Marie Antoinette and Friends, Three Films by Sofia Coppola

This Harvard Film Archive program brings together three films by Sofia Coppola: *The Virgin Suicides* (1999), *Marie Antoinette* (2006), and *The Bling Ring* (2013). Presented as an unofficial trilogy, the series examines young women whose seemingly privileged lives conceal isolation, danger, and impending loss.

The program centers on Coppola’s distinctive combination of carefully composed visual style, emotionally restrained performances, fashion, music, and anachronistic details. Its films also share a heightened awareness that the audience often knows what will happen before the characters do: Marie Antoinette’s pursuit of pleasure is shadowed by her fate, the Lisbon sisters’ deaths are announced from the beginning of *The Virgin Suicides*, and *The Bling Ring* opens with its perpetrators already caught.

The presentation follows the twentieth anniversary of *Marie Antoinette*. The page notes that Coppola adapted Antonia Fraser’s 2001 biography, filmed extensively at Versailles, and assembled a large cast with elaborate costumes influenced by her longstanding interest in fashion. The film draws on the formal grandeur of works such as *Barry Lyndon* and *Amadeus*, while contrasting imposing period settings with naturalistic candlelit and moonlit scenes and deliberately contemporary touches.

When: September 18–November 15

Venue: Harvard Film Archive

Films: *The Virgin Suicides* (1999), *Marie Antoinette* (2006), and *The Bling Ring* (2013), all directed by Sofia Coppola

Showtimes: Friday, September 18, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., *The Virgin Suicides*, screening on film; Friday, September 18, 2026, at 9:15 p.m., *The Bling Ring*, screening on film; Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., *Marie Antoinette*, screening on film; and Sunday, November 15, at 3:00 p.m., *Marie Antoinette*, screening on film

Tickets: The October 29 *Marie Antoinette* screening is listed as Free Admission, and the page describes the special event as admission-free. The September 18 *The Virgin Suicides* screening is marked Sold Out. No general price is provided for the other screenings.

Guest: Sofia Coppola is expected to appear at the theater to discuss the films and related reflections after the first screening of *Marie Antoinette*. The October 29 screening is specifically marked “Director in Person.”

Special event: The admission-free event is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost as part of the ArtsThursdays program.

Related documentary: Coppola has edited and released a feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary about *Marie Antoinette*, using footage her mother, Eleanor Coppola, filmed on the set. The page says the documentary is scheduled for release on MUBI later in 2026.

Screening format: The listed screenings are presented on film.

Run time: Not provided.

Ages: No age restriction is stated.

Accessibility: No accessibility information is provided.