The common tale of the “the little people” being controlled by the powerful people is timeless. So timeless, that in fact many modern movies have used this same underlying theme. While most would think that these types of movies would generally be war movies, some historical fiction chick-flicks have even adapted the historical topic of imperialism into the stories of today. Just as the United States presented itself to the world as a super power, gaining new territories right and left, the characters in imperialistic-type movies take control of other weaker characters. In the film Marie Antoinette, Marie Antoinette, of the royal Austrian family, marries Louis XVI of France and becomes part of the reason for the French Revolution.
Marie Antoinette is forced to marry Louis XVI when she is fourteen years old due to her mother’s desire to strengthen ties with France. She doesn’t really want to be with Louis in the first place. It was expected that a royal couple would bare an heir to the throne, though Louis and Marie haven’t done so. Tensions between the people of the French court and Marie rise because of this. Marie’s mother warns her of the importance of having an heir. Marie’s ability to stay in France depends upon it. Over time, Marie and Louis have three children. Marie and Louis become king and queen of France after the death of Louis’ grandfather, the French king. Marie enjoys the lavish life of royalty and the parties that accompany it. She takes interest in men other than her husband at these parties and begins an affair with a Swedish count. France’s financial situation is beginning to look bleak because of Louis and Marie’s out-of-control spending. Marie spends lots of tax dollars on gambling, shoes, clothes, and wigs. The French working class is frustrated with the way the government is being run. These people are starving. The French people march to Versailles to revolt and the royal family must leave to go to a safer location.
The last scene of the movie is of Marie Antoinette’s destroyed bedroom.
In imperialism, a greater force overtakes or controls a weaker group. In Marie Antoinette, the French royals, Louis and Marie, oppress the working class in France by taxing these people heavily to fund their own extravagant wants. In Karl Marx’s terms, the royals acted as the Bourgeoise and the commoners were the Proletariate. The Bourgeoise gave the Proletariate jobs and depended on them to do their dirty work. The upper class abuses the taxes its citizens pay by spending them on frivolous items. If the queen and king wanted something, but they didn’t have enough money to pay for it, more taxes would be placed upon the commoners. The royals neglected to take care of their people. The commoners were mistreated and didn’t have a say in their government. People can only last so long under pressure before they break. Eventually, the commoners would have had enough of the oppression and would fight against their controllers, just like what happened during the French Revolution. Oppression, unequal distribution of power, and heavy taxes all contributed to the theme of imperialism in the film, Marie Antoinette. Imperialistic countries neglect the people they gain from the newly conquered land and force these people to change to benefit the country. In France, the royals wanted the commoners to change their lifestyle so that they could afford to pay more taxes, even if that meant going hungry. Marie Antoinette’s supposed famous line “Let them eat cake” was said after someone questioned how the people of France would be able afford to buy bread. This definitely shows how little the people running the French government at the time cared about their citizens.
Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Jacques_Bertaux_-_Prise_du_palais_des_Tuileries_-_1793_.jpg
