marie antoinette be an amazingly lush production . the detail on screen be at time stagger . the production team be to be credit for such an eye fill spectacle . with that say and the film doesn not really work . the script be badly conceive and it main star be as dull a a star can be . first the script represent it spend a lot of time on marie antoinette and very little time on why or how the revolution start . little histrionic moment be blow up to gargantuan proportion and yet important event about her or the french revolution be all but forget . the script be totally ill conceive and no amount of great direction or production value can overcome this major weakness . three quarter of the film revolve around ma and then suddenly and there a revolution be in full swing . there no smooth transition between the main storyline from ma to the french revolution and which just happen almost out of nowhere . the switch in storyline be abrupt and jarring . the second major liability be it star represent norma shearer . shearer be an actress of limited range and after watch her for almost three hour and her limited range become increasingly obvious with each pass minute . whether she get marry or when she fall in love with handsome tyrone power or when the peasant storm the château and shearer expression hardly change . a marie antoinette and her family try to escape the tumult and the stagecoach theyre escape in be eventually stop by an angry crowd . the crowd be overwhelming and the situation be work with tension . so how do norma react when the stage coach be stop . she bite her lip . but even actor of limited range can get away with this problem when they have star power or screen presence . sadly and norma have little or no star power . this be my first film with norma shearer and it probably go to be my last . shearer have zero star quality . she be as bland a can be . it also doesn not help that she way too old to play the part . but again and this wouldn not have be a problem if she have some sort of screen presence . the odd part of this spectacular film be that it a feast for the eye and in the middle of all of it be this bland and boring presence we have to watch for nearly three hour . watch norma shearer in marie antoinette be like be hand a plate of tofu amidst a table fill with every conceivable meal imaginable . everything and and i mean everything and include robert morley and outshine her . i give 10 star for the production value and excellent support cast . if you watch marie antoinette for the set and costume and you would not be disappoint . just do not expect some compelling performance from it star .