Marie Antoinette Vs. My Friend Skot
This past weekend saw the domestic release of MARIE ANTOINETTE, the historical biopic written and directed by Sofia Coppola. I have not seen it myself (it did pretty well and I hate crowds) but from what I’ve read, it’s a sympathetic portrait of the girlish French aristocrat, most famous for her flippant suggestion, upon being told her people were starving, that they eat cake instead.
My longtime buddy Skot hates this movie sight unseen. He is the one who sent me a link to this review of the film in Slate, and debated the merits of LOST IN TRANSLATION with me. Skot has developed a fairly sound critical theory about a certain genre – films by Francis Ford Coppola’s kids all suck. That’s simplifying, of course. But when you look at LOST IN TRANSLATION, MARIE ANTOINETTE and CQ (Roman Coppola’s directorial debut) there is clearly a common thread, and it involves an unusual self-absorption, even among the famously egocentric artist class.
TRANSLATION, if you’re not clued in, is basically a diary of Sofia’s year in Japan. It’s largely narrative-free and holds your attention with mood, a great performance by Bill Murray, and … uh, funny Japanese people. It’s bracingly different from typical American movie-making; but is it a bold departure from story structure, or a girl thinking everything she does is automatically interesting? Looked at in that light, the film becomes infuriating. CQ, the story of an editor in the late sixties who takes on the directing duties of an international sci-fi love-in, is even worse in a way, because it’s so clearly about Francis. It’s not just navel gazing, it’s someone gazing into their DAD’S navel. Creepy.
It takes a lot of guts to side with Marie Antoinette, who symbolizes everything that is wrong with privileged people. But then, it takes guts to be in JACKASS II, and nobody is getting critical acclaim for that. Actually being privileged doesn’t make Sofia’s choice better either. And picking these post-Enron times to make the movie, as the poor are so accutely aware of how the rich have been pushing them around, is crazy. Or, possibly, she just isn’t aware. Hell, Sofia Coppola IS Marie Antionette. I hope all the people in the line at the AMC this weekend enjoyed their cake.
October 26th, 2006 at 8:14 am
Well said, Dan.
And for the record I’ll amend my stand on the Koppola Kidz: Eventually, both will probably become filmmakers of substance, artistry and depth. But right now, they’re both still in the equivalent of “write what you know” mode. Maybe not Roman, who is as far as I can tell living in Dad’s garage, but certainly Sofia, who has a good eye for composition and cinematographic nuance. Wow: maybe she should go into art direction or become a DP. That’ll happen.
Had this discussion with my biz partner. He maintains people should make films about things they know– it’s a path to emotional honesty and engaging storytelling (Woody Allen, John Ford). I disagree, of course. IMHO, good filmmakers are curious about the world and take on projects that push the envelope of the familiar (Alan Parker, David Lynch).
Even filmmakers who constantly repeat familiar themes (The brothers Farelly and Coen) explore a lot of facets of the human condition, rather than just their own.
–Skot
August 8th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
[...] I’m not saying no movie star’s child is worthy of fame solely for that reason: Truly talented scion are probably created in similar numbers as truly talented sports offspring. But, unlike sports, the bulging lower end of the showbiz talent curve is given far more exposure and leeway. So if you have the creeping suspicion that Sophia Coppola, Gweneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. are being somehow inflicted on us, You’re probably right. [...]
September 21st, 2007 at 9:43 am
[...] I was getting some setup shots of the bride, and she was working on her pre-ceremony nerves by sucking on a can of what looked like an energy beverage. it turned out to be a small can of sparkling wine. It was Sofia, put out by Niebaum-Coppola vinyards and named after none other than my cinematic nemesis Sofia Coppola. I had to bite my tongue really hard when the lovely bride told me how much she liked Sofia and her movies. It was her day: why antagonize her? [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 6:20 am
[...] cliched on its face, conceived with the same feel for the common moviegoer’s life as, say, Sofia Coppola’s Marie [...]