20 years later, Marie-Antoinette finally reveals her making of: trailer

Behind the scenes of Sofia Coppola’s cult film filmed and commented by her mother, Eleanor.

While an exhibition is currently dedicated to him at the Petit Trianon of the Palace of Versailles, the 20th anniversary of Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola will also be experienced in an exceptional documentary, soon to be streamed on MUBI.

Making Marie Antoinette is made from previously unpublished images filmed during filming by his mother, filmmaker Eleanor Coppola, and edited years later. A process reminiscent of the famous documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Director’s Apocalypsereleased in 1991.

This project matured during the pandemic, before the death of Francis Ford Coppola’s wife, while the two women explored the 80 hours of rushes that were waiting to be exhumed. Sofia Coppola explains:

“My mother and I started going through her images during lockdown. She always wanted to turn what she had filmed into a feature-length documentary. She was on set both as a director and as a mother, so I found it very moving to see these images again and discover our shoot through her eyes.”

More than just a making of, the trailer promises a look behind the scenes of the film but also an intimate documentary, with its voiceover provided by Diane Lane reading extracts from Eleanor’s diaries who sometimes evokes her doubts: “Sofia seems too small and too faded to direct a $40 million film.”

On the set, we also see Francis Ford Coppola observing his daughter at work and giving her some non-artistic advice: “She should throw a Marie Antoinette party and invite everyone to attend“.

Marie Antoinette will be released in cinemas in a restored 4K version on November 25. Making Marie Antoinette will be available on November 6 on MUBI. Trailer: