Le Versailles Secret de Marie Antoinette is the French title of a documentary film which premiered in 2018. In 2024, it was shown on French and German television (arte).
The title explains the topic.
This film is about Marie
Antoinette and her life at the Palace of Versailles (1770-1789).
Here is some basic information about this film:
** The German title: Marie Antoinette und die Geheimnisse von Versailles
** Directors: Sylvie Faiveley & Mark Daniels
** Writers: Sylvie Faiveley, Mark Daniels, and Niksa Dzordeski
** Run time: 91 minutes
Several historical experts are interviewed in this film.
Here are the names of the participants
(listed in alphabetical order):
** Alain Baraton – chief gardener – garden of Trianon
** Jérémie Benoit – chief curator at the Palace of Versailles
** Hélène Delalex – curator at the Palace of Versailles
** Evelyn Farr – a historian
** Raphael Masson – chief curator at the Palace of Versailles
** Jacques Moulin – chief architect of historical monuments
** Caroline Weber – a historian
Several historical moments have been reconstructed by actors.
These moments show Marie Antoinette and some of the people who were connected with her, such as her husband King Louis XVI and her close friend Axel von Fersen.
This film is a combination of talking heads and historical moments which have been reconstructed by actors.
Marie Louis was born in Vienna in Austria in November 1755. In May 1770, she came to Versailles where she was married to the crown prince Louis.
Both of them were very young. Marie Antoinette was only 14, while Louis was only 15.
The marriage was arranged by the rulers of Austria and France. The purpose of the marriage was to create a political alliance between the two countries.
The bride and the groom were not asked if they wanted to marry each other. They were told what to do. This was a duty which had to be done, because they were both members of a royal family.
In May 1774, when King Louis XV died, his son succeeded him as King Louis XVI. Marie Antoinette was no longer a crown princess; she was the Queen of France.
During the first four years, while she was a crown princess, Marie did not feel at home at the royal palace. She was far from home in a foreign country. She did not really fit in. She was lost.
In 1774, when she became the Queen of France, her husband gave her a present: he gave her a small palace located in the park surrounding Versailles. This building is known as Petit Trianon. It was her personal property.
In 1774, Marie Antoinette was 18 years old, and when she received this present, she found a purpose in her life.
She decided to renovate the building. She hired an architect to supervise the task, but she also took a personal role in this project.
Once the renovation of the Trianon was completed, she began to spend more time at this place.
She did not like life in the main building, because this life was public. She was never alone. She could not choose her own company. She was constantly followed and observed by members of the royal court.
Since the Trianon was her personal property, she could control access to this place.
She could go there to be alone. She could decide who was allowed to enter the place. She liked to go there and spend time with a few close friends.
Once the renovation of the Trianon was done, she began a second project: the area next to the Trianon was a botanical garden created by a former king.
She did not care much for this garden. She decided to replace it with an English garden. What is the difference between a French and an English garden?
A French garden is dominated by straight lines and symmetrical patterns. Bushes and trees are placed in straight lines, like soldiers in a parade.
Much of the park surrounding Versailles is laid out as a French park.
An English Garden has a natural look. The landscape is not flat. There are hills. The footpath does not follow a straight line. There are curves. There is a river. But it does not follow a straight line. There are twists and turns.
As explained in the film, this is not nature, as it is. This is nature, as some people think it should be. Marie Antoinette liked this concept.
In her English garden there is a river and a hill with rocks; there is a circular monument known as the temple of love, inspired by the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome; and there is an octagonal tower known as the Belvedere.
Once again, she hired an architect to supervise the task. Once again, she also took a personal role in the project.
The renovation of the Trianon and the creation of the English garden gave her a purpose in life. She began to feel more at home at Versailles.
But many members of the royal court did not like what they saw. She was getting too independent. She could do what she wanted, because she was the queen.
Most members of the royal court could not do what they wanted. They were bound by a strict protocol which had developed since Louis XIV.
They were jealous of her. But they could not stop her, because the was the queen. Since they could not stop her, they did something else: they began to circulate negative rumours about her.
They began to complain about her.
They had two major complaints.
# 1. She was spending too much money on projects which were not necessary. In addition, she was losing huge amounts of money on gambling.
# 2. She had not produced an heir to the throne. Six-seven years after getting married, Marie and Louis still had no children.
The Austrian ambassador in France heard the negative rumours and the complaints. He was concerned. He reported to Marie’s mother in Vienna. Her mother was deeply concerned.
If the marriage did not produce an heir to the throne, the French king might cancel the marriage and send Marie back to her mother. In that case, the political alliance between the two countries would collapse.
This could not be allowed to happen. Marie’s mother took action. She sent one of her sons to France. He was told to have a personal talk with Marie as well as a personal talk with her husband. The son was told to find out what was wrong and to fix the problem, whatever it was.
The son travelled to France. He met with his sister and with her husband. Intimate details were discussed. They had to be discussed, because the relationship between Austria and France was in danger of falling apart if the young couple could not figure out how to have children.
It turned out Marie and Louis did not know much about how to make children. But now they were told what to do and they were told to get started! They did. A few months later, Marie could write a letter to her mother and tell her that she was pregnant.
It was good news. But in December 1778, when the child was born, it turned out that it was a daughter. The king needed a son. They had to try again.
Better luck next time!
During her life at Versailles, Marie Antoinette gave birth to four children; two daughters and two sons:
** Marie Therese (1778-1851)
** Louis Joseph (1781-1789)
** Louis Charles (1785-1795)
** Sophie Hélène (1786-1787)
As the chart shows, only one of the four children survived the years of the French revolution: the daughter Marie Therese.
Marie was interested in fashion. She became famous for the clothes she wore and for the way her hair was done.
As explained in the film, Marie Antoinette did not follow the trend. She was the trend!
Her interest in fashion made her popular with some, but it also made her unpopular with others. They said she spent too much money on fashion!
Most members of the royal court wore clothes made of silk. When Marie asked her designer to create a simple dress made of cotton, the workers of the silk industry complained, because her cotton dress was so popular that nobody wanted to order dresses made of silk.
In 1783, Marie began a new project. This time she wanted to create a small village in the far corner of the park surrounding Versailles. This village became known as the Queen’s Hamlet.
Twelve small buildings were constructed and placed in a semi-circle along an artificial lake. The project took three years. It was completed in 1786. This was only three years before the revolution broke out.
Once again, she hired an architect to supervise the task. Once again. She took a personal role in the project.
Marie liked to invite her close friends to have a picnic in the village. She also brought her children to the village in order to teach them about life in a rural village.
In this film, the focus is on the Trianon, on the English garden and in particular on the Queen’s Hamlet, which was falling apart.
The buildings were not built on a solid foundation. They were sinking. The buildings had not been maintained or renovated for many years.
Professional workers have now been hired to take care of these buildings. In the film, some of them are seen covered by a scaffold, while renovation is taking place. The exterior and the interior of these buildings must be restored.
Professional experts have also been hired to find original furniture, if this is possible. If this is not possible, the experts are looking for items which are similar to the original furniture.
What do reviewers say about this film?
Here are two answers:
On IMDb it has a rating of 70 percent, which corresponds to a rating of 3.5 stars on Amazon.
On Amazon France there are at the moment 15 ratings; three of them with a review.
The average rating is 3.7 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 74 percent.
In my opinion, both ratings are too low.
As stated above, this film offers a combination of talking heads and historical moments which have been reconstructed by actors.
The combination of talking heads and historical moments works very well.
The story of Marie Antoinette and her life at the Palace of Versailles is important. It deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done very well.
If you are interested in the modern history of Europe - in particular the history of the years leading up to the French revolution - this film is definitely something for you.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
PS. This film covers the time when Marie Antoinette lived at the Palace of Versailles (1770-1789).
The final years of her life (1789-1793) are not covered in this film, because during those years she was no longer living at the Palace of Versailles.
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
Versailles: A Biography of a Palace
By Tony Spawforth
(2008)
Visit Versailles: A Guidebook
By Beatrix Saule & Mathieu da Vinha
(2012)
# 2. Film and video
The Rise and Fall of Versailles
(Three episodes)
(2008)
The Private Life of Marie Antoinette
(2008)
Marie Antoinette: The Trial of a Queen
(2018)
Marie Antoinette: The Doomed Queen
(2020)
*****
Le Versailles Secret de
Marie Antoinette
A documentary film
which premiered in 2018
*****
Marie Antoinette
(Born 1755)
Crown princess 1770-1774
Queen of France 1774-1792
Executed 1793
This portrait of the queen
was painted by
Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun
in 1783
*****
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