8 Times the Palace of Versailles Appeared on the Big Screen

Château de Versailles may be the most famed palace in the world, but movies that filmed at Versailles are not all that common. In non-COVID times, the sprawling estate welcomes nearly 10 million visitors each year, making it one of the most visited historic sites on the planet. It should be no surprise, then, that many films and TV shows clamor to shoot there every year. But wanting to film there and actually being granted permission are two different beasts. “The approval process for location scouting and filming is a long-winded and layered process,” says Michelle McGahey, production designer for The King’s Daughter, which filmed at the Palace and premiered on January 21. But the lucky few productions that make it through the gauntlet are rewarded with some of the most magnificent interiors and exteriors of which a designer could dream. “Our first shoot day was filming the cast striding along the renowned Hall of Mirrors. I still pinch myself that it actually happened,” McGahey says. The King’s Daughter is in rarefied company. Read on to discover more of the most famous movies that have filmed at Versailles.

The newest film to shoot at Versailles is a magical tale involving mermaids and stars Pierce Brosnan as King Louis XIV. “We were fortunate to be given permission to film all over the Estate grounds and the many opulent and varied interiors,” McGahey says. “They were all beautiful, all memorable, and all overwhelming.” Notable shooting locations included The Grand Canal, The Temple of Love, and The Orangery.

A French drama that documents the waning days of Marie Antoinette’s reign, this film starring Diane Kruger was a festival favorite. Much of the film was shot at Versailles—one of the most memorable scenes involves noblemen running down the Hall of Mirrors. The production also shot inside the Salon de L’Oeil-de-Boeuf (Bull’s Eye Salon), which used to be an antechamber to the King’s apartments.

Disgraced director Woody Allen’s love letter to Paris was granted permission to film in both Versailles’s gardens and interiors. An early scene features stars Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams touring the fountains, while the famed Hall of Mirrors makes an appearance when a detective played by Gad Elmaleh becomes trapped at the Palace.

Sofia Coppola’s lush historical drama may be the most famous film in recent years to shoot at the palace. But there was a bit of movie magic involved: The crew was only permitted to film at Versailles one day a week, so the production team had to find various French châteaux to stand in for the Palace. Scenes that couldn’t be replicated elsewhere, like Marie’s arrival to the grounds, were shot in the actual locations.

This historical drama starring Hilary Swank is loosely based on the event known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, a scandal involving Marie Antoinette that contributed to popular disillusionment with the French monarchy. The film shot inside the famed Hall of Mirrors, in the gardens directly outside the Palace, as well as at Château Vaux-le-Vicomte, the estate that served as inspiration for Versailles.

Based on the 1782 French novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, this American production starred Glenn Close and John Malkovich and won the Oscar for Best Production Design. The production shot scenes at the Théâtre Montansier, a theater a short walk from the Palace that was inaugurated by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

An American comedy starring Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane in her film debut, this film won an Oscar for Best Original Score. The verdant gardens outside the Versailles Palace are where the two principal characters (Lane’s Lauren and Thelonious Bernard’s Daniel) meet and fall in love.

This American musical is famed for its songs written by the legendary George and Ira Gershwin, as well as one of Audrey Hepburn’s most classic performances. In one memorable scene, Jo, played by Hepburn, shares a romantic scene with a dove in front of Versailles’s Latona Fountain.