Marie Antoinette, also titled Marie Antoinette, reine d'un seul amour (Marie Antoinette, Queen of Only One Love) is a 1989 historical biopic TV film. It is part of the Thematic Series Les jupons de la révolution ("Skirts of the Revolution"), which was made for the 200th anniversary of The French Revolution and featured female figures of the era as main protagonists.
It chronicles the life of Marie-Antoinette of Austria (played by Emmanuelle Béart), the queen consort of King Louis XVI, from when she married Louis at 15 to her death in 1793.
Not to be confused with the 1938 film, the 2006 film and the 2022 series.
This film provides examples of:
- Altar Diplomacy: As per Real Life, Marie Antoinette is married to the Dauphin Louis at age 15 to strengthen the diplomatic ties between the French crown and the Holy Roman Empire where she's from, without herself having any say on the matter.
- Death Row: The film ends when Marie Antoinette is at the Temple Tower prison in Paris, minutes before her execution.
- Lessons in Sophistication: Marie Antoinette has to follow some etiquette lessons to prepare her for the court of Versailles before her wedding to Louis.
- Lie Back and Think of England: The night Marie Antoinette and Louis eventually consummate their marriage, it's a rather pleasureless affair for both of them (for her especially).
- Standard Snippet: The melody of the French nursery rhyme "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman" (which would be reused in Mozart's Twelve Variations in 1781 or 1782 as well as for "The ABC Song" in the USA circa 1835) is played on a harpsichord when Marie Antoinette is having fun in the absence of her etiquette tutor.
- Three-Month-Old Newborn: When Marie Antoinette gives birth to Marie Thérèse in 1778, it's pretty clear that the baby playing the part is bigger than a newborn.
- Time Skip: There's several time jumps of 4-5 years.
- Time-Shifted Actor: A teen actress played 15 year old Marie Antoinette, while Emmanuelle Béart (then-25) played her for the rest of her life.
