Marie Antoinette

From what I've read about Marie Antoinette the actual story is fairly accurate. Okay there may be some inaccuracies but not anything important. The actors are brilliant and are completely believable, especially the awkward Louis. I felt genuine sadness for these people trapped inside their gilded cages, especially when we can see what is to come at their end. You get a real insight into how these people were just pawns in a power game. I was surprised and extremely pleased at how unPC it is, considering its made by the BBC but for once they put historical accuracy before virtue signalling. I cant see the point in making a historical drama thats not historical. Hope this is a sign of things to come, it's really good!

This seems to be a divisive one.

Personally, I loved it... It had a slow start but I appreciated how much atmosphere was built before the series properly gets going. The first episode almost felt like a horror ... tense & claustrophobic ... whereas the rest of the series gradually becomes lighter, funnier & more energetic.

It is beautifully shot, beautifully dressed & beautifully performed. The young cast are fantastic. I hope to see them in many future things. The score is also stunning!

This series has an unusual tone that's difficult to place... It can often seem like a traditional (but very well done) period drama but then surprises you with a modern flourish or wink to the viewer... It's like The Crown with moments of The Great.

I'm not bothered by any creative licenses with the real history... the show doesn't seem to market itself as a literal account, & I'd rather be entertained than educated in this instance!

Period dramas aren't usually our thing but we loved this series. It's interesting at the beginning but gets so good as it goes a long and the characters age up.

The sets were impressive - they just kept going and going during some of the longer tracking shots. The way the show is filmed is really effective.

The characters were brilliant, whether we were loving them or loved to hate them. Some interesting coincidences with the brother drama in the royal family atm. The whole series actually felt like a commentary on the current british monarchy.

I would like to have seen more of what was going on in France at the time, to contrast all the excess and frivolity of the court. But we really enjoyed this look into Marie Antoinette's life and her gilded cage, and will be hooked for more.

If you are looking for historical accuracy you may want to look elsewhere but what Davis has delivered is a wry, intimate depiction of a royal family who, bored of their privilege, find purpose in tearing each other down. It doesn't quite match the production value of the Netflix & co behemoths but the costume and sets more than pull their weight.

Any shortcomings are elevated by a cast full of promise. Led by a fiery performance from Schüle full of charm and sincerity, well supported by her husband who gives a sensitive evolution to the Dauphin turned king. The machiavellian 'spare' and his wife Josephine are highly entertaining in their schemes yet still deliver a sense of pathos, and the Princess Lamballe provides a rare source of compassion in this cold and spiteful court. There are other gems in the ensemble although some characters can feel one-note at points; acceptable in a 2 hour satirical film but less forgivable in an 8-part series.

Cattiness and Gossip are the cornerstones of this Versailles, which whilst fun can become repetitive and feel trivial at points. Ultimately, the main throughline of this series is the romance (or lack of) between the young queen & king and so the potential of civil unrest disturbing these royals and their petty squabbles is an exciting prospect. Fortunately, knowing the fate of this family, the stakes can only be raised considerably in future seasons.

I find the reviews saying that this series is historically inaccurate and full of falsehoods very tedious.

It is a series not a documentary.

No one was expecting it to be historically precise - none of us were there to make it so.

You can add that this would not have happened, that would not have happened, blah blah blah.

Look I love History, especially European history and Royal family's. But viewers need to get over themselves.

Regardless of how loosely this is based on Marie Antoinette's journey into life in France, it is magically captivating and kept me enchanted. The acting is good, the costumes stunning and overall an enjoyable series.

There are many documentaries on Marie Antoinette, if you want to be that concerned about historical facts, go watch one of them.

The idea that you could start watching this series and imagine that everything was accurate in it is beyond a joke.

Go into this series with no preconceptions and enjoy it for what it is.

You never know, it may spark an interest in viewers to learn more about Marie Antoinette and do fact checking themselves.

It is a perfectly lovely series that kept me entertained. Very recommended, if you can override your need for historical accuracy and just get a life.