New Marie Antoinette drama strikes out in a different direction

Forget all the recent wrangling over whether a fish finger and cheese-filled croissant was actually real food or not, we Brits love the French.

Their history, at any rate.

From the producers behind the delightfully camp and opulent series Versailles, comes this historical romp with a feminist twist.

Yes, we’re back in the Hall of Mirrors and scurrying through more rooms in France’s most famous palace, this time telling the story of Marie Antoinette.

It comes 16 years after Sofia Coppola’s take on the French queen starring Kirsten Dunst, and stars Emilia Schule in the leading role.

The story follows Marie Antoinette who, at barely 14 years old, leaves Austria to marry the Dauphin of France.

She grows from a stubborn young princess – carefully navigating the rules of the French court while under immense pressure to continue the Bourbon line – into a true fashion icon.

Her natural charisma attracts all sorts of interests, as she recreates life at Versailles in her own image: free, independent and feminist ahead of time.

Despite rumours undermining her reputation, Marie Antoinette sets out to defeat her enemies at court with a heady mix of courage and dignity.

It’s a long way from the traditional image of Marie Antoinette, who became a poster girl for the French Revolution. Her reputation was sullied by her love of extravagant jewellery and apparent vanity, while her response to being told the peasants could not afford bread became the stuff of legend: “qu’ils mangent de la brioche” – translating to “then let them eat cake”. Ironically, not all historians agree she actually uttered the words, but let’s not let facts spoil a juicy quote.

This drama strikes out in a different direction, and aims to cast Marie Antoinette in a fresh light. “It’s a new take on her life,” says Emilia. “She’s not just the spoiled girl that became a fashion icon. She’s a modern, feminist character.”

This undeniably charming yet feisty heroine is the creation of Oscar-winning screenwriter Deborah Davis, who co-wrote The Favourite, and her work here clearly impressed French executives.

Fabrice de la Patelliere, head of drama at French channel CANAL+ said: “The story of Marie Antoinette is timeless, and her life continues to intrigue and capture the imagination of contemporary viewers.

“The scripts for this series are compelling, and we have the ideal partners to bring the work of Deborah Davis to life,” adding it would be a “high-end, decadent” drama on an “epic scale”.

He’s not kidding: locations for the series include the Versailles palace – naturally – as well as the palaces at Vaux-le-Vicomte, Lesigny, Champs and Voisins.

The drama begins in Marie Antoinette’s free-spirited teenage years, when our heroine is devastated to be sent to France and expected to marry the Dauphin, who she quickly learns is both rude and strange.

She also struggles to get to grips with the ridiculous rules of etiquette in the French court, and has a difficult time telling her potential friends from potential foes. She is, as Emilia eloquently puts it: “scared to death”.

The sparkling cast also includes Louis Cunningham as Louis XVI, James Purefoy as Louis XV and Gaia Weiss as Madame du Barry.