Is Maïwenn's Jeanne du Barry that "bad" or that "good"?

 

This weekend I watched some interesting films on Blu-ray that I just added to my collection: the Sidney Lumet film The Offense, starring Sean Connery as a burnt-out British police inspector who is losing his mind after years of investigating violent crimes, and takes out the evil lurking in his thoughts on a suspect he is interrogating in a child rape case. I also took in a German film entitled Freibad (“The Pool”), about the culture clash between German and Muslim women sharing an outdoor swimming pool, mainly in regard to swimming attire (or lack thereof).

That film has some interest in a time when far-right parties made major gains in recent European elections, including the neo-Nazi Alternative For Germany party. Defenders of the party in Germany point out that there is an “America First” movement in the U.S., which of course ignores the fact that the U.S. was never a “whites-only” land (you know, those pesky indigenous peoples here like 30,000 years or so ago before the first Europeans made their unauthorized migration and stole the land, and the first African slaves brought over in 1619). 

It also, of course, “suggests” that fascist-minded Germans recognize the true nature of “America First” and white nationalism; but for many that and the fact that the party’s top candidates were rocked by scandal didn’t seem to bother those inclined to vote for neo-Nazism anyways. Gosh, sound “familiar”?

Anyways, I’m half-way through the alphabet, so I will take a half-time break to talk about this film:

 

Now why would a costume drama/biography about a relatively minor historical character get a "rotten" rating from critics, yet near unanimous approval from the audience? It appears that the 5 percent of viewers who disapproved of the film were all those negative film critics. I mean, what are those critics “watching”? Now, I can understand such a disparity if it was a comedy or slasher/horror film, but a foreign-language costume drama (of course, I’ve seen it turned around, when critics praise a “woke” film that "re-interprets" old chestnuts, but receives a less-than-fresh reception from viewers). The "audience" isn't supposed to be as "learned" in history as film critics, right? Is their "ignorance" the reason why they like the film? Or is there something else at play?

Considering that Jeanne du Barry was Johnny Depp's first film endeavor following his victory in the U.S. defamation case against Amber Heard, one suspected that many critics were still infected (or afraid to be de-infected) by MeToo and cancel culture fever on one end, and on the other, those who supported Depp comprised a large number of those who actually saw the film, and were thus inclined to be more "positive."

The question then is the film really that “bad” or that “good.” Was the casting of Depp a “misstep,” a miscasted attempt to get an international star’s name attached to the project? We were told that Depp, whose spoken lines in French are few and far between, was barely “there” according to the naysayers. And what about Maïwenn, the director who cast herself in the title role? The real Madame du Barry was 25 when she entered the court of King Louis XV…

 

…while Maïwenn might have been more convincing in the role when she was 25…

 

…and not at 46 at the time this film was made:

 

Clearly this film was a vanity project for Maïwenn, but that doesn’t mean the film should be dismissed out of hand; after all, 46 percent of Rotten Tomatoes film critics liked the film, even those who seemed to imply that they did so “reluctantly” because of the presence of Depp.

The film only saw limited release in the U.S., mainly in “art house” theaters where most foreign-language films are shown. This has been released on disc in France and Germany, but neither has English subtitles. I thought I was never going to see this, but on a whim I checked the site that is usually a reliable source for HD downloads of films otherwise only available from streaming services. There were a half-dozen potential download options, but it  appeared that uploaders had been threatened with legal action unless they removed the files.

I did, however,  find one still functioning torrent file (those Russians care about "rights" about as much as the Chinese do) that was super slow downloading despite having many seeds, but eventually the task was completed and I was able to burn the HD file to BD-R and include this film in my weekend viewing binge.

So, what do I think of the film? Obviously it was necessary for Depp to be convincing as the bored King Louis XV looking for a little pleasure in his waning days ("surprisingly" enough, both the real king and Depp were about the same age at the time Jeanne became the king’s favorite). Why? Because why would a king with many willing candidates be enthralled by a character played by an actress obviously much too old for the part? Depp the actor needed be convincing in being attracted to her personality rather than her looks—especially in a film that many critics claimed spent too much time in "love" with the scenery than in the actual story.

So I'll provide an overview of the film, enough to give a sense of whether or not it “works.” We are introduced to the young Jeanne in a field where someone is painting her portrait. We are told that she was the illegitimate child of a monk and a cook, a commoner of low birth and destined to anonymity,  and likely to engage in the "business" of selling her "favors" on the streets:

 

Her mother was employed as cook by a Monsieur Billard-Dumonceaux; it isn’t mentioned that her mother was also “employed” as Dumonceaux's part-time mistress. In the film, he is portrayed as a kindly man who instructed the young Jeanne in proper manners, and took time to educate her:

 

Because of her low birth, it was decided to prevent her from taking on the “usual” occupation of such girls (a life of “fornication”), Dumonceaux sent her to a monastery for a “proper” upbringing:

 

However, she was caught reading a “dirty” book and is expelled from the monastery:

 

Against his wishes, Dumonceaux expels both Jeanne and her mother from his household:

 

They need to find some way to make ends meet, and Jeanne’s mother expects her to do her part, meaning posing nude for artists, which she refuses to do:

 

Somehow she finds work in a noblewoman’s household as a reader, but after a night of carousing with her sons…

 

…she is kicked out of that house too:

 

But Jeanne has learned that the high-born like their fun and games, and she eventually lands in the household of Count du Barry and his crowd of party-goers:

 

His friend, the Duke of Richelieu, tells du Barry that Jeanne might be their ticket to royal favor if the King can be persuaded to take to Jeanne and allow her to become one of his mistresses, so they plot on how to “introduce” her to the King so that it looks like an “accident”:

 

We find out that du Barry’s “business” is to supply courtesans to those of noble birth and (hopefully) to the King himself, although the latter has not taken an interest in any of his offerings to date. Jeanne wants no part of this "business," but she is eventually persuaded by the Duke that her best bet to achieve her life “ambition” is to join du Barry's harem of courtesans (some of whom actually have "titles"), and get the "experience" needed to persuade the King to take her on as a mistress:

 

We are introduced to King Louis XV twenty minutes in…

 

…and as hoped, he takes notice of this new face at court…

 

…and Jeanne gives off a vibe that suggests that she is open for anything, protocol be damned…

 

…and “success”—the King seems pleased with her:

 

This is confirmed when La Borde, the King’s valet and chief procurer,  arrives at the du Barry residence to announce that the King wishes Jeanne’s presence immediately:

 

Of course, du Barry is paid well for this “service” to the King. So this is the “set-up” for the film, the rest of which will center around Jeanne’s relationship with the King and the less cordial one with his immediate family and envious court leaches. La Borde will be her principle advisor and friend at court, serving the King’s wishes in the matter. 

So much for the “set-up.” I have to admit that as played by Maïwenn, Jeanne seems a bit prudish, a bit flirty, and not very willing to recognize the fact that she has to "compromise" her "morals" to advance in life given her low-born status. It is only with difficulty is she persuaded to do what is "necessary" for her own advancement, and those of her patrons. Given that an the obvious "advanced" age of the actress playing Jeanne (which the viewer cannot help but notice), what was it that the Duke and du Barry thought was the “it” that she had that would beguile the King? 

Jeanne is taken via carriage out into another view of the lush countryside, unblemished by any sign of the coming turmoil amongst the populace, as Versailles Palace appears in the distance:

 

On her arrival, a physician visually inspects her private part, and then asks her questions her about health issues and how many sexual partners has she had. How many is a lot? More than one. She confesses to having had just “one at a time”:

 

 Just to make certain she is in the proper condition, one more look:

 

 

"Madame is worthy of the royal bed" it is pronounced. Jeanne is then instructed in Versailles protocol...

 

…and she is ready for her assignation with the King, who, she is told, was attracted by her “impetuousness.” Just remember not to ever turn your back on the King:

 

Jeanne is escorted into the King’s bedchamber, where she can barely control her mirth over the solemnity and secrecy of the situation:

 

But the King takes it all in stride, no doubt aware himself of what “protocol” demands of himself and wants to be free of it, at least in private:

 

I suppose it should be pointed out that Depp's King is taciturn, doesn't like drama (although it was reported that this was not always the case on set), a man who says only enough to convey what is necessary to be understood. This is the King, after all, and people are supposed to know what he wants, and besides, this is isn't about affairs of state, but physical and emotional pleasure, at least for him. Maïwenn claims she doesn't like to make "talky" films, and we shouldn't be surprised that the actor who gave the near silent Edward Scissorshands such emotional power can do what is necessary to give a believable performance without a lot of "talk."

The King merely laughs when Jeanne requests that she not be forced to take those baby steps backwards she has been instructed to do, because it is a little silly…

 

And we now see why this relationship “works” for the King, especially when Jeanne without any inhibition approaches him and tenderly caresses his face with her hands in a display of seemingly genuine affection (unfortunately the screen captures show a bit less detail in the dark scenes than on the actual video file, due to the under-performing bit-rate leading to poor sharpness in the blacks):

 

After a night of bliss, the King must return to his “official” bedchamber…

 

…while Jeane must remove herself from the room what we now see is where the King conducts his semi-official business:

 

She is taken to an adjoining room, where she is permitted to watch through a two-way mirror the “silliness” that the King must endure every morning; the King’s grins at the mirror knowing she is watching, sharing her own amusement:

 

 

Afterwards, the King presents Jeanne with a rather pricey necklace and asks her if she wants to stay at Versailles. “Of course.”:

 

The nature of this relationship is again revealed as the King, in a joking manner, takes the “baby steps” when taking his leave of her. The King obviously feels free to be “himself”:

 

At least in these private moments, the film makes this relationship between the King and Jeanne actually "work" without necessarily being one based solely on physical attraction (after all, the real King Louis XV was 58 in 1768 when Jeanne became the new favorite). 

The King seems serious about involving Jeanne in his life, although for the moment they must be "discreet." Next we see Jeanne in a coach with La Borde “spying” on the King during an outdoor family outing. We see some liberties taken with historical fact: In the dark brown outfit is the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI; the real Dauphin was not particularly “handsome” as Jeanne describes him, and he always had a weight issue, not skinny as beanpole:

 

 

However,  the Dauphin was said to have a "kind face" and "melancholy" personality, so at least that aspect of his portrayal in this film appears to be correct.

Then we see the King’s daughters, who Jeanne has the audacity to honestly observe are “ugly”:

 

The daughter who seems less haughty with a slight hunchback is Madame Louise, on the right; it says something about the King’s own disposition when he reportedly observed that her “features bad rather than otherwise but with an expression which pleases much more than if she were beautiful."

Here we see Maïwenn, for the second time in the film, wearing a gown in a bathtub:

 

Maybe this was the way people took baths at the time, but in her only "nude" scenes on film, it is suspected that these were actually done by body doubles, since Maïwenn's face and revealed parts are never seen in the same frame. So again we are left to judge the relationship between Jeanne and King as mainly one of where Jeanne fulfills the King’s secret need to be “himself” and not just as playing king, since he can get cheap sex from other sources. It is here that Depp’s acting skills (and to be honest, Maïwenn's as well) are most necessary to make this “convincing,” as a King with his pick of potential mistresses becoming infatuated with what we see on-screen as an older “candidate.”

Here Jeanne and the King are having breakfast after a night in bed when his daughters are announced; Jeanne must remove herself through a secret passage way:

 

The daughters find it “disgraceful” that the King is spending time with a low-born woman with no title…

 

He doesn't have time for this discussion, and tells La Borde the situation has to be fixed, because Jeanne is his “entourage” and he wants to see her morning, noon and night. In order to give her a “title,” du Barry is given a large sum of money to “convince” him to marry her:

 

Jeanne is now a “countess.” Since she will be living at Versailles, La Borde instructs her on identifying features of the palace and who occupies it, and why. She seems to be an apt pupil. Now she is ready for her “grand entrance”:

 

The King of course is pleased that he can see his favorite in public…

 

…although others are not so pleased:

 

That night at a dinner party, the King announces that he has a gift for Jeanne—a “human” gift, a Bengal boy named Zamor as a servant:

 

There is some question about the historical accuracy in the relationship between Jeanne and Zamor as portrayed here, but we won’t quibble with that now. The implication in the film is that Jeanne desired to instruct him as much as her first master did for her. Many in the dining room are either shocked or dismayed by the presence of this "black" boy (included Adolphe, the son of du Barry who seems disturbed that he has a “rival” for Jeanne’s affections), but again the Dauphin shows his kind nature by shaking hands with the boy:

 

Here we see Jeanne and Zamor having fun in the Hall of Mirrors, much to the amusement of the guards:

 

La Borde introduces Jeanne to her suite at the palace, and her attendants…

 

…although Zamor seems to be her constant companion, with La Borde on hand to keep an eye on things:

 

 

...since the slightest “misstep” could cause her to fall out of favor with the King. The King apparently prefers her company as he indulges in interests like star-gazing…

 

…to which Jeanne admits to feeling ignored. The King, however, does not take offense, since it is refreshing to hear honest opinions. The King tells her that he loves her, which she takes with a grain of salt, but in a naughty school-girl manner prepares to steal a kiss with him in the presence of La Borde:

 

In her first public outing, she is dressed in man’s outfit, as a change-of-pace which King finds amusing. He introduces Jeanne to the Dauphin, whose demeanor is much different than that of the King’s daughters behind her:

 

Out on a hunting trip, Jeanne has invited Adolphe, who she treats like a son:

 

Meanwhile, her “husband,” du Barry, and presumably his mother, seem to be concerned about the maintenance of their own favor with the King and their future, advising Jeanne she must do “more” to please the King; they find it difficult to believe Jeanne’s claim that he isn’t looking for a strictly “sexual” relationship with her:

 

They seem to think that if the King really loved her, he would marry her since he is newly widowed, or at least be given an estate. The King does that very thing next, presenting her with her own personal chateau…

 

…where she and the King can indulge themselves in peace, with the faithful La Borde on hand to watch the fireplace:

 

When the King’s uncouth daughters deign to give Jeanne an audience,  they make buffoons of themselves by acting more like “monkeys” than they suggest that Zamor, Jeanne’s official “page,” does:

 

Given her disabilities (not made apparent in the film), Madame Louise is more generous, noting that Zamor is still one of God’s children and even offers him a cookie…

 

…whereupon the other sisters are “shocked” to discover he has a “pink”—and not “striped”—tongue just like they do (by the way, I did an overview of the 2010 French film Black Venus, which covers this territory in more detail). Afterwards, Jeanne comforts Zamor over their “meanness”:

 

We then see Madame Louise in prayer in her room; her own humaneness toward Zamor is obviously born out of deeply held Christian beliefs, which her sisters have no interest in; yet on the other hand she cannot endure "scandal" in the family:

 

She leaves Versailles, relinquishing her titles and becoming a nun (according to this film, not historical reality), to the unhappiness of the King. But the King, though disheartened by the defections at court…

 

… still has a “weakness” for Jeanne, and isn’t prepared to let her go, particularly since potential “replacements” are not exactly working out:

 

This one is escorted out when Jeanne calls on the King, but he wants to be alone. La Borde admits that while Jeanne is his “favorite,” he likes “variety”:

 

We can speculate at this point that Jeanne’s “fall” will be almost as rapid as her “rise.” But for now, the King points out that the ladies of the court are dressing in the “du Barry style,” which signals an awareness that she is still in the King’s favor:

 

For four years, we are told, her presence reinvigorated his “zest for life”…

 

…as well as having achieved enough influence to arrange a suitable marriage for Adolphe and training Zamor to become a suitably civil, educated young man. Unfortunately, the beginning of the end comes with the arrival of the Dauphin’s new bride, Marie-Antoinette:

 

At the reception, the Dauphin seems disinterested in the arranged marriage, while the empty-headed Dauphine seems too willing to follow the King’s daughters “advice” to snub Jeanne as a non-entity despite her position as the King’s favorite:

 

We see this in play at church, when those who disapprove of Jeanne feel free to deny her a seat in the absence of the King, save for the Dauphin who offers her a seat next to him, to the consternation of Marie-Antoinette:

 

La Borde interrupts her brief reverie to tell Jeanne that Adolphe has been mortally wounded in a duel, and she must come immediately to his bedside...

 

…where she comforts the also grief-stricken du Barry:

 

Now, her principle source of living is her continuing position as the King’s favorite as long he remains alive, since the Dauphine continues to ignore her:

 

Even in the presence of the King, his daughters continue to demonstrate by their behavior that they are much more “common” than she is:

 

The Dauphin, himself disgusted with this behavior, leaves the room, while the King demands that the Grand Chamberlain do something about the Dauphine’s behavior toward Jeanne:

 

Nothing comes of this despite a promise, and the King arrives in the women’s parlor to wordlessly express his displeasure at their behavior toward Jeanne, since they are not worthy of even being spoken to by the King:

 

The Grand Chamberlain appears later to announce that the Dauphine has invited the King to a play she is appearing in, and he declines to do so, given that there is "no sense" to since she has ignored his wishes:

 

Soon afterward during a stroll on the gardens, Jeanne encounters the Dauphine, who shocks the sisters by deigning to say something to her…

 

…which sends Jeanne into a tizzy. She rushes up some stairs…

 

…and bursts into a cabinet meeting where the King is conducting business with his ministers, and announces that the Dauphine has spoken to her:

 

Life returns to some semblance of domestic bliss…

 

…but not for long, as the King becomes terminally ill with smallpox:

 

Since Jeanne’s position at court is based solely on the favor of the King since she has few friends there, it is now in jeopardy. The King announces that he wants to repent his sins, but the priest—taking his cue from the daughters who want Jeanne removed—tell him he must “renounce” the “scandal”:

 

The King reluctantly tells Jeanne she must leave the palace, because he fears for his soul:

 

After packing her bags, Jeanne returns to the royal bedchamber to say her goodbyes to the King, but is denied access to him until the Dauphin intervenes and gives his permission. Jeanne tells the King that she loves him, to which he responds “finally”:

 

As a gesture of her feelings about the King, Jeanne this time does not turn her back on him, but does the “baby steps” routine that she found so ridiculous before:

 

Before being shipped off to a monastery as "punishment," Jeanne tells Zamor that he will be taken care of, and thanks La Borde for his friendship…

 

Before he passes away, the King asks La Borde to “take care of her”:

 

There is not much he can do, given the new power brokers at court, and Jeanne is presented her new “quarters,” far from what she has become accustomed to:

 

This of course is not the "whole" story, and a lot of the names and roles in this film have been altered, although that is typical of most "historical" films. If this had the time afforded a mini-series, would have learned a lot more about Madame du Barry. According to the brief epilogue, the Dauphin, now King Louis XV1, released her from “prison” after a year on condition that she not appear at Versailles again. Jeanne lived for 15 peaceful years afterward until the Revolution broke out, and given that she still had a title, no one with one was safe; the new king, queen and Jeanne herself would be subject to the guillotine, Jeanne having been “betrayed” by Zamor, who had joined the Revolution.

A more accurate account of history would have been a story unto itself.  Jeanne spent about two (possibly three) years at the monastery, but after a year she was permitted to travel about the countryside so long as she did not come within 10 miles of Versailles, and returned at sundown in her virtual house arrest. She was then permitted to move to the town mentioned in the epilogue.

When the Revolution broke out, and titled individuals like herself lost their "privileges," we might suspect that a social climber like Jeanne did not want to return to the streets. In order to regain the status of her admittedly ill-gotten social position, Jeanne did her part in intriguing to overthrow the revolutionary government and restore the monarchy. She did this by secretly absconding the jewelry that nearly bankrupted the French treasury to England to convert it into cash help pay for the "counter-revolution." 

As mentioned, the relationship between Zamor and Jeanne as portrayed in the film is subject to question; although he became associated with the Jacobins, he still remained a faithful member of Jeanne’s household despite the fact that  he knew of and disapproved of her activities to assist in counter-revolutionary activities. There are differing accounts of what happened next; the most plausible one is that when Jeanne discovered his association with a particularly radical character, she demanded that he leave her household, at which point he decided to turn on her.

Zamor gave testimony about her activities in England; Jeanne was released from prison initially, but then re-arrested as The Terror was underway, and Zamor testified against her, included the fact he felt treated like a “slave." Jeanne was convicted and sentenced to death; unlike Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, Jeanne did not go with much grace to the guillotine, desperately attempting to “buy” her life by revealing where to find her missing jewels, and failing that, begging for her life on the way to the guillotine and even until the moment she “lost” her head. 

Zamor himself was arrested on the accusation of aiding Jeanne's activities, but was released for lack of evidence, and spent the remainder of this life in obscurity.

Also of interest here is that other than in the epilogue, there is no mention of the restlessness and turmoil in the country at the time. Louis XV was well aware of the situation. However, that famous quote attributed to him, “Apres moi, le deluge”—“After me, the deluge,” was not a “deathbed” prophecy, nor was it, as it is commonly believed, an insight into the future or of the coming revolution.

Those things aside, this is a film about Jeanne du Barry and her love affair with Louis XV, so anything else are side issues. What do I think of the film? I thought the settings certainly looked good. I shared the quibble of some that the character of Jeanne could have been more "risque" to make more plain the "scandal" of a courtesan being the favorite of the King more "understandable" and dramatically more compelling.

But I give Depp credit for making the film "work" with his understated performance, portraying a king grown weary of affairs of state, and in need of some peace and human comfort free of the trappings of royal protocol, and share with someone his little hobbies (examining the heavens with his telescope, and drawing) without someone thinking them beneath his "dignity." 

And even if Maïwenn seems to have "miscast" herself--being school-girlish might work for someone of 25, but not for someone at the mature age she actually looked--we have to assume that the Jeanne portrayed here is one who has seen life and can laugh at it, and the King is seen to share that view without fear of "shocking" anyone, although that was certainly happening outside their little world.

Since the central feature of this film was the relationship between Jeanne and Louis XV, whether the film “worked” or not depended on the believability of that relationship. Since it was a historical fact, the actors only had to convince us that it was based on mutual attraction that benefited both.  Despite the mentioned “quibbles,” the relationship was convincing enough, and Jeanne’s precarious position at court had enough dramatic tension to care about both her and the King who was also playing with “fire.”

The film is certainly worthy of a second look, and my feeling falls on the side of the 95 percent who thought the film was “good.”