Marie Antoinette- Mise en Scene

    After learning about Mise en Scene in class, I was hyper-aware of every detail the director made while watching this movie. The color schemes, music choices, and cinematography gave the movie such a mix of a regal yet modern feel. Sofia Cappola is known to give her characters such a lonely feel to them, using features like having a wide camera shot for just the protagonist or having the protagonist look longingly out the window. There were many times when Marie would be away and having fun but then the contrast of having a distant wide shot of her standing alone and looking melancholy would give that classic Cappola feel. 

    I found myself feeling very fond of her character and how difficult it must have been to be a young girl in that position of power. You can see all the energetic and youthful energy she has but she is in a position where she is to remain poised and do as she's told. She goes though a sense of rebellion, as you can see when she cheats on her husband. Although that is never okay, I understand to an extent why she made that decision. She seems to be in a loveless marriage of convenience and he seems to not be very keen on romantic gestures of any sort. When shes presented with a handsome, wild man who she is attracted to, she kind of channels the young girl still inside her and has some fun.

    Overall, I loved the decisions the director made to make us feel for Marie Antoinette and the life she was living. You could see in the decision to have a "simple dress" for running outside that Marie just wanted to be free, in a sort. She had a love for nature and animals but due to her position, she often had those things taken away from her, like she did at the end of the movie. The film gives us the theme of not even all the money in the world can truly buy happiness. You could tell that Marie did enjoy some of the aspects of wealth like the outfits, hair, parties, etc. but she truly longed to live the life of the young girl she was.