#Madame DuBarry

[heitechen]

My two-day journey to Shanghai’s Ernst Lubitsch retrospective!

This weekend showed Madame DuBarry, Trouble in Paradise, Design for Ling & Angel!

And a little party with other Fredric March fans!🥳Finally saw him on big screen!😭🥳

[ninaandromeda]

I just wanted to report that I'm weirdly obsessed with the "Portrait of Madame du Barry" by Louise Elisabeth Vigéé LeBrun (finished in 1814 way after the death of DuBarry during french revolution) :

I find the story of both woman fascinating, and I think this piece of art is very beautiful, specially her expression, and I wanted to share that. Voilà.

[pacingmusings]

Seen in 2023:

Madame DuBarry (Ernst Lubitsch), 1919

[postcard-from-the-past]

Pola Negri in the Madame Dubarry silent movie

German vintage postcard

[naldibutnice]

Pola Negri in Madame DuBarry (1919)

[random-brushstrokes]

Philip de László - The Actress Anny Ahlers as Madame Dubarry (1933)

[christianlep]

Blog 12- 2/12

Reading Rose of Versailles was a fun experience, providing a dramatic and romanticized rendition of the historic account of Marie Antoinette through shōjo. There are many elements that make up this manga, but I believe the most intriguing was its commentary upon monarchical society and the harsh reality that it developed a zeitgeist of shallowness and lust for power, and that the “untouchable” people at the top were often only so simply because of their lineage, not their prowess, and were pretty much average people. We see that Marie Antoinette, married off at fourteen to Prince Louis, is bound to become the queen of France someday, but given that she's simply a child, doesn’t understand the gravity of her responsibilities. We see this throughout the Rose of Versailles, in which she quickly disregards what her mother tells her about her studies and instead is more interested with her reputation and having fun with her elevated status, such as worrying about conceding to Madame Dubarry and talking to her because she was a prostitute. Later when she becomes queen (at nineteen), she is quick to utilize her power out of ignorance and selfishness, promoting people left and right despite not knowing them, and spending money on lavish dresses and other projects, despite France’s tight economy at the time. This portrayal highlights the notion that those of nobility were oftentimes not fit to rule or hold positions of power, and that the abstract concept of certain lineages holding more intrinsic authority and capabilities than others was a flawed one.

We see that this system also bred a shallow society, in which people only thought of achieving a respectable status, as that meant more power and influence upon others without repercussions (Perfectly exemplified by the scene where the prince was able to shoot a little boy in front of everyone and still dine with the queen). There are numerous examples strewn in the Rose of Versailles, such as Jeanne Valois renouncing her family and even going as far as killing anyone (even her sister if she didn’t leave) in her way on her journey within the kingdom’s court. We also see that within the court, the discussions being had weren’t about the future of France or other important matters, but instead about the drama and gossip within the kingdom; who’s side people were on, affairs, etc. This shines a light on the fact that monarchies consisted of a lot of internal politics too, with many putting on facades and acting with their own interests and reputation in mind, rather than the interest of the nation. We can see that this influence trickled down into the general populace, with many of the women only dreaming that they could switch places with Marie Antoinette and have her lavish lifestyle, with many selling their own estate and assets to afford fancy dresses and jewelry to convey (emphasis on convey) status and influence aligned with that of the queen.

I’m writing a lot but I wanted to briefly mention that the other elements I noticed were discussions on the idea of masculinity and sexuality, obviously in reference to Oscar, in which she carries out her duties as a guard, which was associated strictly as a man’s role, and does a better job then men. Many also seemingly question their sexual identities as they interact with Oscar, who many view as a beautiful man, and are still enticed once finding out that she’s a female. Finally I think the overall aesthetics fit with this particular subject matter, in which the beauty and shininess of everything rules the page, playing on the historic recounts of nobility being portrayed as elegant, beautiful and decorated with lavish silk and jewelry, or on all accounts, perfect.

[taffychiffon]

Lucille Ball as Madame DuBarry is chased by Red Skelton as King Louis the XV in the film “DuBarry Was A Lady” (1943) 🫧🤍

[thesketchyheartist]

02/12

Ikeda- Rose of Versailles

Returning to the class's routine readings, this week's post features a manga telling the life of Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France. One of the first things that stood out to me was the art styles. To begin with, it features a shoujo style of the characters and scenery. The female main characters have the large, starry, and ornate eyes that an anime depiction would no doubt have all the shades of color in them. Even Oscar, a female soldier, has a less feminine design, yet her eyes are still "magical girl"-like.

Another reason to point out the art style is not the aesthetics but the intentions. Google "Marie Antoinette", and you get a WOMAN smiling with fair, glowing skin. But this manga features a pretty GIRL. Royal paintings always feature the subject in their "best possible image" to bring a sense of regality and authority to their power. Shoujo manga does not have those intentions, except for specific characters the mangaka wishes to emphasize. Ikeda features Marie as a young teenager ordered to get married and live permanently away from home. She sees herself in a self-centered but oblivious world. Similar to history's depictions, she only cares about her title and her amusements. The manga shows a slightly different angle by showing she is only a child who doesn't understand that luxuries come at a price, and she is not immune as the "highest ranking woman" from public scrutiny. She did not have any education or knowledge of France, nor any background to rule her own country. Her own entourage made up of the King's daughters, are clearly older women who give her advice, but she doesn't have a mind of her own. We see the thoughts between Madame Dubarry (King's mistress and someone who was originally of lower class) and Marie. Marie doesn't avoid her because she actually thinks Madame Dubarry is undeserving of attention, but because her entourage told her she doesn't need to worry about focusing her attention on anyone but rather everyone needs to focus their attention on her.

To summarize, Marie could've, should've, and would've had a different life, but we must also consider her as a pawn in everyone else's game of politics. The French Revolution was certainly influenced by Marie's thoughtlessness and lack of foresight to her addiction, but the King was just as gullible to Marie to his perception of invincibility, and the noble class only cared about appeasing the royal family to elevate their status. We can see it with Jeanne and Rosalie who become estranged because Jeanne chose to be ambitious and rise from their low class, eventually leading to Jeanne killing nobles to become a member of the court. The wider the gap between classes, the more turmoil and social unrest among the underprivileged. The Revolution might've been caused by singular events, but even Oscar saw how the economy had led France downhill before it actually went downhill.

Marie Antoinette died at age 38. This painting was made in 1755 when she was 20 years old. Notice how much bigger she looked compared to manga Marie.

-02/11/2024

Yesterday was the Lunar New Year. 新年快乐！ 努力学习！ 恭喜发财！

[gatutor]

Emil Jannings-Pola Negri "Madame DuBarry" 1919, de Ernst Lubitsch.

[mari-bellis]

Just started watching The Serpent Queen and I am HOOKED

I love historical dramas. My favorite one is The Rose of Versailles. I have definitely found a mistress worse than Madame DuBarry. Diane is fucking insufferable omg.

[vivelareine]

In Marie Antoinette what did you think of the scene where Madame DuBarry calls Marie a "gin-ger" which is UK secondary school slang for a redhead. It was jarring as hell.

It's based on contemporary reports that Du Barry referred to Marie Antoinette as "la petite rousse," or "the little redhead," to the king.

So for the show, "little redhead" as an insult became the more immediately recognizable to modern audiences insult, "ginger."

Although random fact: "la petite rousse" was randomly translated as "little red cheeks" instead of "little redhead" in one 19th century biography. Sarah Tytler's biography claims that it was Du Barry implying that they were 'already so rosy' even before the required court rouge, thus insulting her by implying she already had red skin.

[jadeykitties]

“madame dubarry is like the vriska of 70s anime.” ~ @hirudineo, 2023

[postcard-from-the-past]

Pola Negri in the Madame Dubarry movie

German vintage postcard

[jamyaahhh]

2/12

The art for A Rose of Versailles is beautiful, I wish I could have read all of it in color. The art style utilizes certain features like big sparkly eyes to highlight the character with the most beauty. While characters who are not attractive have plain beady eyes. These beautiful characters also are often drawn with a background that may be floral or sparkly. This pushes the idea of their beauty which tops everyone else’s. I love how Oscar is drawn in a way that shows her beauty in a masculine and feminine way. It was funny to see the female characters fawning over her. It adds to the humor of her dad naming her Oscar and treating her as his son. I think this manga could have been one of the first to express same gender romances, even though it was in a joking manner. I also enjoyed the theme of rags to riches being portrayed. Characters like Jeanne would do whatever it takes to become royalty, even if it means turning your back on your own family. To add, Marie’s character, who becomes the top of her class, seems to be gullible and doesn’t think for herself all the time. For example, when Marie was feuding with madame Dubarry, her mother felt responsible because she raised her to dislike women like her. Marie also follows the guidance of her counsel, who dislikes Dubarry, without any question.