Marie Antoinette: The Trial of a Queen is the English title of a French docudrama in two parts which premiered in 2018. The title explains the topic.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** French title: Marie Antoinette: Ils ont jugé la reine
** Director: Alain Brunard
** Based on the book Juger la reine by Emmanuel
de Waresquiel (2016) (2018)
** Language: French
** Subtitles: English
** Available on Tubi TV
** Available via Amazon Prime Video
** Episode 1 = The Trial of a Queen
** Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
** Episode 2 = The Last Days of Marie Antoinette
** Run time: 52 minutes
The docudrama is composed of two elements:
(1) A traditional documentary film where modern experts (known as talking heads) appear from time to time
(2) A drama in which historical scenes are reconstructed by modern actors.
The trial of Marie Antoinette took place in October 1793. The former queen faced several serious charges. The three main charges were as follows:
# 1. Depletion of the national treasury = spending too much money
# 2. Conspiracy against the state = breaking the laws of the republic
# 3. High treason = helping foreign enemies of the state
The members of the jury were supposed to be picked at random, but the chief of the police and the prosecutor did not want to leave anything to chance.
They wanted to be certain that the defendant was going to be found guilty, so they made sure that all members of the jury were known as strong supporters of the revolution.
At the time of the trial, the prosecution did not have much evidence to support the charges. The charges were mostly based on nasty rumours and malicious gossip.
But the members of the jury were ready to believe the witnesses who testified against the former queen. They found her guilty. She was sentenced to death. Execution by the guillotine.
What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 73 percent.
On Amazon there are at the moment only two reviews of this product: one offers a rating of five stars, while the other offers a rating of four stars. The average rating is 4.6 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 92 percent.
If you are interested in the history of modern France, in particular the history of the French Revolution, this film is definitely something for you. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
PS. The French book on which the docudrama is based has good reviews on Amazon. At the moment there are 47 ratings and 22 reviews. The average rating is 4.4 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 88 percent.
RELEVANT RESOURCES
# 1. Docudramas (in French)
** The Rise and fall of Versailles (2008)
This film is divided into three parts:
Episode 1 = Louis XIV = 59 minutes
Episode 2 = Louis XV = 59 minutes
Episode 3 = Louis XVI = 49 minutes
** Portraits: Louis XIV (2012) (2014)
French title: Louis XIV: Les Passions du Roi Soleil
Run time: 1 hour 56 minutes
** 1715: The Sun King Is Dead (2015)
French title: La Mort de Louis XIV
Run time: 54 minutes
** The Private Life of Marie Antoinette (2008) (2014)
French title: Marie Antoinette Intime
Run time: 1 hour 51 minutes
# 2. Books (in English)
** Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser (2001) (2002)
** Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France by Evelyne Lever (2001) (2006)
** Marie Antoinette: An Intimate History by Melanie Clegg (2015)
# 3. A website
Women in the French Revolution: A Resource Guide
(Library of Congress) (Research Guides)
*****
Juger la reine
By Emmanuel de Waresquiel
(2016)
*****
Juger la reine
By Emmanuel de Waresquiel
(2018)
*****
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