Assignment 17: Claire Telfer

The Bling Ring and Marie Antoinette, both directed by Sophia Coppola, are based off of events in our history, some events more recent than others. I found myself watching The Bling Ring over winter break because I'm a fan of Emma Watson's movies, and I enjoyed how Coppola crafted the characters of the Hollywood Hills thieves as privileged druggies with a stealing addiction. Much like Kirsten Dunst's Marie Antoinette, the characters in each movie started off as superficial and one-dimensional, but only Marie Antoinette redeemed herself by the end of the movie. Marie Antoinette attempted to live a more reserved life without as much superfluous spending, but ultimately ended up being taken away by the people who decided her fate at the end of the movie. The celebrity-wannabes in The Bling Ring stole jewelry and clothes from the stars in Hollywood and although they ended up in jail, they never acknowledged that what they did was wrong. Sophia Coppola wasn't concerned with the likability of the characters in each film, but rather showing each story in the most honest light she could. Coppola used fashion, money and jewelry in each film to represent the elitist culture and artificial values they share, despite being centuries apart.