Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette (1938)

Timing: 2:29 (149 min)

6.485/10
34

7.624/10
500

7.3/10
3600

All about film

Video 1

Photo 3

Actors and characters

Release date

1938-08-26

Country

United States

Production

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Genre

Drama, History

Budget

$2 926 000

Revenue

$0

Website

Director

W.S. Van Dyke

Actors

Norma Shearer, Tyrone Power, John Barrymore, Robert Morley, Anita Louise, Joseph Schildkraut, Gladys George, Henry Stephenson, Cora Witherspoon, Barnett Parker
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Irving Thalberg, Hunt Stromberg

Operator

Leonard Smith

Composer

Herbert Stothart

Artist

Audition

Editing

Robert Kern
All team (25)

• The film used thousands of luxurious dresses, and was shot with lavish sets. Costume designer Adrian (1903-1959) specifically studied the historical period depicted in the film (the second half of the 18th century) during trips to France and Austria in 1937. He also studied portraits of Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) and even examined them under a microscope to discern the fabric and embroidery details. Immense attention was paid to detail. Fabrics were created specifically for the film, and the stitches were so small they were impossible to see with the naked eye. Due to the embroidery, trim, and precious stones used, some of the dresses were very heavy. The dresses worn by Norma Shearer (1902-1983) in the film weighed a total of over 1,768 pounds, or 800 kilograms, with the wedding dress being the heaviest.
• Initially, it was planned to film the entire movie in “Technicolor,” and the sets and dresses were constructed with this in mind. The “MGM” film company even sent a fox-fur-trimmed item of women’s clothing worn by Norma Shearer (1902-1983) to New York to be specially dyed to match her eye color. However, considering all the additional costs that using “Technicolor” would entail, it would further increase the film’s already gigantic (for the time) budget of $1.8 million, and the filmmakers decided to shoot in black and white after all.