Sofia Coppola revisits Marie Antoinette through mother's documentary

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 14:58 · Archive

A new documentary by Eleanor Coppola, shot 20 years ago on the set of her daughter Sofia's film, has been completed after Eleanor's death in 2024.

Eleanor Coppola filmed 80 hours of footage on the set of Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst, at the Palace of Versailles near Paris. The film was Sofia's third feature and was based on the Antonia Fraser biography, shot in period costume and set before the 1789 French Revolution. It featured an unconventional soundtrack with pop tracks from the 1970s and 1980s, and was met with criticism from French reviewers.

The new documentary, titled Making Marie Antoinette, compiles Eleanor's behind-the-scenes footage. Sofia and Eleanor edited the material together during the Covid lockdown. Eleanor died in 2024, and the documentary was completed to fulfil her wishes. Diane Lane reads excerpts from Eleanor's journals reflecting on her time on set and her relationship with her daughter.

Sofia Coppola said the experience was touching. She told the Press Association: 'It was so touching to go through this footage and see that time through my mum's eyes. Now I have grown children of my own, I can see it from a mother's perspective.' She added that having the footage was 'a gift' and that she felt 'so lucky' her mother had captured so much material.

How it is being reported

• Sofia Coppola ‘touched’ to see her work through her mother’s eyes in documentaryMaking Marie Antoinette features footage from the 80 hours that Eleanor Coppola filmed on the set 20 years ago.Evening Standard · 22 Oct, 14:26
• Making Marie Antoinette review – sweet Coppola home movie indulges the family businessShot by Sofia’s mother Eleanor this documentary shows something of the strain of shooting a period piece, but is a far cry from the tumultuous portrait of her husband in Hearts of Darkness It is 20 years since the release of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst; it is a supportively unjudging, unironised study of the queen’s early years before the 1789 revolution, lavishly and accurately costumed, shot on location at Versailles and based on the Antonia Fraser biography – but also subversively and amusingly using pop tracks from the 70s and 80s on the soundtrack. It got a…The Guardian · 21 Oct, 09:00

In this story: Sofia Coppola · Eleanor Coppola · Kirsten Dunst · Francis Ford Coppola · Diane Lane · Palace of Versailles

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