Shadow of the Guillotine

This film has several advantages over the 1938 Norma Shearer version: It is made by the French; it is more historically - one could say maniacally - accurate in its sequencing of events; it is more intimate, concentrating on Marie's love affair with Fersen without skimping on the recreation of every important watershed in the Revolution; it uses actual locations (Versailles, Trianon, le Hameau and the Tuileries); it is in color; it has very gripping and unforgettable moments of suspense; and it stars Michèle Morgan, one the most beautiful and naturally aristocratic women on the planet and also a very touching actress. The film excels in discretely recreating the actual look and feel of Marie Antoinette's world (such as her pastoral distractions, the formality of court life and the detailed horror of her treatment by the Revolution). (official distributor synopsis)