Mubi has acquired worldwide rights for “Making Marie Antoinette,” a behind-the-scenes look at Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning film “Marie Antoinette.”
The documentary, which marks the 20th anniversary of “Marie Antoinette,” is built from roughly 80 hours of previously unseen footage shot by Eleanor Coppola on the set of her daughter’s third feature, which starred Kirsten Dunst as the doomed French queen and Jason Schwartzman as Louis XVI.
Shot in 2005 at the Palace of Versailles — where Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” became the first film production ever granted permission to shoot — the footage captures the craftsmanship behind one of the filmmaker’s most distinctive works, from Milena Canonero’s lavish costume design to the experience of a young female director mounting a daring period film on a grand scale.
The project was assembled to fulfill Eleanor Coppola’s wish that the material be turned into a feature-length documentary. “Making Marie Antoinette” was edited by Aaron Matthews, with input from Eleanor Coppola’s close friends Davia Nelson and Liz Bird. In the film, Eleanor Coppola is voiced by Diane Lane, who reads passages from the late filmmaker’s journals reflecting on her time on set and her relationship with her daughter. The result is both a portrait of the making of a landmark film and an intimate mother-daughter story.
