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Jeanne du Barry (film)

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Jeanne du Barry is a 2023 historical drama film directed, co-written and produced by Maïwenn and starring herself and Johnny Depp in the leading roles. It also stars Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Noémie Lvovsky, Pascal Greggory, Melvil Poupaud, and India Hair. Its plot centres on the life of Jeanne Bécu, who was born as the illegitimate daughter of an impoverished seamstress in 1743 and went on to rise through the Court of Louis XV to become his last official mistress.

Jeanne du Barry
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMaïwenn
Written by
Produced by
  • Maïwenn
  • Pascal Caucheteux
  • Gregoire Sorlat
Starring
CinematographyLaurent Dailland
Edited byLaure Gardette
Music byStephen Warbeck
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 16 May 2023 (2023-05-16) (Cannes)
  • 16 May 2023 (2023-05-16) (France)
  • 19 April 2024 (2024-04-19) (United Kingdom and Ireland)
Running time
116 minutes[5]
Countries
LanguageFrench
Budget$22.4 million[6]
Box office$14.4 million[7]

Jeanne du Barry is a co-production between France, Belgium and the United Kingdom. It was produced by Why Not Productions and Depp's IN.2 Film, a European sister company to his L.A.-based Infinitum Nihil and is distributed by Le Pacte. With its budget of $22.4 million, Jeanne du Barry was one of the most expensive French films of 2023, one of only three French films with a budget over 10 million euros. The film had its world premiere as the opening film at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2023 and was released theatrically in France on the same day by Le Pacte, 15 months in advance of its scheduled streaming release on Netflix in France.

Premise

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Jeanne, a young working-class woman hungry for culture and pleasure, uses her intelligence and allure to rise step by step to the highest levels of society. She becomes the favourite of King Louis XV who regains through her his appetite for life. They fall madly in love and, against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her relationship with the king scandalizes the court.[8]

Plot

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Jeanne Vaubernier is the illegitimate child of a Catholic monk and a cook named Anne. Jeanne is sent to a convent at an early age. There, she is expelled for reading erotic books.

Upon moving to Paris, Jeanne becomes a reader to a widow named Madame de la Garde. Here, Jeanne honed her wit to the level of aristocrats. However, Madame de la Garde expels Jeanne for sleeping with her sons.

Jeanne excels in libertinage and charms wealthy lovers as a courtesan. Next, she meets a French count ("Comte") named "Jean". Jean's courtier friend duke Richelieu wants to introduce Jeanne to the king of France.

Louis XV's physician uses a speculum to ensure that Jeanne has no vaginal illnesses.

In 1768, the Queen Marie has just died after 43 years as the consort queen. The following year, Louis XV's daughters protest that their father has taken in the new mistress Jeanne as they are still mourning their mother. Since the official queen is deceased and the king doesn't re-marry, Jeanne becomes the first lady at Versailles.

Jeanne spends a lot of time at Versailles instead of Parc-aux-Cerfs.

Jeanne selects Zamor as her page.

Louise of France, the king's youngest legitimate daughter, leaves Versailles to becomes in nun after taking exception to her father's mistress Jeanne.

Stephen Francis, Duke of Choiseul is the prime minister of France when the 16-year-old Dauphin marries the 15-year-old Marie Antoinette in 1770. Mercy is ambassador of the Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire, to France.

The king comes down with smallpox. Held in utter contempt by the king's legitimate family and the Catholic clergy, Jeanne is swiftly expelled from Versailles upon the king's passing. In spite of this, after the French Revolution, Zamor betrays Jeanne who is executed on 8 December 1793 for her association with the royals and being a countess even though she was a commoner before becoming a courtesan.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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In an interview with Harper's Bazaar France, Maïwenn revealed that she had been wanting to direct a film about Madame du Barry since 2006, after seeing Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette. She was particularly drawn to the character of Madame du Barry, played by Asia Argento, and soon after, started reading biographies about her. For the next ten years, Maïwenn played with the idea of one day directing a period film, whose protagonist would be Madame du Barry, remaining still very unsure about it, fearing that she would not be able to create a film comparable to others made on the subject.[9] After reading many biographies about du Barry and watching a lot of period films such as Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette and Albert Serra's The Death of Louis XIV, Maïwenn started creating the outline for her own film. She reached the conclusion that these three films, which she loves, have in common the fact that they use minimal dialogue.[9]

Maïwenn wrote the film with a French actor in mind, whose name she has not disclosed. When she presented the script to him after three years of writing, he declined in a matter of minutes, claiming, according to Maïwenn, that "cinema is dead" and that there was "only Netflix left". She then offered the role to another French actor, whose health problems prevented him from playing the role.[9] After this disappointment, Maïwenn was advised to create a list of actors she loves, no matter their origin. She did so, and the first actor on the list was an American, who seemed accessible to her, but was not interested. The second actor was Johnny Depp, who was sent the script at a time when Maïwenn had lost hope that the project would materialise.[9]

She first approached Depp and offered him the role of Louis XV before Christmas 2019. Without reading the script himself, Depp agreed immediately, after his assistant and friend, Stephen Deuters, who is also a screenwriter and producer, read it and fell in love with it.[10][9] After losing his libel trial against The Sun, in November 2020, Maïwenn was unsure whether Depp would still be on board for the project. She contacted him and found out that he feared she would not want him in the film after the trial. Maïwenn reassured him that the film would not continue without him and that he was the only person she thought could play the role.[10][11]

In January 2022, it was officially announced that Depp was cast as Louis XV.[12][13] In May 2022, Louis Garrel, Pierre Richard, and Noémie Lvovsky were cast in undisclosed roles, while Wild Bunch sold the film for distribution during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.[14] By July 2022, the film was revealed to have been acted in French, with Netflix handling distribution in France; Benjamin Lavernhe, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory, and India Hair were cast.[15][16]

Filming

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Principal photography started on 26 July 2022 in Versailles and other regions of Paris for 11 weeks.[16][17] On 10 August 2022, the first teaser image of Depp in the role of Louis XV was shared by Why Not Productions.[18] Filming wrapped in mid-October 2022.[16][19] On 1 November 2022, Wild Bunch International unveiled the key territories which had acquired rights for the drama. Another image of Depp in the role was shared on the same day.[20]

Maïwenn gave her first interview about the film to Le Journal du Dimanche on 31 December 2022. In it, she mentions that her staging for the film "is neither pop nor rock", unlike Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, but that she has taken liberties with it and that she is expecting "purists" to criticise her.[21] She further commented on Depp's ability to transform into a character, calling him "a real chameleon" who really likes transformation.[21] Regarding the dialogue and the fact that Depp was acting for the first time in French, Maïwenn commented that her film does not use dialogue extensively and that Depp's expressiveness was highly impressive to her, likening it to that of a silent film actor.[21][10]

For the first time in her career, Maïwenn decided to use 35 mm film cameras to shoot a motion picture, using Stanley Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon as a template for what she wanted to achieve visually.[22] Directing the film while also playing the role of one of its protagonists, Madame du Barry, was challenging for Maïwenn, who decided, at the end of shooting, that she never would again act in a film that she is directing.[22]

Financing and budget

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In early January 2023, it was announced that the Red Sea Film Foundation was financially backing the film, with Saudi film producer and CEO of the foundation Mohammed Al Turki complementing the film and stating that it is an "incredibly unique and ambitious biographical feature and a testament to our commitment to supporting new talent and collaborating with world-class writers, directors and producers".[3][23] Maïwenn and Depp were present at the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival, on December 1, 2023, for a special screening of the film and a Q&A session.[24]

On 30 March 2023, it was announced that Jeanne Du Barry was part of 33% of all the approved FIF films in 2022, which were either directed or co-directed by a woman and that it was one of only three French films with a budget of over 10 million euros. The budget of the film was announced to have been $22.4 million.[6]

Release

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On 5 April 2023, it was officially announced that Jeanne du Barry would have its world premiere as the opening film out of competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2023.[25][26] The film received a 7-minute standing ovation at the Cannes premiere[27] and was theatrically released in France on the same day,[25][28] 15 months in advance of its scheduled streaming release on Netflix in France.[29] When asked about his decision to choose Jeanne du Barry as the opening film at the festival, during an interview with Deadline on 13 April 2023, Cannes Festival Director Thierry Frémaux responded by saying that it is a "beautiful film", "a success" and that "Johnny Depp is magnificent in it".[30]

On April 15, 2024, the film premiered in the United Kingdom. Maïwenn and Depp were present at the premiere and walked down the red carpet.[31] Vertical Entertainment distributed the film in the United States and Canada on May 2, 2024.[32][33]

Reception

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Box office

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As of September 25, 2024, Jeanne du Barry grossed $14.4 million in various international markets.[7]

The film initially opened in 650 cinemas across France, grossing nearly $4.1 million, from more than 550.000 tickets sold in the first two weeks, thus becoming the best showing in a decade for a Cannes opening-night film since The Great Gatsby in 2013.[34][35]

Critical reception

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Jeanne du Barry received an average rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 34 critics.[36] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 49% of 80 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Heavily coiffed and perfumed as to cover up its plebeian status, Jeanne Du Barry waltzes aimlessly through a noble attempt at vindicating its eponymous femme."[37] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[38]

Catherine Balle, writing for Le Parisien, gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars writing that Maïwenn succeeds, calling the film "classic but very contemporary and totally inhabited".[39] French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing: "The film strikes the heart with its tragic romanticism, lyricism and chiseled dialogues that convey a fierce modernity. Faced with the couple formed by Maïwenn and Johnny Depp, in osmosis, Benjamin Lavernhe recalls the extent of his talent."[40] Eric Neuhoff, writing for Le Figaro, gave the film 3 out of 4 stars calling it "brilliant, with the most pleasing effect". He added that Maïwenn "deserves the applause of the assembled court".[41] La Presse's Rana Moussaoui praised Depp's French and his expression, writing: "With an almost perfect French, Depp impresses especially with his facial, loving, amused or imperious expressions, throughout this film shot in several castles in France and in the studio."[42] Première's Thierry Chèze gave Jeanne du Barry 3 out of 5 stars, praising Maïwenn's direction and her and Depp's performance in the film, writing: "If Maïwenn seduces with her playful interpretation crossed by heartbreaking moments of Jeanne, Johnny Depp, with his charisma, his ability to say so much with a simple look or body movement, reigns over the film without crushing anyone." Additionally, he wrote that Depp's performance as Louis XV "will be remembered".[43]

Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a subtle and well-crafted costume drama with plenty of satirical bite" and praising Depp's performance as Louis XV. Macnab wrote: "His Louis is a taciturn, melancholy but commanding figure with a dark side".[44] Kevin Maher writing for The Times also gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, praising Maïwenn's performance.[45] The Irish Examiner gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and called it "delightfully irreverent".[46] In a positive review for Variety, Peter Debruge wrote that "Maïwenn taps into the emotional core of a most unusual relationship, such that we mourn how and why it eventually dissolves". Although praising Depp's French, he found him to not appear "engaged" in the role and "uncomfortable".[47] Ben Croll, writing for IndieWire, gave the film the grade B−, writing that "the film burns hot and bright — and quickly flames out".[48] Jo-Ann Titmarsch of The Evening Standard gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and was praising of the visuals, costumes and of Depp's performance, but criticised some of the other performances and the screenplay.[49]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jeanne du Barry". Cineuropa. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Jeanne du Barry". Unifrance. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Saudi aid for Maïwenn's next film". Le Monde (in French). 19 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  4. ^ Tabbara, Mona (23 January 2024). "Johnny Depp's IN. 2 to distribute 'Jeanne du Barry' in UK-Ireland". Screen International. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Jeanne du Barry". Le Pacte. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b Goodfellow, Melanie (30 March 2023). "Female-Directed Films Hit Historic 33% Share In France But Women Struggle To Access High Budgets – CNC Study". Deadline. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Jeanne du Barry". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  8. ^ Asatryan, Tigran (6 March 2023). "'Jeanne du Barry' / 'La Favorite' Johnny Depp Movie: What We Know So Far". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e Lalanne, Olivier (28 April 2023). "Rencontre avec Maïwenn, la reine du cinéma français". Harper's Bazaar France (in French). Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Jeanne du Barry: Maïwenn répond aux rumeurs de tensions avec Johnny Depp". Premiere (in French). 21 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Johnny Depp Says He Felt 'Strangely, Oddly, Perversely Lucky' to Be Offered Role of King Louis XV in 'Jeanne du Barry'". Variety. 15 April 2024.
  12. ^ Roxborough, Scott (21 January 2022). "Johnny Depp to Star as Disgraced King Louis XV in New Movie From French Director Maiwenn". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  13. ^ Grater, Tom (21 January 2022). "Johnny Depp To Star As French King Louis XV In Historical Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  14. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (3 May 2022). "Johnny Depp's New Movie Will Be On Sale At The Cannes Market, Actor Will Play French King Louis XV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  15. ^ Helm, Douglas (8 July 2022). "Johnny Depp Cements Comeback With Netflix Original". MSN. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  16. ^ a b c Long, Lacy (11 August 2022). "Jeanne Du Barry Image Shows Johnny Depp as King Louis XV in Upcoming Drama". Collider. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  17. ^ Walsh, Savannah (3 May 2022). "Johnny Depp's Big-Screen Return Is Coming". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  18. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (10 August 2022). "Johnny Depp As King Louis XV: First Image Released Of Actor In Maïwenn's 'Jeanne Du Barry', Filming Underway In France". Deadline. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  19. ^ Ruimy, Jordan (6 October 2022). "Johnny Depp and Director Maïwenn Constantly Argued During Production of 'La Favorite'". World of Reel. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  20. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (1 November 2022). "New Image of Johnny Depp As Louis XV In Maïwenn's 'Jeanne Du Barry' Unveiled As Wild Bunch International Posts Key Territory Deals – AFM". Deadline. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  21. ^ a b c "Maïwenn sur le tournage de son film sur Jeanne Du Barry: « Ma mise en scène n'est ni pop ni rock »". Le Journal du Dimanche (in French). 31 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  22. ^ a b ""Jeanne du Barry" en ouverture du Festival de Cannes: immersion avec Maïwenn lors du montage". Télérama (in French). 6 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  23. ^ "The Red Sea International Film Festival Announces Support Of Maïwenn's Upcoming Period Drama 'Jeanne Du Barry' – Red Sea Film". redseafilmfest.com. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  24. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (1 December 2023). "'Jeanne Du Barry' Red Sea Film Fest Q&A: Watch Maïwenn & Johnny Depp Debate With Saudi Audience Whether Their Film Is Funny". Deadline. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  25. ^ a b "Maïwenn's Jeanne du Barry to open the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  26. ^ Pavard, Charlotte (16 May 2023). "Opening: Jeanne du Barry, grandeur and decadence in the Age of Enlightenment". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  27. ^ Sharf, Zack; Setoodeh, Ramin (16 May 2023). "Johnny Depp Cements Cannes Comeback With Teary Seven-Minute Standing Ovation for 'Jeanne du Barry'". Variety. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  28. ^ Jacobs, Julia (5 April 2023). "Johnny Depp Film About Louis XV Will Open Cannes Film Festival". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Johnny Depp's New Film, 'Jeanne du Barry,' To Open Cannes Film Festival". HuffPost. 6 April 2023.
  30. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (13 April 2023). "Cannes Chief Thierry Frémaux Talks Scorsese's Competition Invite, "Magnificent" Johnny Depp, Lineup Additions & A Jean-Luc Godard Tribute: Q&A". Deadline. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  31. ^ Abraham, Melanie; Abraham, Hannah (15 April 2024). "Johnny Depp Teases Terry Gilliam In 'Jeanne Du Barry' UK Red Carpet Reunion". Deadline. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  32. ^ Lammers, Tim (8 April 2024). "New Johnny Depp Movie Gets Theatrical Release Date". Forbes. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  33. ^ Mendelson, Scott (7 June 2023). "Johnny Depp's 'Jeanne Du Barry' Lands Domestic Distribution From Vertical". TheWrap. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  34. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (1 June 2023). "Johnny Depp's Comeback Movie 'Jeanne du Barry' Rides High at French Box Office After Cannes Premiere". Variety. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  35. ^ McClintock, Pamela (31 May 2023). "Johnny Depp's 'Jeanne du Barry' Enjoys Decade-Best Start for a Cannes Opener at French Box Office". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  36. ^ "Jeanne du Barry: Les critiques presse". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  37. ^ "Jeanne du Barry". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 August 2024.  
  38. ^ "Jeanne du Barry". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  39. ^ Catherine Balle (16 May 2023). "Festival de Cannes: « Jeanne du Barry », un premier choc signé Maïwenn". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  40. ^ "Les critiques des films en salles la semaine du 17 mai". lejdd.fr (in French). 13 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  41. ^ "Notre critique de Jeanne du Barry: la cour des grandes". LEFIGARO (in French). 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  42. ^ Moussaoui, Rana (12 May 2023). "Jeanne du Barry à Cannes: Maïwenn et Johnny Depp s'essayent au « classique »". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  43. ^ "Jeanne du Barry". Premiere.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  44. ^ "Johnny Depp's comeback film Jeanne du Barry is surprisingly great – review". The Independent. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  45. ^ Maher, Kevin (19 April 2024). "Jeanne du Barry review — Johnny Depp is terrifying, but Maïwenn's the star". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  46. ^ "Film Review: Jeanne du Barry is delightfully irreverent stuff". Irish Examiner. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  47. ^ Debruge, Peter (16 May 2023). "'Jeanne du Barry' Review: Johnny Depp Makes a Decent, if Distracting Match for 'My King' Director Maïwenn". Variety. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  48. ^ Croll, Ben (16 May 2023). "'Jeanne du Barry' Review: The Johnny Depp-Starring Cannes Opener Is Really Just Another Maïwenn Showcase". IndieWire. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  49. ^ Titmarsh, Jo-Ann (17 May 2023). "Jeanne du Barry at Cannes: a right royal disappointment". Evening Standard. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
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