Throughout history there have been a lot of powerful women whose stories have been lost to the times, and others that are just a note in history. They’re often a side note in history unless they held a position of power of their own, unless, of course, they’re like Jeanne du Barry – a famous mistress to the King.
Jeanne du Barry is an interesting subject to have a movie made about, other than being the great love of King Louis XV of France she doesn’t seem to have a huge impact on the history of the time or political decisions. While she spent most of her time at Versailles with the King, the court, the other royal family members, and even the dauphine and Marie Antoinette snubbed her until the king intervened – or that at least what the movie portrays. Honestly, Jeanne du Barry hasn’t gotten the media attention in the last several years as Madame de Pompadour, so maybe she accomplished more than rising from a prostitute to the King’s beloved. But, even the movie doesn’t show much else.
And that is probably the problem with the movie overall, yes, her rise from courtesan to royal lover isn’t a usual path. But is it one that should be seen as inspirational? Through her trials from being poor, to a working woman to Versailles, she uses her one asset to rise through society. Are the other royals and court members really that far off base to dislike her? And while Jeanne reignites the King’s passion for life, she does it by sacrificing her own freedom and happiness. That doesn’t seem like a fair trade.
All the glitz and glamor of Versaille and the period costumes don’t seem to be enough to make Jeanne du Barry interesting or really a compelling story. Instead, it just is a pretty backdrop for a story that seems to try to bank on the big names in the cast to make it interesting.
Jeanne du Barry has a run time of just under two hours, but the pacing and the subtitles make it seem much longer overall.
Overall Rating
About Jeanne du Barry
Jeanne du Barry follows Jeanne Vaubernier (Maïwenn), a working-class woman determined to climb the social ladder, using her charms to escape her impoverished life. Her lover, the Comte du Barry (Melvil Poupaud), wishes to present her to King Louis XV (Johnny Depp) and orchestrates a meeting through the influential Duke of Richelieu (Pierre Richard). The encounter goes far beyond his expectations for it was love at first sight for the King and Jeanne. Through this ravishing courtesan, the king rediscovers his appetite for life and feels he can no longer live without her. Making Jeanne his last official mistress, scandal erupts as no one at Court will accept a girl from the streets into their rarified world.