'Marie Antoinette' booed at Cannes

The movie, filmed on location in Versailles, tracks the life of the 14-year-old Austrian princess from her arrival in the French court to the final storming of the palace by angry mobs.

Marie Antoinette is played by Kirsten Dunst, turning in a charming performance as the teenage royal who launches into a life of excess to relieve her boredom and loneliness within the court's strict confines.

It had been expected to be a strong contender for the Palme d'Or as the festival begins the countdown towards Sunday's top award.

Coppola, who made the widely acclaimed "Lost in Translation", is seen as a gifted director capable of subtle, poetic work on the screen.

But, despite sumptuous sets and costumes and a rollicking rock'n'roll soundtrack, the film is a disappointing and unconvincing story that prompted sniggers at points, and boos which drowned out the scattered applause at the end.