REVIEW ON A MOVIE

MARIE ANTOINETTE

Project Completed under the guidance of Mrs. Nupur Chopra.

Saumya Kharya
DFT-3

Acknowledgments
The success and final outcome of this project required a lot of guidance and assistance from many people and I am extremely fortunate to have gotten this all along the completion of my project work. Whatever I have done is only due to such guidance and assistance and I would like to thank them.

I would like to acknowledge my mentor, Mrs. Nupur Chopra for guiding me through the project and approving my chosen topic. I would also like the references from where I got more insight regarding my project.

I would like to thank my sister, Angel Kharya, whose knowledge in historical events led me to get more involved and interested in my chosen movie. She also provided with some invaluable information used in the project.

Saumya Kharya

Contents
S. No.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Production Summary The French Revolution Queen Of Fashion Hair Styles In The 18th Century France 6. 7. Effects Of The French Revolution Marie Antoinette's Influence On The French Revolution 8. Bibliography 38 35 36

Topic
4 5

Page Number

23 25 30

Production
The production was given unprecedented access to the Palace of Versailles.The movie takes the same sympathetic view of Marie Antoinette's life as was presented in Fraser's biography. Coppola has stated that the style for shooting was heavily influenced by the films of Stanley Kubrick, Terrence Malick, and Milo Forman, Coppola was also influenced by Lisztomania by Ken Russell.

While the action happens in Versailles (including the Queen's Petit Trianon and the Hameau de la Reine) and the Paris Opera (which was built after the death of the real Marie Antoinette), some scenes were also shot in Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chteau de Chantilly, Htel de Soubise and at the Belvedere in Vienna.

Milena Canonero and six assistant designers created the gowns, hats, suits and prop costume pieces. Ten rental houses were also employed, and the wardrobe unit had seven transport drivers. Shoes were made by Manolo Blahnik and Pompei, and hundreds of wigs and hair pieces were made by Rocchetti & Rocchetti. As revealed in the "Making of" documentary on the DVD, the look of Count von Fersen was influenced by 1980s rock star Adam Ant. Ladure made the pastries for the film; its famous macarons are featured in a scene between Marie-Antoinette and Ambassador Mercy.

Directed By : Sofia Coppola Based on Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser

Summary
For opening credits, the film has a simple black background with actors' names in hot pink flashing on the screen (it's deliberately very 80s, and New Wave 80s music plays as the film starts up). In the middle of this, there is a cut to Marie Antoinette lounging on a silk divan, surrounded by gorgeous pink pastries. She turns to look at the camera, smiles, says absolutely nothing, the camera holds there for a minute, and then the scene switches back for the title and rest of the credits. After the credits are over, the screen goes black.

The black screen then cuts abruptly to drapes being pulled open. It's morning in Marie Antoinette's bedroom in her mother's Austrian palace. Today is the last day she will spend in Austria. Empress Maria Teresa announces that a union between France and Austria is needed for political and military reasons, and a marriage will cement this union. The Empress arranges for her youngest daughter, Marie, to marry the Dauphin of France, Louis August, and position herself to become the eventual Queen of France and Navarre. The Empress has many children and plans to install them all around Europe as spouses to the eventual rulers of other countries. This is the family business and great expectations are held from Marie. There are scenes of Marie dressing, where she acts like a modern teenager getting ready for a costume party. Marie, dressed simply and looking very happy, meets with her mother for some advice. The Empress warns her daughter that the Court of Versailles is very different from Austria and that Marie must remember to adapt herself to the French expectations. She also makes it clear that she is counting on her daughter to be of use politically when Austria needs it. The Empress reminds Marie that she is the future and that all eyes will soon be on her.

Marie leaves her mother's palace in an ornate carriage, with a royal escort on white horses in tow. Inside the carriage, Marie passes the time with her friends, behaving like a modern teenager: she
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looks at a small portrait she has of Louis and her friends ask her what she thinks of him. "He has kind eyes" she giggles. The girls play cards inside the carriage, gaze out the window, gossip and laugh, share food, and nap frequently as the carriage bobs along towards the French border. Ambassador Mercy advises her that they have reached the hand-over ceremony, where Marie will be handed off to the representatives of the French Court. Marie approaches an ornate tent erected in the woods, where she is met by the very stern and dour Comtesse de Noailles who warns her that it is now time to say goodbye to everything Austrian and embrace a new French life. Marie is then led inside the tent, where she is quickly stripped naked, her Austrian clothes replaced with French fashions. "It is tradition for the bride to retain nothing of a foreign court", the Comtesse told Marie, who as of that moment has become the new Dauphine (engaged as she is to the Dauphin of France, and heir to the throne).

Louis August is the grandson of King Louis XV; since Louis' parents died when he was a child, Louis is next in line to the throne. Since a marriage has been arranged between Marie and Louis, Marie will one day become Queen of France, so everyone treats her with that respect from the first moment they meet her.

The Austrian carriages head home, while Marie proceeds with a new French entourage to meet with Louis August and his grandfather, King Louis XIV. The Dauphin, his brother the Comte De Provence, and other men play around in the woods waiting for Marie to arrive. King Louis welcomes Marie to her new home, sneaking a peak at her bosom. Marie greets him as "grandfather King" before being introduced to her fianc. She awkwardly kisses him on the cheek. The Dauphin clearly is uncomfortable around women and much prefers keeping to himself. The gossipy aunts talk to each other, remarking how much of a child Marie is. They look ready to eat her alive. Marie makes her way into the palace and is given a tour of her new apartment there -- it is magnificent, with a bed positioned behind a viewing rail so minor royals can fight for the privilege of holding Marie's underwear or bringing water for her to wash her hands. The more gold and glamour Marie sees, the more she is enchanted with Versailles. Just when she thinks it's all too much and is totally over the top, another secret panel will open in a wall to reveal an even more luxurious room. She's like a kid in a candy store. All eyes are on Marie as she acclimates to Versailles. At a meal with Louis, Marie is seated very formally next to her fianc, with an unbelievable spread of food in front of them. Marie asks Louis if he is fond of making keys, as she has heard. Louis simply answers, "Yes". "So, you enjoy making keys then? to which Louis simply says, "Obviously". He is an awkward young man who eats his food in a dramatic and theatrical way -- and he is very cold to Marie, because he is such an introvert. Marie genuinely makes an effort to get to know him and keep conversation going, but Louis is a very odd bird to deal with.

The wedding of Marie Antoinette and Louis August is held in Versailles, with an elaborate ceremony and ball afterwards. King Louis XV makes a toast at the ball, hoping for many children and an heir to secure the Bourbon throne. That night, everyone at court, including the bishop and priests, follow Louis and Marie to their bedroom, where everyone watches them undress and get into bed. The priests say a prayer in Latin and King Louis makes a short speech, wishing them both good luck and good work. It's incredibly awkward, because there are a hundred people in the room waiting for the young couple to consummate their marriage. Louis is too tired, and too scare of sex it seems, to do anything. The two just go to sleep. Somehow, Louis sneaks away in the morning before Marie wakes up -- so she is startled awake by the Comptess and all her many ladies in waiting. Marie has never experienced anything like this, as there are two dozen royal women assembled to help her get dressed. The Comptess explains this is a great honor, to assist the Dauphine with her morning routine. As such, the Dauphine is not allowed to reach for anything, as that would be a snub of someone who is entitled to take on that honor. Marie is stripped naked by a pair of royals and is awaiting her morning clothes when a problem of protocol arises -- since it is an honor to place the Dauphine's underwear on her, that honor must go to the highest ranking person in the room -- but, that person keeps changing as new people arrive and take their time presenting Marie with her underwear. Marie is shivering from the cold and has to awkwardly cover herself up with her hands. Finally, Marie's new sister in law, a royal princess of the blood, is established as the highest ranking person there and she covers Marie with her undergarment. Marie says, "This is ridiculous". The Comptess corrects her, "No, madame, this is Versailles".

King Louis eats breakfast with his mistress, the Comptess du Barry, who is a former prostitute despised by the royal court. The King is amused by her, though, and so he bought her a title so that she could be with him at court. The Comptess is a vulgar, loud, and harsh person. The King discusses his grandson with her, and the fact that the servants reported nothing happened on his wedding night. The King and du Barry laugh at this -- because that apple sure has fallen far from the tree (King Louis is an insatiable lover and du Barry flaunts this). It is very evident that the royal court at Versailles wants to tame Marie from the beginning, but Marie seems to just want to be a good natured and fun loving teenager.

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Marie really doesn't know what to do with herself in Versailles, since everything is really done for her. All she really has to do with her time is shop and eat pastries. She doesn't leave the palace, so designers bring clothes to her to try on. She and the Princess Lamballe try on dozens of shoes and debate whether they should order certain large feathers in pink or in white. Louis spends his time riding through the forest on a large white horse chasing dogs (it appears he is hunting, but no one carries a weapon, so it's not clear what he could be hunting). Marie decides to take him a nice picnic lunch and arranges this for Louis under a large tree, where she helps serve the assembled guests. After this, Ambassador Mercy takes Marie to task, telling her that it was inappropriate for the Dauphine to be seen handing meat to people outside. Marie says she is just trying to be a good wife. The Ambassador also advises her that the Empress of Austria has written and warns against Marie riding horses because they cause miscarriage. Marie sarcastically reminds the Ambassador that everyone knows there is no danger of miscarriage (since Louis has not consummated the marriage, and will not consummate it for 7 years, during which time everyone blames Marie for Louis' sexual dysfunction). The Ambassador reminds Marie that her marriage is on shaky ground unless consummated and that she is in danger until she produces a male heir -- only then will her position be secure at Versailles and in France (little did he know that even this wouldn't save her).
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Marie tries to inspire her husband sexually, but he always has some excuse. He's either tired, or cold, or both. Awkwardly, he will sometimes try to kiss her, but usually just rolls over and says goodnight. Once, while Louis was getting ready to leave for one of his hunts (in which no weapons are taken to actually hunt anything), Marie pleads with her husband to have sex with her when he gets back: she tells him that she will be humiliated if her sister in law becomes pregnant before she does. Louis promises to "do the deed" when he returns, then hops on his horse and waves childishly as he rides off for the hunt. Marie looks lost and then wanders through the palace after he is gone.

Madame du Barry feels slighted by Marie and everyone else at court. Du Barry makes it her personal mission to force Marie to be nice to her. Marie is repulsed by du Barry, but is reminded several times that she is in no position to further anger the King, since no one is pleased that Marie is not pregnant yet. The Empress of Austria writes to her daughter frequently, mainly for the purpose of telling Marie what a terrible wife she is. The Empress declares it the wife's responsibility to inspire her husband
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sexually and says that there is no reason a woman with as many charms as Marie should not be pregnant yet. Marie has no idea what to do, and is criticized on all fronts. The only escape she has is shopping, pastries, champagne, and gambling. In her apartment, Marie now has a half dozen dogs and several ladies in waiting who help her pick out beautiful things to wear. Marie keeps asking about her little dog Mopps, that she had to leave behind when she first got to France. She has been trying to get this dog back for some time. Ambassador Mercy says he is still working on that. In the meantime, he asks Marie if she has had time to review the summary of documents that he prepared for her. Marie asks him why he can't just tell her about it, since she never got around to reading it. She seems like any teenager, and not someone who is in line to be Queen and reign over a country.

Marie's hair stylist is an outlandish man named Leonard. He keeps pushing Marie to go overboard and become more and more flamboyant (considering the way Leonard dresses, this is no surprise). Marie asks him at one point, when he has put small birds into her giant wig, if it's all too much. Leonard, of course, says, "Oh no! Nothing is ever too much at Versailles.

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Some time passes, with nothing much changing for Marie: she gambles, she shops, she drinks, she eats, her husband ignores her. Finally, while Louis and Marie are eating one of their ridiculously extravagant meals, the Comptess runs in and tells them that their presence is requested at the birth of the new Compte du Provence, their nephew (born to Louis' brother, the Compte du Provence). So Marie's sister in law did become pregnant before she did. This complicates things for Marie immensely. She knows that things will only get worse for her now. The pressure will keep building for her to provide an heir to the throne.

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There is a masked ball in Paris one night and Marie somehow convinces Louis to go with her. Since they will be wearing masks, they can get away with doing this, as no one will know who they really are (if they were traveling as themselves, there would be all sorts of protocol to keep them from ever attending a ball like this). Marie flirts with a young Swedish count at the ball, Count Fersen. Fersen has no idea who Marie is at this time, but as she walks away someone whispers that it was the Dauphine. Louis cuts the night short, at 330 in the morning, and insists they head back to Versailles. Marie had a wonderful time that night.

When they got back to Versailles, they learn that King Louis is gravely ill with typhoid fever. King Louis is dying in his bed and dictates a last letter to du Barry, thanking her for her "friendship" that will always be dear to him. Du Barry is escorted out of the palace, with all her ridiculous outfits and her pet monkeys. Everyone knows the king is dying, so they are clearing out his mistress so that he can receive the last rights of a Catholic (which he cannot be given unless he no longer has a mistress). After King Louis dies, the court races to Louis and Marie and proclaims Louis XVI the

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King of France. Louis stands with Marie, then kneels and faces Heaven as he says, "We are too young to reign". The coronation is lavish, with Marie looking her most beautiful sitting on a golden throne watching her husband be crowned 'with a crown of glory'. There is a huge fireworks display with miniature fighting ships battling in a pool at Versailles. Marie wears one of her most opulent hair pieces to this party, with a miniature ship sailing on big waves of wigged hair. Marie's 18th birthday party happens at this time as well, which is another extravagant night of gambling for her. Louis warns her not to gamble away their entire fortune. Marie stays up late with her friends and watches the sun rise before stumbling back to her apartment to pass out amidst piles of half eaten food and spilled champagne. She has a fantastic hangover in the morning. Louis is advised to support and fund the American Revolution as a way of sticking things to England, the traditional rival of France. Louis is not comfortable helping the Americans reject their sovereign, but Louis' advisors tell him this foreign war will be a great way of showing all of Europe how strong France is. Louis worries about how much this will cost the treasury, but his advisors tell him that a small increase in taxes will pay for this war. No one gives any thought to how unpopular this decision will be for the French people or how much it will really cost France. Marie is visited by her brother Joseph, who is now Emperor of Austria (Marie's mother is a dowager Empress now). When Marie sees her brother, she asks him if he is there to kidnap her and take her back to Austria. Joseph says he cannot kidnap the Queen of France. Joseph says he is there, at their mother's urging, to warn her about her spending, her gambling, her choice in friends (no one apparently likes Polignac, since she is perceived as a bad influence), and her sexual problems with Louis. Joseph says he will have a man to man talk with Louis about marital relations - and he does just that, while Louis is showing him the elephant kept at Versailles. Joseph tells Louis that there is a female elephant at the menagerie in Vienna. Louis jokes that maybe they should arrange a marriage between the Austrian and French elephants. Joseph then takes the opportunity to talk to Louis about sex, in terms of the locks and keys he is obsessed with. Joseph then writes his mother and tells her
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that she can stop worrying, since he has sorted Louis out: the King and Queen of France are sexual blunderers, but he thinks his advice will help "the Great Work" happen. Louis enjoys reading books on locks while in bed -- fascinated that the first locks were made of wood 3000 years ago in Egypt. Marie is at the point where she has just about given up on Louis. Slowly, he remembers Joseph's advice and attempts intercourse with his wife (of seven years at this point). It takes a few more nights, but finally Louis succeeds -- Marie is surprised by the sensation, since this is the first time she has ever had sex. The next day, she lays in the flowers and grass and seems very relieved.

Nine months later, a child is born, but it is not a male heir. The court is very disappointed in Marie. Marie loves her daughter and says, "Dear Marie Therese, you are not what was desired but you are no less dear to me". She fawns over her baby daughter, but the Comptess will not allow the Queen to nurse her own child, believing the Queen is too weak -- also, they want the Queen to get pregnant again as soon as possible so that they can try once more for a male heir. The Queen is saddened by everyone's reaction to her giving birth to a girl. People in the corridors whisper nasty things to her, like "Give us an heir".
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Louis is happy with his wife, though, and gives her the Petit Triannon palace as her own personal retreat. This palace, on the grounds of Versailles, was once the home of Madame du Barry. Marie begins to spend more and more time at the Triannon, where she listens to music, smells flowers, and wanders around in a dreamy fog. Louis comes to pick her up at this retreat one day so Marie can return to Versailles proper and get ready for a ball they planned to honor the soldiers Louis sent to America. In the receiving line for these honored soldiers, Louis compliments various generals for doing things like capturing Grenada. Marie notices Count Fersen and compliments his bravery and gallantry. The American War of Independence cost France a fortune, but his advisors kept assuring Louis that France could afford it. In reality, all the money being funneled into this war was affecting the people of France, who were growing more and more hungry. Ambassador Mercy tried to convince Marie to cut back on her spending, since the people were suffering shortages. Marie did not really understand this concept, so she told the gardener to only order small trees instead of large ones and told Mercy that she would just ask Louis for more money to give to her young mother's charities that month. Marie and Louis were totally cut off from reality, and no one from the lower classes was ever seen at Versailles. They lived totally in a gilded bubble.
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Marie took Fersen as a lover and the two of them had some very hot and steamy times in the Triannon palace. Marie, Lambelle, Polignac, and other ladies in waiting also enjoyed playing peasant in a small farm Marie had built at the Triannon. Marie called this her little village, where she kept chickens, lambs, and cows. The women wore simple clothes on this farm, ate fresh strawberries with fresh cream, and had a wonderful time in what Marie called "her Heaven". They also really enjoyed playing hide and go seek late into the night in the palace - and playing charades and guessing games at late night bonfire picnics outside. They had a grand, grand time. Marie gave birth to a son -- the Dauphin -- and everyone in the royal court rejoiced. Marie also had a miscarriage after that, which saddened her, before having one more son (for a total of three living children). Marie was shown to be a good mother who loved her children very much. The happiest she seemed in the film were the times she spent with her daughter in the gardens.

But, the public had turned against the Queen. Marie and her friends read newspaper stories that were outrageous -- the paper's claimed Marie said, "Let them eat cake" when told about the bread shortages -- something she NEVER actually said. The papers also claimed Marie had lesbian orgies with her friends - the Princess Lambelle read that aloud and said, "And apparently I was sucking on your toes". Marie thought all of this was ridiculous, but refused to address it. Her friends asked if there wasn't anything she could do about it, but Marie just thought it was ridiculous stories that would blow over.
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Another night at the Versailles opera showed how much the tide had turned against her, though: Marie tried to clap at the end of the performance again, but this time everyone just sat there and stared at her. No one clapped along. It was obvious how much hate was in that silence. People began writing graffiti on the Queen's portraits, calling her "The Queen of Debt". A lot of the public's frustration was directed at her -- and it hurt Marie terribly. She wandered through Versailles in a haze, not realizing how much people hated her, or why they hated her that much. One day, during a picnic the King and Queen were having at Versailles, a minister ran up and announced that the Bastille Fortress had been stormed and a mob was on its way to Versailles from Paris. Immediately, the military wanted to evacuate the King and Queen to the Fortress of Metz, but Louis said he would not become a fugitive king. The Queen said her place, and the place of her children, was with the King (this proved a bad move for them all). The King did agree that all of Marie's friends should be evacuated, as the public particularly hated Polignac. That night, carriages spirited all of Marie's friends away for the Swiss border. Later that night, the mob arrived at Versailles and wanted to kill Marie. They had torches and gardening sickles, pitchforks and sharp spikes. They began throwing things at the windows of the
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palace to smash them. Marie's maids were terrified, but the Queen said everyone should stay calm and that it would all be fine. She opened a secret passage and headed downstairs to find her children and the King. As a family, they stood together as the crowd yelled for the Queen. They were shouting 'Death to the Queen" over and over again. Marie calmly went out to the balcony and stood there for everyone to see her. Then, she bowed to the crowd -- and the crowd went silent for a minute. There were thousands of people holding torches in the courtyard of Versailles -- but Marie held herself up and did not seem afraid. Louis and Marie had their last meal in the darkness of the palace. Only a few servants remained; none of the royal interlopers and hangers-on were there. As the King and Queen ate, the crowds kept shouting and screaming outside. In the morning, Marie and Louis loaded their children into a carriage -- the mob forced them to leave Versailles and were taking them to Paris (where they would be installed at the Louvre Palace at first...this is some time before their execution). Louis does not seem to realize how serious this all is. He still thinks they will come back to Versailles some day. Marie know better though. She looks mournfully out the window as the sun rises. Louis asks, "Are you admiring your lime trees?". Marie says, "No, I am saying goodbye". The film ends with that last shot of Marie, lit by the sunrise, on the last day she will ever see Versailles. No explanation is given for what happens next historically, or for how the rest of the revolution plays out. So, the film really ends up being just about Marie's time at Versailles - and not a complete picture of her life or the revolution.

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The French Revolution (17891799)

The French Revolution was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France that had a fundamental impact on French history and on modern history worldwide. Experiencing an economic crisis exacerbated by the Seven Years War and the American Revolutionary War, the common people of France became increasingly frustrated by the ineptitude of King Louis XVI and the continued decadence of the aristocracy. This resentment, coupled with burgeoning Enlightenment ideals, fueled radical sentiments and launched the Revolution in 1789 with the convocation of the Estates-General in May. Although France in 1785 faced economic difficulties, mostly concerning the equitability of taxation, it was one of the richest and most powerful nations of Europe. The French people also enjoyed more political freedom and a lower incidence of arbitrary punishment than any of their fellow Europeans. However, Louis XVI, his ministers, and the widespread French nobility had become immensely unpopular. This was a consequence of the fact that peasants and, to a lesser extent, the poor and those aspiring to be bourgeoisie, were burdened with ruinously high taxes levied to support a wealthy monarchy, along with aristocrats and their sumptuous, often gluttonous lifestyles. The fall of the ancien rgime (monarchy) in France may be blamed, in part, on its own rigidity. Aristocrats were confronted by the rising ambitions of the merchants, tradesmen and prosperous farmers, who were allied with aggrieved peasants, wage-earners and intellectuals influenced by the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers. As the revolution proceeded, power devolved from the monarchy and the privileged-by-birth to more-representative political bodies, like legislative assemblies, but conflicts among the formerly allied republican groups became the source of considerable discord and bloodshed.

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Queen Of Fashion
The popularity of the high-waisted regency gown is due to both to French influence in fashion and the Neoclassical rage that swept Europe during the 18th Century. Marie Antoinette is said to have inspired the round gown of the 1790s, which is essentially a dress and robe joined together a nd tied in the front. The silhouette of the time was mainly extra volume hour glass. Marie Antoinette fully embraced Frances styles and fashions, trying to assimilate completely to French culture.

Although, not everyone believed the conversion was sincere, this painting displays many of the intricate trends Marie Antoinette wore as a young French ruler. She is corseted in the slim (and uncomfortable) style prevalent in this era, which required both ample time and courtier assistance to achieve. Finally, her ensembles fine fabrics and intricate bows exemplify the monarchys love of luxury. A lot of emphasis was put on the clothing of the monarchs and their relatives.
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The usual fashion at the beginning of the period was a low-necked gown (usually called in French a robe), worn over a petticoat. Most gowns had skirts that opened in front to show the petticoat worn beneath.

Marie Antoinette had a marked influence on French fashion beginning in the 1780s. Around this time, she had begun to rebel against the structure of court life. She abolished her morning toilette and often escaped to the Petit Trianon with increasing frequency, leading to criticism of her exclusivity by cutting off the traditional right of the aristocracy to their monarch. She and an elite circle of friends would dress in peasant clothing and straw hats and retreat to the chateau. It was out of this practice that her style of dress evolved. By tradition, a lady of the court was instantaneously recognizable by her panniers, corset and weighty silk materials that constructed her gown in style. By doing away with these things, Marie Antoinettes chemise stripped female aristocrats of their traditional identity; noblewomen could now be confused with peasant girls, confusing long standing sartorial differences in class. The chemise was made from a white muslin and the Queen was further accused of importing foreign fabrics and crippling the French silk industry. The
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chemise consisted of thin layers of this muslin, loosely draped around the body and belted at the waist, and was often worn with an apron and a fichu. This trend was quickly adopted by fashionable women in France and England, but upon the debut of a portrait of Marie Antoinette , the clothing style created a scandal and increased the hatred for the Queen. The Queens clothing in the portrait looked like a chemise, nothing more than a garment that women wore under her other clothing or to lounge in the intimate space of the private boudoir. It was perceived to be indecent, and especially unbecoming for the Queen. The sexual nature of the chemise undermined the notions of status and the ideology that gave her and kept her in power. When Marie Antoinette turned thirty, she decided it was no longer decent for her to dress in this way and returned to more acceptable courtly styles, though she still dressed her children in the style of the chemise.

Shoes had high, curved heels (the origin of modern "louis heels") and were made of fabric or leather. Shoe buckles remained fashionable until they were abandoned along with high-heeled footwear and other aristocratic fashions in the years after the French Revolution.

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This dress shows Marie Antoinette evolving toward a more natural, less structured look. Her chemise dress, popular in the 1780s, was a lightweight gown made of very fine fabric gathered in at the natural waist by a sash.

The chemise silhouette still emphasized the waist, but a waist unfettered by corsets. This more comfortable style required less courtier dressing time, and was favored by the young queen as she enjoyed the outdoors with her children at Petit Trianon.

The chemise was also less forgiving. Because it reflected the new taste for all things "natural" inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, it was especially attractive to and on slim young women like Marie Antoinette. This was perhaps the beginning of youth-directed fashion.

The lack of formality of the chemise (and the fact that Marie Antoinette posed in hers for a portrait by her official painter, Elisabeth Vige-Lebrun, who then exhibited it at a widely-attended exhibition in Paris in 1783) caused a huge scandal. The Queen, it was said, had posed in her underwear.
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While it may seen in this style a welcome freeing of the body from the constraints of the corset, the public display of the natural body of the Queen through the thin fabric of the chemise was interpreted by her detractors as an outrageous affront to modesty and to the very dignity of the monarchy.

Whereas we may see sweetness and innocence in the portrait of the queen in a simple dress with a single rose in her hand, others saw indecency and immorality. To make matters worse, the Queen's championing of cotton muslin was also interpreted as a rejection of French silks for the products of France's imperial rival, Britain, which was flooding the market with the newly fashionable fabric from its colonies on the Indian subcontinent.

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Hair Styles In The 18Th Century France

The survival of Marie Antoinettes hair is one of the most important artefacts from the Ancien regime. It marks more a political and sociological significances than an emotional one. The queen and wife of Louis XIV is mentioned whenever fashion in 18th century France is discussed, though she is seen either as the propounder of it or as its prey but never have her hairstyles looked into the political aspect of the empire. The queens hair marked her way of accepting or resisting the changes in her life and her hairstyles is what made her make an identity in France. Her hair had a political aspect before she got married; this is because the alliance discussions went upto 4 years. In these 4 years the dauphine underwent training to become suitable as the French queen. France governed by Salic law didnt have any role for women to play apart from doing the exterior honors i.e. reproducing the heir to the throne. The queen of Austria especially asked for a hairdresser to be sent for her daughter from France to make her look like French and the famous Parisian hairdresser Larseneur was sent. The another reason was that, Louis XV wanted to see the dauphine and although several portraits had been painted of Marie but Maria Theresa thought none to be suitable enough to sent to the royal court of France. The style of Marie Antoinette was copied by many Austrian ladies making them look partly French. After rejecting one portrait, the empress approved the second one where the dauphine looked very rigid and neat, no strand of hair out of place or curls flowing.

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Martin van Meytens; Archduchess Marie Antoinette. Vienna

Jean Baptiste Charpentier, Archduchess Marie-Antoinette, Versailles The portrait approved by Maria Theresa

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The headgear being decorated with diamonds, blue silk ribbon and feathers in 1775 but with time the height of the hairstyle grew and some changes were introduced as well.

Jean Baptiste Andre Gautier, Marie Antoinette, 1775 Versailles Further the queens hairdos became politicized in sync with the current events and incidents. For example, with the death of Louis XV in 1774, Marie Antoinette hairstyle had a cypress and cornucopia tree, signifying mourning and hope for new reign. Some of the hairdos had mountains, flowers, fields, gardens etc and soon this was termed as frivolity irking Maria Theresa, the queens mother who explicitly disapproved of it . The queen said that her profligate hairstyles were something needed for her acculturation in France and so were the need of feathers.

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Another one of Marie Antoinettes hairstyle with excessive use of feathers

This extravaganza however led to financial problems as the materials like ostrich feathers, jewels etc needed to create such hairstyles were very expensive and costly. This is because every young girl in the empire wanted to emulate the queen, often going in debts to adopt and increasing expenses of the households. All the blame fell on the queen for it was she who introduced this coiffure. The queens hair further became the issue of the state where her hair ceremonies and rituals became an event to be invited to giving social status and particular privileges & those nobles not invited felt offended.

Elisabeth Vigee Lebrun Marie Antoinette It is this picture that the queen is criticized to be in her undergarments and hair undressed.
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Her hair brutally cut before her execution was ironic, as the same hair before commanded respect and represented France. Later after her death, her hair still were politically important as people remembered her coiffure and style and were used in 1990s for DNA testing to confirm, a body of a child, to be that of Louis XVII or not, playing a historically important role throughout in life and after death. . For Marie Antoinette, it became a symbol of self expression, personal identity and imagination as hair can be cut and styled in anyway. 18th century France has been compared to a restaurant kitchen where hairstyles and headgears originated and sent around the world where they further transformed and the place of origin forgotten. Thus to end, hair became in this century a platform for men to stake their professional and social identities. With that there were notions prevailing of how, bigger the wigs, bigger is the male sexual organ implying superiority in masculinity and virility. For women, it was how they were bearers of fashion and defining it in a certain social gatherings. Though underestimated in history and not paid much attention too, hair is an important artefact.

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Effects of the French Revolution

The effects of the French Revolution not only had long-lasting consequences for France, but also for the rest of the world as Europe saw a rising middle class and Napolean Bonaparte's rise to power.

The Reign of Terror

While the goal of the French Revolution was in fact to establish a more democratic government that represents all people as opposed to just the wealthy and the aristocracy, the result really ended up being relative chaos. The Reign of Terror, largely administrated by Danton and Robespierre, saw the beheading of many members of the royalty, including Marie Antoinette and countless others who were members of the French court or in some way considered a threat to the new government.

Napolon Bonaparte
As France struggled under ineffective leadership that changed very little in the course of the daily lives of the peasants, Napolon was able to return from a campaign in Egypt and, relatively easily, seize power with military help. Napolon established what is known as the Napoleonic Code. Perhaps the most far-reaching consequence of this was the establishment of the Napoleonic Code or Code civil des Franais.Essentially, the Code made the legal system more fair to all in France regardless of religion or wealth.

An Emerging Middle Class

Since the Revolution essentially ended the feudal system in France, one effect that would greatly influence French culture was the emergence of a middle class or bourgeoisie.

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Marie Antoinette's Influence On The French Revolution

She was the Queen of France, wife of King Louis XVI, as well as having her parents being: Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and the Empress of Austria Maria Theresa. Being "Royal" tends to make one "influential".

Her position as Queen as the French Revolution approached... And being completely out-of-touch and uncaring of the plight of the peasants leads to her changing the "face of history". While the French people were starving, her and her husband spent lavishly, ate well, and lived in legendary extravagance.

In many minds, her behavior led to the French Revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy... her execution by guillotine.

One key phrase attributed to her: Upon being alerted that her people were suffering due to widespread bread shortages, she is said to have replied, "Then let them eat cake."

This type of callousness on the part of the monarchy is often referred to when studying the possible factors that may have led to the French Revolution.

One factor that is important to understand when studying this phrase is the increasing unpopularity of the monarchy as the eve of the French Revolution approached. From the beginning of his reign, Louis XVI was seen as ineffective, uninformed and naive, while Marie Antoinette's frivolity and extravagance were seen as factors that only worsened France's impending economic recession. In fact, the public was so convinced that it was Antoinette who had single-handedly ruined France's finances that they gave her the nickname "Madame Dficit."

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Therefore, with such strong sentiments of dissatisfaction and anger towards the king and queen, it is quite possible that a discontented individual fabricated the scenario in which Marie Antoinette used the now infamous phrase.

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Bibliography
Wikipedia http://txmdwebsite.angelfire.com/ http://pinterest.com/deluxemaison/marie-antoinette/ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090311112337AAlzNsY http://www.history.com/topics/marie-antoinette http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/fashion/2006/11/the_queens_closet.html http://www.biography.com/people/marie-antoinette-9398996?page=3 http://www.vogue.it/en/trends/trend-of-the-day/2012/07/marie-antoinette-style#ad-image1 http://www.collegefashion.net/inspiration/fashion-philosophy-marie-antoinette/ Google images Final Year Project on HAIR & WIGS IN 18TH CENTURY FRANCE submitted by Angel Kharya in Lady Shri Ram College For Girls, Delhi University.

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