Jeanne du Barry | Johnny Depp and Maïwenn have royal chemistry – MovieWeb

Summary

• Jeanne du Barry
  is a royal visual treat thanks to Maïwenn’s astute direction.
• Maïwenn and Johnny Depp have real chemistry and describe a distinct love in a calm and subtle way.
• The portraits of Joan, Louis XV and others may be a bit one-dimensional and ahistorical, but
  Jeanne du Barry
  nonetheless has awesome themes and gorgeous visuals.

Jeanne du Barry is a film of gestures and looks, not monologues and radical actions. It features some of the court intrigues found in titles like The Other Boleyn Girl, The Madness of King GeorgeAnd Dangerous Liaisons, but ultimately he’s not too interested in the behind-the-scenes workings of those involved in monarchical power. As its title suggests, the film is a biography of Jeanne Bécu, who would become Madame du Barry, and focuses primarily on her time at Versailles as chief mistress of King Louis XV.

Jeanne du Barry offers a magnificent look at Versailles in the years leading up to the French Revolution, when the Jacobins were going to change everything in power in France. Class consciousness would fuel this violent period, and the film itself is very class-centric; Joan was the “illegitimate” child of a poor seamstress and would spend time as a sex worker in France’s libertine era before climbing a ladder made of men and reaching the king himself. As such, she is considered scandalous, threatening the morals and image of Versailles, but she is the king’s favorite.

Filmmaker and star Maïwenn creates a subtle, sexy and sensitive portrait of a woman and his time with the king, while also providing an understated commentary on power and class.

Maïwenn and Johnny Depp spark

Of course, Jeanne du Barry garnered the most attention thanks to its casting of Johnny Depp as King Louis XV. This is essentially Depp’s first film after the infamous lawsuit between him and Amber Heard, and whatever you think about that issue, there’s no denying that he’s charming and sad here. It’s hard to say how much of this is stunt casting; it’s an entirely French film, and even if Depp’s French is good, his dialogue seems limited based on his French lexicon. But, what Depp does with his eyes and body is captivating.

There is an ecclesiastical air to his character, as if Louis has become indifferent to all the luxury, gluttony, sex and power available to him. When Joan appears at Versailles, Louis XV seems to restore meaning to his life.

For her part, Joan did what she had to do as a commoner in the 18th century; as she says at one point, she chose “prostitution” rather than the peasantry. She used her beauty to position herself in the lives and mansions of wealthy men, and King Louis XV is basically the apotheosis of that. She is in love with him, but in a human way that violates all the petty and petty rules of court (the proper way to curtsy, how to walk away from the king, etc.).

Depp and Maïwenn have palpable chemistry here, and watching the ebb and flow of their relationship is an often fascinating study of desire, power, class, and pure joy. Of course, this scandalized the monarchy and Louis XV’s family was not very happy. Maïwenn paints Louis’ daughters and other power players at Versailles in an almost caricatured and evil light, and the portrait of Louis’ grandson, Louis XVI, is one-dimensional heroic. There are three or four scenes which reproduce the same situation: Louis’ daughters humiliate Jeanne and Louis’ grandson stands up to support her.

A visually magnificent whitening of Joan and King Louis XV

Maïwenn often shines in the film, effectively using her beautiful hair and wide smile. His laugh and innocent rejection of pomp and circumstance are delightful. On the contrary, Maïwenn paints too kind a portrait of Jeanne and Louis XV, dismissing any aspect of their characters which was not touched by passion and love. They become heroes, a strange thing considering the state of France at the time and the fact that the guillotine would begin cutting off the heads of Versailles during Joan’s lifetime. This may be offensive to some people (historians and socialists, most likely). Regardless, Jeanne du Barry is a historical romantic film and not a historical document intended for academics.

However, as a director, Maïwenn’s portrait of mid-to-late 18th century France is objectively stunning and historically honest to the layman. The filmmaker creates a series of magnificent tableaux vivants that practically bring the great French neoclassicism to lifewith images that seem straight out of Jacques-Louis David’s sketchbook.

Maïwenn and director of photography Laurent Dailland use the play of light and shadow in a very sensual way, and its long shots of massive mansions and rooms are regal and impressive. Stephen Warbeck’s score is utterly tender and majestic, even if it seems to be just a less bombastic version of his score for Shakespeare in Love 25 years ago.

The real Joan and the ephemeral nature of all things

One of the most interesting facets of Jeanne du Barry how is it it subtly explores the replaceable qualities of people and positions, as well as the transient nature of desire and power.. This is most typical in the phrase: “The king is dead!” Long live the king ! A king dies and another is ready to take his place. A mistress or lover falls from grace and another takes his place. The coming French Revolution would exacerbate this idea to a delirious degree.

Actually, Jeanne du Barry introduces us to Zamor, the former slave who will serve as Jeanne’s page. In the film, Jeanne is deeply protective of Zamor and treats him like her son. In return, he considers her as a mother. In reality, Zamor was bitter enough towards Jeanne to contribute to her imprisonment and be responsible for her beheading (which is very vaguely mentioned in the film’s post-text). And then, typical of the French Revolution, Zamor himself was imprisoned for having been Jeanne’s page and for having always had relations with her. Power reigns one moment and is subjugated the next. The king is dead, long live the king. Or, as The Who sang, “Meet the new boss, the same as the old boss.”

And so is the sweet sadness of Jeanne du Barry. We see the love between her and Louis XV burn bright and fast before being replaced by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who, of course, would be killed during the French Revolution. We see Jeanne as a beautiful young woman, and we see her as a graying, melancholic older woman. We see the king in power, and we see him dying of smallpox. On the contrary, although it only captured a brief period in the life of a king, Jeanne du Barry is a moving meditation on the fleeting nature of all things.

From Why Not Productions and Vertical, Jeanne du Barry hits theaters on May 2, 2024. You can get tickets and find showtimes here.