Madame Du Barry

Plot

No boring historical pageant this, Warner Bros.' Madame DuBarry is a fast-paced, often hilarious romantic romp. Her Mexican accent held in check, the ravishingly beautiful Dolores Del Rio plays 18th-century French courtesan DuBarry like a 20th-century golddigger on the make. Brought to Versailles as the companion of courtier D'Aigullon (Victor Jory), former street waif DuBarry charms her way into the heart -- and boudoir -- of gouty King Louis XV (Reginald Owen). Many of the famous incidents in her character's life are given showcase treatment: When DuBarry's enemies steal her gown, she appears at her presentation at Versailles in a flimsy nightgown; and when she wants to take a sleighride in the middle of summer, King Louis "nationalizes" all the sugar in Paris as a substitute for snow. Upon Louis' death, the petulant new Queen Marie Antoinette (Anita Louise) banishes DuBarry from court, which our heroine takes in her usual stride, insouciantly chanting the roundelay "The King of France" as she walks out of the palace, with her head held high (and still -- at this point anyway -- firmly planted on her shoulders). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

According to popular wisdom, the woman who caused the fall of Bourbon France was little more than a tramp and a trollop but Dolores Del Rio plays her more like a cunning sophisticate who knew that the way to the monarch's heart was to treat him as she would any man: with insolence. In reality, it was more the American Revolution that brought down the stilted French monarchy and Jeanne Du Barry was merely one of many royal mistresses who made life at Versailles at little less dull. But if Del Rio's countess is slightly inaccurate, historically speaking, Reginald Owen's Louis IV comes across as a ludicrous fop and Maynard Holmes's pouting, childlike Louis IXV couldn't possibly have committed the near heroic acts that the historical individual factually performed near the end of his troubled reign. But the main contributor to the overall silliness of Madame Du Barry is Warner Bros., who made the mistake of treating a soapy screenplay with too much reverence. As a consequence, Hollywood's glamorous portrait of Du Barry suffers greatly in comparison to Ernst Lubitsch's ironic version from 1919. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Cast

• Dolores Del Rio - Mme. Du Barry
• Reginald Owen - Louis XV
• Victor Jory - Duke D'Aiguillon
• Osgood Perkins - Richelieu
• Veree Teasdale - Duchess De Granmont

Ferdinand Gottschalk - Lebel; Anita Louise - Marie Antoinette; Dorothy Tree - Adelaide; Allen Cavan - Nobleman; Hobart Cavanaugh - De La Vauguyon; Robert Greig - Chef; Eula Guy; Halliwell Hobbes - English Ambassador; Maynard Holmes - Dauphin; Mary Kornman - Felice; Doris Lloyd - Madame; Henry O'Neill - Duc De Choiseul; Virginia Sale - Sophie; Jesse Scott - Zamore; Arthur Treacher - Master of the Bedroom; Victoria Vinton - Young Girl; Nella Walker - Mme. De Noailles; Helen Howell - Countess De Bearn; Camille Rovelle - Victoria; Joan Wheeler - Florette

Credit

Jack Okey - Art Director, William Dieterle - Director, Bert Levy - Editor, Sol Polito - Cinematographer, Henry Blanke - Producer, Edward Chodorov - Screenwriter

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