Myth vs. fact: Marie-Antoinette
Learn about the things movies have gotten wrong about the life of Marie-Antoinette.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.In Greenlandic, Greenland is known as Kalaallit Nunaat: “The Land of the People.”Media Editor: Lucia Barnum
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.“Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.”
Transcript
What Pop Culture Got Wrong
Marie-Antionette
At Britannica, our job is to tell you just the facts about your favorite historical figures.
But sometimes facts still get confused with fiction.
Here's the truth behind everything pop culture got wrong about Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Directed by Sofia Coppola, 2006
Wrong: Marie-Antoinette wore Converse.
When high-top Converse show up in a shoe-shopping montage, the audience knows they wouldn’t have really been there.
This irreverence carries on to the rest of the film’s costuming, though,
with director Sofia Coppola telling interviewers that she would rather dress her cast in shoes she liked that weren’t in style until 50 years later than a period-appropriate design that didn’t fit her aesthetic.
Farewell, My Queen
Directed by Benoît Jacquot, 2012
Wrong: Marie-Antoinette had an affair with a female member of her staff.
This film hints at a possibly erotic aspect to the close friendship of Marie-Antoinette and Gabrielle de Polignac.
Though an affair between courtly women at the time was not unlikely, there is no historical evidence that it was true for Marie-Antoinette.
The queen’s detractors did often spread rumors of her sexual behavior to tarnish her reputation, though. In her lifetime Marie-Antoinette was accused of affairs with women, orgies, and even incest.
The Story of Mankind
Directed by Irwin Allen, 1957
Wrong: Marie-Antoinette said "Let them eat cake.”
This is one of the most enduring myths about Marie-Antoinette, likely invented as negative propaganda against her.
In reality, the saying has been attributed to rulers before Marie-Antoinette’s time, too. There’s no evidence that she responded her subjects’ poverty and hunger with “Let them eat cake.”
Marie-Antionette
At Britannica, our job is to tell you just the facts about your favorite historical figures.
But sometimes facts still get confused with fiction.
Here's the truth behind everything pop culture got wrong about Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Directed by Sofia Coppola, 2006
Wrong: Marie-Antoinette wore Converse.
When high-top Converse show up in a shoe-shopping montage, the audience knows they wouldn’t have really been there.
This irreverence carries on to the rest of the film’s costuming, though,
with director Sofia Coppola telling interviewers that she would rather dress her cast in shoes she liked that weren’t in style until 50 years later than a period-appropriate design that didn’t fit her aesthetic.
Farewell, My Queen
Directed by Benoît Jacquot, 2012
Wrong: Marie-Antoinette had an affair with a female member of her staff.
This film hints at a possibly erotic aspect to the close friendship of Marie-Antoinette and Gabrielle de Polignac.
Though an affair between courtly women at the time was not unlikely, there is no historical evidence that it was true for Marie-Antoinette.
The queen’s detractors did often spread rumors of her sexual behavior to tarnish her reputation, though. In her lifetime Marie-Antoinette was accused of affairs with women, orgies, and even incest.
The Story of Mankind
Directed by Irwin Allen, 1957
Wrong: Marie-Antoinette said "Let them eat cake.”
This is one of the most enduring myths about Marie-Antoinette, likely invented as negative propaganda against her.
In reality, the saying has been attributed to rulers before Marie-Antoinette’s time, too. There’s no evidence that she responded her subjects’ poverty and hunger with “Let them eat cake.”