Marie Antoinette (1938)

There are some actors that I wish I liked more than I do. Norma Shearer is one of those. There are a couple of roles that I have enjoyed her in, but they are few and far between. Marie Antoinette is not one of them. A lavish, excessively long costume drama that surely takes liberties with Marie Antoinette’s actual life history, Shearer leads the cast with histrionics and overacting every other scene. Robert Morley’s Louix XVI is the opposite, dull and mostly forgettable. John Barrymore is underutilized, Joseph Schildkraut is over the top malicious, Tyrone Power’s entire role could be cut from the film. The costumes and sets are beautiful. I imagine they took up the majority of the movie’s expense. I’m sure they would have been ravishing if the film had been in Technicolor.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Art Direction; Best Music, Original Score