The 1938 film "Marie Antoinette" is loosely based on the life of 18th century French queen. Canadian actress Norma Shearer plays Marie Antoinette and Robert Morley plays her husband, the Dauphin (crown prince) of France and later King Louis XVI. In one scene, the king, queen, and their two children are fleeing France for Austria in a coach. The are stopped by revolutionary soldiers and are charged 20 francs. Louis gives a man a coin and they are allowed to pass. Later, two officials examine the gold coin and notice that the man in the coach looks like the portrait on the coin. They send some soldiers ahead to intercept the coach and capture the family. Marie Antoinette was born in Austria in 1755, married in 1770 at the age of fourteen, and became queen of France in 1774 at the death of her father-in-law, King Louis XV. Most of the events in the film take place after the start of the French Revolution in 1789. A prop coin with a portrait of actor Robert Morley is shown and it was specially made for the film.

Marie Antoinette is the daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

Empress Maria Theresa is the lady of the famous coin, the Austrian Maria Theresa thaler.

Silver, 41 mm, 28.07 gm

The Maria Theresa thaler, a popular silver dollar sized Austrian coin, was first struck in 1780, the year of her death and has been struck off and on all over the world by various mints since then.

The Empress tells Marie that she is going to marry the Dauphin, the son of the King of France. In France, the young Marie meets King Louis XV of France and several others, and she wonders which man is the Dauphin.

Unfortunately for Marie, Prince Louis is physically unattractive, shy, and not interested in marriage. She goes through with the wedding and afterward, alone with him, he has something to tell her.

Louis tells Marie that he can not produce children. She begins to live extravagantly and having affairs. Count Axel de Fersen is a handsome Swedish officer who approaches her at a party.

He declares that he has loved her since he was a child and they begin an affair. Mme. (mademoiselle) du Barry is the mistress of the king, a power at court, and doesn't like Marie at all. Du Barry sends Marie a miniature empty baby carriage with a nasty note about Marie's lack of children.

At another party, Marie suggests to du Barry that she knows the streets of Paris, implying that she was a streetwalker or prostitute. Du Barry complains to the king who plans to send Marie back to Austria. The king dies, and Louis is now King Louis XVI. He also feels up to his family responsibilities and Marie has a daughter, followed by a son and heir. The births are open to the nobility, including one famous American visitor.

Benjamin asks about the open birth procedure and is told that it is to ensure the correct heir. Marie has been spending money and is tricked into signing for a very expensive diamond necklace. The French people are tired of their poverty and of the nobility and begin the revolution. Marie is disliked because of her wasteful spending and her foreign birth. The revolution spreads all over the country and a mob invades the palace.

Count Axel returns and arranges for Russian passports and a coach for Marie's family to leave France and head to Austria. Revolutionary soldiers stop the coach in a small town.

As the passengers look rich, the soldiers demand a 20 franc tax.

The king pays them with a coin and the coach is allowed to proceed. Later two officials examine their coins and notice something about the last one.

The official states that it is a gold coin of Louis XVI.

The prop coin was specially made for the film with a portrait of actor Robert Morley.

An actual coin of Louis XVI looks somewhat different.

Gold, 24 mm, 7.64 gm
The Louis d'Or was the general gold coin of the period, it's name meant Louis of Gold.

The official examines the coin again and sees a resemblance to the recent coach passenger.

The official sends soldiers to intercept the coach.

The king is identified by a priest who used to work in the palace. The family is taken to Paris and put in a prison. A revolutionary court sentences the king to death by beheading, to be done by the famous guillotine. The king spends his last night with his family.

Later, soldiers take Marie's son from her and later a court sentences her to death. Count Axel is able to visit Marie for one last time and again declares his love for her.

Marie is taken to a town square for the execution while Count Axel watches from a roof.

Marie is brought in plain clothes to the site and she remembers when her mother told her who she was going to marry.

Count Axel wears a ring which Marie had given him earlier.

The ring reads "Everything leads me to thee"

Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette
Tyrone Power as Count Axel de Fersen
John Barrymore as King Louis XV
Robert Morley as King Louis XVI
Director: W.S. Van Dyke II
Writers: Claudine West, Donald Ogden Stewart, Ernest Vajda, Stefan Zweig