JEANNE DU BARRY Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Maiwenn
Stars: Maiwenn, Johnny Depp, Melvil Poupard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard, Pauline Pollmann, Thibault Bonenfant, Noemie Lvovsky, Pascal Greggory, Diego Le Fur, Loli Bahia.
A visually sumptuous and lavish costume drama this film depicts the life of the eponymous Jeanne Du Barry, who rose from a peasant background to become Louis XV’s favourite mistress in pre-Revolutionary France. The film is written and directed by Maiwenn (the drama Polisse, etc) who was inspired to bring her story to the screen after watching Sophia Coppola’s visually stunning 2006 film Marie Antoinette. In that film the character was played by Asia Argento, just one of a dozen actresses to play the role on screen since a silent 1915 film. Maiwenn spent a decade researching her life, hoping to do justice to the fascinating character whose unconventional attitude and independent ways scandalised the very proper court of Versailles.
Jeanne was born in 1743, the illegitimate daughter of a monk and a cook, and was raised by her mother until, at the age of 15, she was sent to a convent. But she was soon evicted from the convent and forced to make her own path through society using her feminine wiles and charm to climb the social ladder. She became a courtesan and found favour with a number of wealthy men. Then she caught the eye of the wealthy and ambitious Comte du Barry (Melvil Poupard, from Summer Of 85, etc). She tutored his bookish teenaged son Adolphe (Thibault Bonenfant in his feature film debut). But the Comte would also loan her out to some wealthy nobles. Meanwhile her wealth and notoriety grew until she was introduced to the influential Duke of Richelieu (Pierre Richard), who schemed to introduce her to the womanising Louis XV (Johnny Depp, in a bit of stunt casting).
With the help and advice of the loyal and sympathetic valet Jean-Benjamin La Borde (Benjamin Lavernhe, recently seen in The French Dispatch, etc) she ingratiates herself into Louis’ bedroom and affections. She soon finds herself ensconced in Versailles. But her presence was resented by many, including Louis’ four bitter daughters who tried to humiliate and socially undermine Jeanne at every opportunity. Then the arrival of the young Marie-Antoinette (Pauline Pollmann) creates further tension that threatens Jeanne’s position. Following the death of Louis, Jeanne found herself banished to a convent for a year, and she was later executed during the height of the bloody Revolution.
Maiwenn is good as Jeanne, finding warmth, intelligence and strength as the formidable woman who defied convention. Depp, whose career suffered in the wake of revelations during the fallout from his relationship with Amber Heard, speaks French fluently here, and makes for a foppish, vain and pompous but somewhat reserved Louis. Lavernhe is sympathetic and brings a quiet dignity to his role as the loyal La Borde.
Maiwenn and cowriters Teddy Lussi-Modeste (The Price Of Success, etc) and first-time feature writer Nicolas Livecchi take us inside the pomp and circumstance and old-fashioned protocols and traditions that surrounded Louis, and delve into the politics of the court. But somehow this is a curiously lacklustre affair that lacks any great dramatic heights or tension as Maiwenn’s direction is restrained.
Jeanne Du Barry is Maiwenn’s most ambitious film to date and is also one of the most expensive productions from France, but its reputed $22 million budget can be seen on the screen. This is a handsomely mounted production thanks to the exquisite production design from Angelo Zamparutti and the spectacular costumes from Jurgen Doering (Personal Shopper, etc) that enrich the period detail and captures the decadence and blatant extravagance of the royal court. Cinematographer Laurent Daillard (Tenor, etc) captures the opulence and grandeur of the setting, some of which was actually shot in Versailles itself. And apparently Kubrick’s 1975 film Barry Lyndon was a huge influence on the look of this film. Stephen Warbeck’s orchestral score is lush.
Fans of costume dramas and historical biopics will lap up the epic Jeanne Du Barry.
★★★
