Marie Antoinette (1938 film)

Marie Antoinette is a 1938 American historical drama film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[3][4] It was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette. Based upon the 1932 biography of the ill-fated Queen of France by the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, it had its Los Angeles premiere at the legendary Carthay Circle Theatre, where the landscaping was specially decorated for the event.

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Marie Antoinette
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	W. S. Van Dyke
Screenplay by	Donald Ogden Stewart Ernest Vajda Claudine West F. Scott Fitzgerald (uncredited) Talbot Jennings (uncredited dialogue)
Based on	Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman 1932 biography by Stefan Zweig
Produced by	Hunt Stromberg
Starring	Norma Shearer Tyrone Power John Barrymore Robert Morley Anita Louise Joseph Schildkraut Gladys George Henry Stephenson
Cinematography	William H. Daniels
Edited by	Robert Kern
Music by	Herbert Stothart
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's, Inc.
Release date	July 8, 1938 (1938-07-08)
Running time	150 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2,926,000[1][2]
Box office	$2,956,000 (worldwide rentals)[1][2]

The film was the last project of Irving Thalberg who died in 1936 while it was in the planning stage. His widow, Norma Shearer, remained committed to the project even while her enthusiasm for her film career in general was waning following his death.

With a budget over two million dollars, it was one of the more expensive films of the 1930s, but also one of the bigger successes.