A behind-the-scenes documentary shot by Eleanor Coppola offers fans of her daughter Sofia's 2006 film "Marie Antoinette" an intimate look at the production process. The film starred Kirsten Dunst and depicted the French queen's early years before the 1789 revolution. It was shot on location at Versailles and based on Antonia Fraser's biography.
Sofia Coppola's original film drew criticism from French reviewers for its unconventional approach. According to the source, French critics reportedly objected to what they saw as the reduction of their history to "a music video and fashion shoot" and to the absence of French actors in the cast. The film used pop tracks from the 1970s and 1980s alongside its period setting and lavish, accurate costuming.
Eleanor Coppola's making-of documentary is described as "a sweet family home movie on digital video" that captures some of the strain involved in shooting a complex period production. The source notes it shows the "strain and the longueurs" of the demanding shoot but avoids depicting anything "really explosive or bad-tempered."
The documentary differs markedly in tone from Eleanor Coppola's earlier work. Her 1991 film "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" documented the turbulent production of "Apocalypse Now," directed by her husband Francis Ford Coppola, and is described in the source as "sensational." The new documentary is aimed primarily at the existing fanbase of Sofia's "Marie Antoinette," which the source characterises as "interesting and accomplished."