La rosa de Versalles

The film was very superficial and fast-paced. It didn't give the main story and events of the revolution their due. Everything was unclear and rushed. Most of the focus was on the relationships, while the deeper, more important historical events of the story were neglected. I understood the ending because I had already watched the original anime; otherwise, the plot would have been vague.

In addition, the film made it seem as though Oscar's happiness in the end was due to her finding love, and that the entire dilemma revolved around it. This is partially true, but it's not the main reason. The deeper reason, which was ignored, is that she finally rebelled and followed her heart and freedom after being a mere scapegoat following orders her entire life. Oscar was also portrayed as a much weaker character than in the anime, breaking down and crying in front of the army! Oscar was never like that; her image was distorted and weakened greatly.

I can excuse them since it's a movie, and they're limited to a certain length, thus neglecting some aspects and events. We all know that the romantic market is strong, so it's normal to focus more on the aspects of love to ensure greater success and returns. Overall, the movie is incomparable and does not reach the level of the original work, the seventies anime, at all.

Such a wasted opportunity to do something memorable because of the music used. The music is unoriginal, tacky and just out of place. If the style of the music resembled a bit the style of the music of the era could have been a GREAT musical to watch. Instead, the story runs too fast and waste so much time in music that isn't memorable and it's just out of context.

Those musical moments are supposed to fill up parts of the story, but they don't because they stay in the shallow end.

The relationship between characters isn't understood at all; it all seems too fast in the end, and we don't get to see the guillotine or the moment when the monarchs are taken into custody.

The designs, costumes, and all the aesthetic side area gorgeous reinterpretation of an old classic, but that's it.

With barely 2 hours, it was clear that the feature film would cut many things present in the manga and the old anime from which this film is based, but the things absent are really too many.

They have sacrificed many elements in this film that are fundamental to fully understanding this work, starting with the most obvious one: having a female protagonist forced to grow up and act as a man, which is more prominently introduced here at more than 30 minutes after the incipit, but still coming across as always oversimplified in the overall. Even the other events that are more closely linked to actual history, and which should have a greater impact on Marie Antoinette's growth, are treated with extreme speed; everything is oversimplified in this film, in a decidedly negative way.

Unfortunately all expectations were confirmed: redundant, cloying film, forced musical interludes, little pathos and unfortunately the characters are without charisma.

"The Rose of Versailles" made me think that there should be more historical dramas as animated movies. This had great potential! And at times it was really historically accurate. I know it's a remake of a beloved series, but had they focused more on history and the protagonists this would have been better. The musical numbers are actually really bad, every single one of them feels wrong, because they are very modern. There are two female protagonists in this story but the last act centers entirely on one of them, we never get to say goodbye to Marie Antoinette. Her story never concluded. It was a really good idea for an animated movie, I just wish they'd do it justice. The way this was executed felt cheap. Still I've enjoyed it tremendously!

Those who fell for the original series were compelled by the intense and sweeping storyline that was driven by the main characters and negating nearly all background characters who were also important to moving the story makes this series that feels like an empty and shallow world of what was a cult classic that moved and inspired other works. When Lady Oscar would fight, she did not hold back, she was colder for longer, and the films sort of takes that from her with the pacing between the musical numbers and story created too much overwhelm to actually enjoy the film. Her character was compromised for flashy ensembles and I highly suggest to watch the original series entirely before attempting to watching this hectic overview. That being said the artwork is one of its strengths and it was refreshing to see an attempt at this pivotal series. I'm not mad, just disappointed.