a film rather consistent with reality

This Jeanne du Barry by Maïwenn is a nice surprise in a French cinema which, in recent years, has often missed its historical reconstructions. This film evokes with finesse the trajectory under the century of Louis XV of a girl of the people, beautiful and free, interpreted in a convincing way by Maïwenn, who has become the equal of a queen. In the entire history of France, no other royal mistress in title came from such a modest background as Jeanne.

This was only possible because the France of Louis XV had become, in the words of the great philosopher David Hume, the “country of women”. Trade between the two sexes was very free there, which was unknown in the other kingdoms of Europe, whether they were Catholic like Spain (the duennas watched over the young girls) or even the Italian peninsula (Sade complains about the “sigisbei”, men replacing the duennas), or, worse still, the Protestant nations, military Prussia or prudish England.

Read alsoOur review of Jeanne du Barry: the big leagues

Of course, this…