Passion

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Nick M Pola Negri is one of the most compelling actors I have seen in early film. She commands the stage, attracts the camera, and transfixes with the power behind her eyes. In each of her films I've seen she plays a powerful, self-possessed woman who uses her intelligence, humor, and sexuality to her advantage, but on *her* terms. "Madame DuBarry" is no exception. In the film (as in life) her character keeps finding herself in exactly the right place at the right time in order to become the mistress to an increasingly powerful series of men until she finally finds herself the official maîtresse-en-titre to King Louis XV. That's pretty incredible considering she started as the illegitimate daughter of a seamstress selling baubles on the streets so the family could buy bread. Each of her first meetings in the picture are portrayed as the work of mere happenstance. Watching her mind work to recognize and capitalize on her good fortune is such a satisfying pleasure. Praise must also go to Emil Jannings, who plays Louis XV. They make a wonderful pair and seem to have genuine chemistry. Reinhold Schünzel is truly hateful as one of the meddling villains of the film, Minister Choiseul. And of course - Ernst Lubitsch's directing is phenomenal! Negri is only 22 at this point, and Lubitsch a mere 27, but his vision is already surpassing some of the prominent directors with years more experience. The humor and sexual energy of the majority of the film complement each other nicely; the comedic elements serve to lighten the titillation so that it feels safe enough for an audience of the time to allow themselves to enjoy both simultaneously without feeling guilty about it. The costumes and wigs are fabulous, and the crowd work is incredible. My one problem is in the last 20 minutes of the film. I can forgive the fact that they compressed the timeline of the French Revolution from a matter of years down to a few days (we certainly don't need to watch 20 years pass between the death of Louis XV and DuBarry's execution), and I can also excuse the rapid tonal shift required to carry that off. The problem is that switching back and forth between the scenes concerning DuBarry and those concerning the enraged proletariat left me feeling like I was watching two different movies. The narrative connects them convincingly enough, but I had the impression that Lubitsch didn't actually care about the events of the revolution. They're necessary to the story, so they must be included, but he did not inject the same enthusiasm for their plight as he delighted in presenting DuBarry's astonishing rise and fall. As with Ossi Oswalda in "The Oyster Princess" Harry Liedtke cannot keep up with his leading lady, so his death scene is an overacted let down. But all that being said, the climactic final scene culminating in her decapitation is riveting, and you can feel the emotion of both Negri and the crowd who wants Madame DuBarry's blood. All in all, it's a cinematic achievement well worth watching in the 21st century. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/26/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Passion

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