A sympathetic portrait of Marie Antoinette

“Let them eat cake!”

She never said it.

The 18th century queen of France, Marie Antoinette, has been credited with that callous remark -- which, according to legend, so outraged the masses that it set off the French Revolution -- for more than 200 years.

Of course, the Austrian-born Marie had her faults. But of politics, she knew little and cared less.

Tonight’s “Biography” (8 p.m., A&E;) explores the misconduct myths that dogged the ill-fated queen from the beginning of her reign. The program mixes re-enactments with commentary by biographers and historians.

By all accounts, she had a happy childhood and was judged neither callous nor snobbish. It was her ambitious mother who played the 14-year-old Marie as a pawn in international relations. Marie was betrothed and sent to King Louis XVI of France.

Ignored by her husband, she developed and indulged voracious appetites for gambling, partying and acquiring the latest in clothing and jewelry.

Perhaps in another time, another country, her fiscal indiscretions would not have been judged so severely. But France was facing a huge deficit. Marie spent freely and lavished gifts and honors on a small circle of friends, drawing resentment from the public.

Wags began to call Marie “Madame Deficit.” Worse still, she was accused of being a spy for her native Austria.

Centuries later, Marie Antoinette is still a symbol of arrogance and greed. But this balanced program puts her life in historical context, exposing her extravagance but also presenting some of her redeeming qualities.