MARIE ANTOINETTE is an amazingly lush production. The details on screen is at times staggering. The production team is to be credited for such an eye filling spectacle. With that said, the film doesn't really work. The script is badly conceived and its main star is as dull as a star can be.<br /><br />First the script: it spends a lot of time on Marie Antoinette and very little time on why or how the revolution started. Little histrionic moments are blown up to gargantuan proportions and yet important events about her or the French Revolution are all but forgotten. The script is totally ill-conceived and no amount of great direction or production values can overcome this major weakness. Three quarters of the film revolves around MA and then suddenly, there's a revolution is in full swing. There's no smooth transition between the main storyline from MA to the French Revolution, which just happens almost out of nowhere. The switch in storyline is abrupt and jarring.<br /><br />The second major liability is its star: Norma Shearer. Shearer is an actress of limited range and after watching her for almost three hours, her limited range became increasingly obvious with each passing minute. Whether she's getting married or when she falls in love with handsome Tyrone Power or when the peasants storm the Château, Shearer's expression hardly changes. As Marie Antoinette and her family try to escape the tumult, the stagecoach they're escaping in is eventually stopped by an angry crowd. The crowd is overwhelming and the situation is wrought with tension. So how does Norma react when the stage coach is stopped? She bites her lip.<br /><br />But even actors of limited range can get away with this problem when they have star power or screen presence. Sadly, Norma has little or no star power. This is my first film with Norma Shearer and it's probably going to be my last. Shearer has zero star quality. She is as bland as can be. It also doesn't help that she's way too old to play the part. But again, this wouldn't have been a problem if she had some sort of screen presence.<br /><br />The odd part of this spectacular film is that it's a feast for the eyes and in the middle of all of it is this bland, boring presence we have to watch for nearly three hours. Watching Norma Shearer in MARIE ANTOINETTE is like being handed a plate of tofu amidst a table filled with every conceivable meal imaginable. Everything, and I mean everything, including Robert Morley, outshines her. <br /><br />I give 10 stars for the production values and excellent supporting cast. If you watch MARIE ANTOINETTE for the sets and costumes, you won't be disappointed. Just don't expect some compelling performance from its star.