French Film Festival Aotearoa 2024: ‘Jeanne du Barry’ – Review
This year’s French Film Festival Aotearoa 2024 has brought about an incredible level of cinematic magic for cinephiles. One of its starring releases was Maïwenn’s opulent and lavish historical romantic epic Jeanne du Barry. And this monumental production of cinema magnificence will sweep you up in its elaborate spectacle.
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.
Noted French actress and the former wife and muse of Luc Besson, Maïwenn set herself an incredible goal of re-creating the lavish life of the historical Jeanne du Barry, the last mistress to Louis XV, and in doing so, creates a film that is luxurious and grand in its showing, but also incredibly nuanced and internalised in its narrative. For Maïwenn Jeanne du Barry is a complete artistic pursuit, and her grand passion for this woman and her incredible life is on display in every frame of this film as she seeks to build up a picture of immense splendour and vast depth. Maïwenn’s vision is the true shaper of this vast picture, and her mind never waivers from a single detail. This focus to bringing forth a creation of pure spectacle completely washes over audiences and pulls them deeper into the magnificence and beauty of the Court of Louis XV.
Maïwenn has brought herself, body and soul to her performance as Jeanne du Barry, the famed mistress of Louis XV, who rose from that of a common girl and ascended to the heights of fame and influence, and our actress turned director brings to life Jeanne’s perspective with incredible sincerity and depth. Possessed of beauty, charm, intelligence, and a scintillating eroticism, Maïwenn’s portrayal of Jeanne captures her as a creature of depth and intrigue, with an underlying curiosity as her key trait. Through this inquisitiveness, she becomes a woman unafraid to push the boundaries and smash the status quo of the French Court and in her chronicle of Jeanne’s life, we see a woman who not only crashes through the boundaries but who invents an entirely new style of woman, and in a way brings modernism into this very benign French society. Maïwenn exudes sincerity, grace and a lust for life in the role, and her performance is one that will grip the audience fully.
Jeanne du Barry is important not only for the artistry of Maïwenn but also for that of established Hollywood actor Johnny Depp, and his return to the grand realm of cinema is some of his best work in a very long time. Depp is incredibly focused and in complete step with Louis XV, King of France and ruler of a vast empire, who appears to have grown tiresome of the lavish luxury and unbending protocol of his Court and who, at times, appears trapped by his Court and their constant praying on him for favour and fortune. Through Jeanne and her unwavering interest in the world around her, he soon finds meaning, and their relationship is incredibly stimulating to watch. Depp has never been better than he has in Jeanne du Barry. Watching him in this picture, you truly feel that this is both a film and a style of role that he has long been searching for, where he can entirely express himself and where the focus is more on his acting abilities rather than his mere star power.
Cinema has the grandest sense of power to transport us to times far past our own, and Jeanne du Barry is a work that is operatic in the most magnificent sense. This work is a feast for the eyes, and the lavishness of the French Court at Versailles is not just a backdrop but a character in its own right. It is awash with colour and beauty, captivating the audience with its grandeur. The cinematography of Laurent Dailland composes the film into what can only be described as ‘picturesque’, and its baroque imagery makes you feel as if you are watching a painting come to life. The extensive hair and make-up, and some of the most beautiful costuming you have ever seen, complete the look of the film, making it an enchanting and beautiful experience of French luxury in all its resplendence.
Jeanne du Barry is an astonishing achievement for both Maïwenn and Johnny Depp, and the two of them get to basque in the splendour and glory of one of this year’s most beautiful cinematic feats. The French have a way of honouring the most authentic passions of the cinema craft, and Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry is an expression of true artistic grace that will find its way into your soul.
Image: Le Pacte
