong degree of sensuality, she is appropriately cast as the Austrian born Antoinette. The trouble is there's not really enough of her onscreen, despite Kruger, being ostensibly the second lead. The same could be said of Virginie Ledoyen as Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse de Polignac, a favourite of the queen. Her character is underused as well. The film suffers through having the major narrative thread buried under myriad, insubstantial sub-stories involving minor characters. The really interesting dynamic involving the 3 female leads and the allegedly lesbian attractions the Queen may have felt/experienced are only ever really touched upon superficially.
Historical major flash points such as news about the storming of the Bastille are simply discussed as gossip and rumours among the Palace occupants, which I suppose were the chief mechanisms of social media of those times. But really, it doesn't make for riveting viewing. Most viewers I'm sure will find the "climax" to the main thread regarding Sidonie's final personally dangerous task for her queen, anticlimactic, rather than suspenseful as it should have been.
Overall, though well-acted and of marginal interest, Farewell My Queen is a pretty insignificant film, set amongst one of the most significant periods of European history. In hindsight I was probably a little generous in giving it 6/10.