Shearer's all right, but I'll always wonder if Marion Davies, who was dying to play the part, might not have been better. Davies had it tough at this point getting good scripts, but she was a natural for Marie. Her talent has been underrated. The movie definitely has its moments, but there are problems. The opulence is so unrelenting that it's actually rather numbing. Shearer is supposed to be attracted to Joseph Schildkraut, but with his painted face and lipstick and funny eyebrows it's hard to believe it. Power has never looked better, but he's a bit flat in a role that lacks dimension anyway. Daryl Zanuck (Power was under contract to Fox) was apparently so appalled that he vowed never to lend him out again. John Barrymore is a welcome addition, but what a bizarre decision to make Madame DuBarry (Gladys George) merely a vulgar and aged (George was supposedly 38, but seems older) roadhouse "ho"! DuBarry had too much competition at Versailles not to make a better appearance than that. Crass she may have been, but come on! I'm afraid they stacked the deck, as usual, to make Shearer shine, but she'd have shone more with a worthier adversary -- not necessarily the Dolores Del Rio of the marvelous "Madame DuBarry," but at least an Ona Munson type. I'm afraid Woody Van Dyke was a little journeyman-like in his direction. Probably his heart wasn't in it. The strain of such an "important" production seems to have sapped his flair and sense of play. That said, Shearer works hard (too visibly so, much of the time) and a lot of it pays off.
Review of Marie Antoinette
