JEANNE DU BARRY Updates

Discuss the latest Johnny Depp news, his career, past and future projects, and other related issues.
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JEANNE DU BARRY Updates

Unread post by SnoopyDances » Thu May 18, 2023 6:25 pm

AP

Johnny Depp on his Cannes return and finding ‘the basement to the bottom’


CANNES, France (AP) — Just a year ago, the image of Johnny Depp smiling and waving atop the Palais steps at the Cannes Film Festival would have been unthinkable to most — including to Depp, himself.

“When you hit the bottom, you hit the bottom, you hit the bottom, then you find the basement to the bottom,” Depp told The Associated Press the day after “Jeanne du Barry,” in which he stars as King Louis XV, opened Cannes.

This time last year, Depp was immersed in a libel trial he brought against Amber Heard, his ex-wife, based on a 2018 Washington Post op-ed piece in which she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” A British court had ruled in 2020 that a tabloid labeling Depp “a wife beater” were “substantially true.” Soon after the ruling in the U.K., Hollywood had largely cut ties with Depp, jettisoning him from both the “Fantastic Beasts” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchises.

“When it all went down, confusion is a good word. Befuddled. Because it does almost reach the Bugs Bunny experience,” Depp says now. “You say to yourself: Is this my life? What happened?”

Some greeted Depp’s feting in Cannes with similar degrees of befuddlement.

A Virginia jury eventually ruled that Heard had defamed Depp on three counts and awarded him $15 million in damages. In a countersuit, Depp was found guilty of one charge of libel and Heard was awarded $2 million. Depp may have won in court, but public opinion remains divided on the actor who was once one of the most bankable stars in movies — with many supporters of abused women and the #MeToo movement wondering if sexual assault victims would be more reticent to come forward if they might be sued for defamation.

Outside the premiere of “Jeanne du Barry” in Cannes, fans grasped for autographs and signs read “Viva Johnny!” On social media, the reception was more fraught. Supporters of Heard rallied around the hashtag #CannesYouNot, arguing that Cannes — which has been criticized for welcoming men accused of misconduct — shouldn’t have invited Depp.

“If you support Cannes, you support predators,” posted Eve Barlow, a journalist and friend of Heard. Heard herself hasn’t commented on Depp’s Cannes premiere.

Depp has seldom spoken in public since the trial, but he granted an interview with the AP on Wednesday after a day of interviews with mostly French media. (Depp remains very popular in France where he has sometimes lived and where the film industry is contending with its own #MeToo reckoning.) He was eager to cast his own battles in the light of Hollywood scandals of the past.

“Never boring but unpleasant, curious years. Escapades. Rumors. Accusations,” Depp said. “I read far too much about Fatty Arbuckle but I didn’t see any (Buster) Keaton coming my way to save my ass.”

“One of the things that kept going in my head was Hunter,” he continued, invoking longtime mentor Hunter S. Thompson. “I could hear his voice: ‘Buy the ticket, take the ride.’”

“I don’t think Marlon would have survived,” Depp said, referencing Brando. “I don’t think he came close to going through something like this. Had he been alive to watch this happen, he would have gone sideways. He would have killed somebody.”

One thing that’s been unclear was if Depp had any remorse for how the trial — a bitter and often theatrical legal battle played out in front of cameras — unfolded. Depp became a hero to some right-wing critics of so-called cancel culture. Asked if he had any misgivings about the supporters he attracted, Depp responded:

“I did notice that people actually opened their mouths about it. At that time, that was brave.”

“Not for a moment will I regret anything unless I’ve done something horrible to someone, which I haven’t,” Depp added. “I’m not going to regret being taken down a strange road for that period of time because I learned so much more about myself.”

“Jeanne du Barry,” directed by the French filmmaker and actor Maïwenn, is Depp’s first film in three years. Maïwenn stars as Jeanne Vaubernier, a working-class woman who becomes Louis XV’s mistress. Depp speaks French in the film, which doesn’t yet have U.S. distribution. Maïwenn, too, is a controversial figure. She recently admitted to assaulting prominent French journalist Edwy Plenel at a café, yanking his hair back and spitting in his face.

It’s not the only business Depp has in Cannes. He’s seeking financing for “Modi,” a biopic of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani that he hopes to shoot this fall, with Al Pacino attached. Depp, who will perform next week at a London tribute for the late Jeff Beck, a close friend, also recently renewed his contract with Dior in a $20 million deal.

“I don’t know the image of Johnny Depp in the U.S.,” Cannes director Thierry Fremaux said Monday. “If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film, or the film was banned, we wouldn’t be here talking about it.”

And there’s been plenty of conversation generated by Depp’s appearance in Cannes, even in reviews haven’t been good. Time’s Stephanie Zacharek called it “less a comeback than a tepid lurching into a very small spotlight.” But the overall reception has been warm. Depp, who said he lives 45 minutes away, was taken aback by the thrall.

“I didn’t know what planet I was on,” he said, smiling.

Speaking to reporters in the festival press conference, Depp mocked the idea that he has many critics, likening anyone who protested his presence in Cannes to “some species, some tower of mashed potatoes, covered in the light of a computer screen, anonymous, with apparently a lot of spare time.”

Sitting on a terrace overlooking the Cannes’ Croisette later, Depp appeared relaxed and jovial, though his thoughts remained fixed on his legal battles with Heard.

“You’re not powerless but you’ve been postponed,” he said of how he felt before the trial. “At that point, I just thought: F--- it. I’ve been lucky. I’ve been around for a long time. I’ve made a lot of films. That’s, I suppose, my legacy. Alright. I can live with that. I didn’t do anything wrong.” But he said after years of swimming through “that horrible molasses,” he came out much stronger.

Depp said in the press conference that he has “no further need for Hollywood.” In the interview, he said he remains intent on making more films but outside the studio system. At the same time, Depp rejected that he was ever really a movie star in the first place.

“That’s the last thing to call me,” he said. “For 20 years they never mentioned that until ‘Pirates 1.’ Oh, he’s a movie star now! We like him!”

Many have portrayed Depp’s Cannes return as an attempt to win back moviegoers after a thoroughly revealing trial. Depp says he’s not trying to convince anyone of anything. To him, there’s no such thing as an unsullied movie star.

“You mean people’s obsession that everybody must be Doris Day? Even Doris Day wasn’t Doris Day. They have to know that,” Depp said. “And Rock Hudson certainly wasn’t Rock Hudson. I can only try to offer that I feel like might be interesting or different.”

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JEANNE DU BARRY Updates

Unread post by In-too-Depp » Fri May 19, 2023 12:15 pm

And Wit, was his vain frivolous pretence
Of pleasing others, at his own expense

Rochester ,"Satyr" on Man

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Unread post by SnoopyDances » Fri May 19, 2023 2:46 pm

:guitar:

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Unread post by fireflydances » Fri May 19, 2023 7:18 pm

I was over at IFOD on Instagram and I came across an interview that Vogue - France had with Johnny about his experience in the film Jeanne du Barry. The interview is in French with an English translation provided.

In any case, I really giggled at one response he made. Vogue had asked him if it was difficult to speak French, and he said no, then explaining how he tried hard to master and absorb the sort of French phrases a royal person would use when speaking. As follows:

"No not necessarily. My main concern was to respect good French, and “royal” French. To respect the manner in which Louis XV addressed the various branches of his government and his people. I wanted the language to become instantaneous in my head, to become second nature, so that I no longer think about pronunciation. I had worked enough on it to know where the slightest mistakes were hiding. And then, when you feel impregnated by the character, even if it's not your own language, you can improvise when necessary."


Impregnated by the character? But also an amazing way to think about the process of creating a role. To impregnate oneself.

Here is a link to the entire interview.
https://www.vogue.fr/article/Johnny-dep ... rry-cannes
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JEANNE DU BARRY Updates

Unread post by SnoopyDances » Fri May 19, 2023 11:13 pm

:thanks!:

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Unread post by In-too-Depp » Wed May 24, 2023 8:25 am



:applause2:
And Wit, was his vain frivolous pretence
Of pleasing others, at his own expense

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Unread post by ForeverYoung » Fri May 26, 2023 2:11 am

THAT IS AMAZING!!! :cheers: :snoopydances: :toastingpirates:
“Growing old is unavoidable, but never growing up is possible."

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Unread post by In-too-Depp » Wed May 31, 2023 3:35 pm



Johnny Depp’s ‘Jeanne du Barry’ Enjoys Decade-Best Start for a Cannes Opener at French Box Office

Hollywood Reporter
Article by Pamela McClintock
31st May 2023

The period drama, starring Depp as King Louis XV, has done the most box office business of any of the fest's opening-night film since 'The Great Gatsby' in 2013.

Bien joué.

Jeanne du Barry — starring Johnny Depp — took a triumphant bow at the box office in France timed to its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

The period drama racked up 401,481 admissions in its first week of play, the best showing in a decade for a Cannes opening-night film, according to French distributor Le Pacte. The last movie to do more when sailing into French cinemas simultaneous to its Cannes stop was Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 feature The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio (760,438 admissions).

The Great Gatsby, of course, was a major Hollywood studio film.

More times than not, Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux selects an independent title to open the storied festival. It is also common for a French-language film, such as Jeanne du Barry, to receive the coveted spot. (It’s tradition for the opening-night film to unfurl in French cinemas that same night.)

From French multihyphenate Maïwenn, Jeanne du Barry stars Depp as King Louis XV, while Maïwenn plays the titular character in addition to directing.

Cannes marked Depp’s first major appearance after years of legal wrangling and a tumultuous divorce with ex-wife Amber Heard, one that included allegations of domestic violence and two high-profile defamation lawsuits (the latter was settled in Depp’s favor, with Heard ordered to pay $10 million).

To date, no deal has been announced for a U.S. distributor to release Jeanne du Barry in the U.S. The film has drawn mixed reviews from many critics, while it isn’t clear whether a specialty division owned by a major studio would go into business again with Depp.

Maïwenn, a Cannes jury prize winner for her 2011 drama Polisse and an outspoken critic of the #MeToo movement, faced her own share of controversy of late after allegations surfaced that she grabbed the head of journalist Edwy Plenel and spit on him while he was dining at a Paris restaurant. Plenel published an investigation regarding sexual abuse allegations against filmmaker Luc Besson, who happens to be Maïwenn’s ex-husband.

Other French-language films that have opened Cannes in recent years include 2017’s Ismael’s Ghosts (Les Fantômes d’Ismaël), which drew 173,994 admissions in its box office debut, and 2015’s Standing Tall (La Tête haute), which drew 250,271 admissions.

Nicole Kidman’s Grace of Monaco (2014), which is in English and in French, brought in 152,404 admissions at the French box office in its debut while opening Cannes.
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JEANNE DU BARRY Updates

Unread post by fireflydances » Fri Jun 02, 2023 4:51 pm

Every day I am over at Stephen Deuters' Twitter account feasting at the trough of truly fine reviews of Jeanne du Barry. Today's catch, in Italian, was one of the best I've read yet. So I am bringing it over in translation with a link to the original.


Cinema
Depp shines again
May 17, 2023 - 2.49 pm
A great start for the Cannes Film Festival, with a film that tells the story of Louis XV's favorite and makes use of the ever so crystalline talent of Johnny Depp

Serena Nanelli


The film that opened the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, Jeanne du Barry by Maïwenn, who is director and protagonist, not only marks the artistic rebirth of Johnny Depp after the disastrous ordeals (allegations of domestic violence) related to his divorce from Amber Heard , but precisely the return of a cinema worthy of the name and which lately seems to appear only in correspondence with noble kermesses.

The plot traces the story of Jeanne Becu (Maiwenn), the courtesan who with the title of Madame du Barry was the favorite of King Louis XV (Depp). Illegitimate daughter who came from nowhere, she conquered the bed and the heart of a sovereign who, despite being a womanizer, was able to grasp her delightful diversity .

In fact, Jeanne is not just any courtesan, but a self-possessed woman, aware that she was born to give and treat herself to pleasure. Her peculiarity is not so much in the sexual favors that she grants to men, but in her stubborn light-heartedness that makes her love every aspect of life and of the feminine. We see her devoted to her maternal component, it doesn't matter if she towards those she has not physically generated, exalted by luxury but also endowed with an inner freedom that places her above money. The one with the king will be a story studded with gifts and concessions, but above all with true love and the desire for authentic sharing.

"Jeanne du Barry" underlines several times how at the beginning the young woman is completely disinterested , if not reluctant, to be presented to the monarch. That's why when she faces him she is able to bewitch him right away. What is irresistible is not so much what physically happens in the thalamus, which the film always glosses over, but her being mischievous and independentwhile retaining the desire to play and the laughing lightness of a little girl. As for the ignorance of which she is continually accused by those who resent her at court, it is only in the judgment of those who do not know the power of naturalness and of following one's own inclinations and intuitions. Nothing is more seductive than showing what almost everyone loses along the way, namely the possibility, always claimed with a smile, of being oneself.

Johnny Depp in the film is a co-star with few lines to pronounce which, despite the actor having an infinitely persuasive voice , helps the incisiveness of the performance. The star works by subtraction and not only abandons the facets attributed to him from "The Pirates of the Caribbean" onwards, but masters a charisma that is growing to the point of remembering that of his friend, Marlon Brando. As in that case, the physical beauty and charm of the golden years seem to have given way to a different and deeper form of seduction, inalienable because it is not linked to appearance but to experience.

On the red carpet Depp isn't much of a show, except in terms of sheer graciousness and rare availability with audiences begging for a look or a selfie; but in “Jeanne du Barry” the star of his talent shines brightly. “Jeanne du Barry” is a love story but also a journey into the different facets of being a woman. It is no coincidence that the king has two favorites: one (Jeanne) embodies earthly pleasures , the other (the daughter) is in contact with angelic aspirations. The epilogue is a small masterpiece. In the ravenous final race of the subjects towards the new sovereign to idolize, while the old one lies killed by smallpox and mourned at a distance only by those who have sincerely loved him, the echo of the immortal "sic transit gloria mundi" is heard.

Below a link to the original in translation, just in case you prefer to read things on a publication's site.

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Unread post by fireflydances » Wed Jun 07, 2023 5:15 pm

YES, we will be seeing Jeanne du Barry! (Hysterical cheering :loveshower: ) IN2.film broke the news on Twitter. Variety running an article on same, but truly, it's the first paragraph that says it all: Maiwenn’s “Jeanne Du Barry,” a costume drama starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, has been acquired by Vertical for North America following its world premiere on opening night of the Cannes Film Festival, Variety has learned.


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Unread post by SnoopyDances » Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:05 pm

Thanks, FF!
Here is the article for anyone that may not have access.


Johnny Depp’s ‘Jeanne du Barry’ Lands U.S. Distributor (EXCLUSIVE)

Maiwenn’s “Jeanne Du Barry,” a costume drama starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, has been acquired by Vertical for North America following its world premiere on opening night of the Cannes Film Festival, Variety has learned.

The movie, which was greeted with a seven-minute standing ovation, marks Depp’s first leading role in three years. The movie has been having a strong run at the French box office, where it’s been handled by Le Pacte and grossed nearly $4.1 million from more than 550,000 tickets during its first two weeks in theaters.

“Jeanne du Barry” stars Maiwenn as Jeanne Vaubernier, a working class woman in 18th century France who rises the social ranks and becomes King Louis XV’s lover. Her working class roots make her a social pariah at the Versailles Palace. The movie’s acclaimed supporting cast includes Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard and Melvil Poupaud.

Represented in international markets by Goodfellas (formerly Wild Bunch International), “Jeanne du Barry” was produced by Why Not. The film was acquired by Netflix for second window rights in France only and received financing from Red Sea Film Foundation. Budgeted in the $22 million range, “Jeanne du Barry” shot on location in France, including at Versailles.

Over the last three years, Depp made headlines for his ongoing legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard which culminated in a defamation trial won by Depp in December. In spite of the controversy surrounding the casting of Depp and its inclusion on opening night of the festival, “Jeanne du Barry” was warmly received at the festival. Depp even got a prolonged applause for his performance as the King Louis XV, his first role speaking in French. While the film has fared well in France, its performance in North America will test Depp’s comeback potential.

During the press conference for “Jeanne du Barry” at Cannes, Depp addressed his long absence from U.S. films and said, “Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood? You’d have to not have a pulse to feel like, ‘No. None of this is happening. It’s a weird joke.” “When you’re asked to resign from a film you’re doing because of something that is merely a function of vowels and consonants floating in the air, yes, you feel boycotted,” Depp continued, probably alluding to his forced exit from “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”

Variety‘s review said “Jeanne du Barry” “offers a relatively provocative take on all things royal” and described Depp’s turn opposite Maiwenn as a “decent, if distracting match.” “More than a stunt, picking such a major star to play the French king feels apt, for there must be a palpable power differential between Louis and his latest infatuation,” wrote Peter Debruge.

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Unread post by In-too-Depp » Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:55 am



Johnny Depp’s Cannes Starrer ‘Jeanne du Barry’ Lands Domestic Distribution

Hollywood Reporter
Article by Mia Gallupo
7th June 2023

Jeanne du Barry, the opening night from this year’s Cannes Film Festival that stars embattled actor Johnny Depp, will get a North American release.

Vertical has landed the domestic rights to the period drama, which was directed by and co-stars Maïwenn. Depp play King Louis XV and the film follows his relationship with Jeanne Vaubernier, a working-class woman who rises to the level of the king’s mistress.

North American release plans, including theatrical, are not yet confirmed.

The $22 million budgeted feature, which was shot on location in France, including Versailles, has proven successful at the French box office with 401,481 admissions (or $2.56 million U.S.) in its first week of play, the best showing in a decade for a Cannes opening-night film in the country, according to French distributor Le Pacte.

Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard, Melvil Poupaud and Pascal Greggory also star in the movie. Teddy Lussi-Modeste and Nicolas Livecchi co-wrote the film with Maïwenn. Pascal Caucheteux and Grégoire Sorlat produced along with Maïwenn. Financing came from Red Sea Film Foundation; Goodfellas negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.

Jeanne du Barry was seen as a controversial choice to open the Cannes Film Festival. Depp has been in a years-long legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, which includes allegations of domestic violence, during which time he has largely remained off-screen and away from red carpet events. Two high-profile defamation lawsuits have played out in public, one of which served Depp a victory this December.

At Cannes, Depp and Jeanne du Barry were met with a warm reception, including scores of fans out the Grand Lumiere theater and a prolonged standing ovation for the films.

The Hollywood Reporter review of the film reads, “It has a great setting, with many scenes shot in and around the real Palace of Versailles, and a great setup, with du Barry’s rags-to-riches-to-Roi Louis XV biography providing the main plot. But once all of that’s in place, Maïwenn doesn’t really do much with it.”
And Wit, was his vain frivolous pretence
Of pleasing others, at his own expense

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Unread post by fireflydances » Fri Jun 09, 2023 1:45 pm

Looks like it's going to be streamed, not available in theatres.

Beggers can't be choosers then, but man, I was salivating over getting a chance to see this film in the same place I saw Minamata on the only weekend it was open near me. An old theatre, the kind where the inside goes way up into darkness and the seats hang in balconys so that you feel suspended in the air and convinced that you just might tumble over the edge and disappear. There were two people in the theatre besides me but completely lost in the upper reaches of darkness, so I was basically alone and the screen was enormous, wall-wide, towering. The best, the best, the best ever way to see a Depp film. Utterly all encompassing.

Can you imagine Jeanne du Barry in such a setting? It would have been heaven.
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Unread post by In-too-Depp » Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:32 am

And Wit, was his vain frivolous pretence
Of pleasing others, at his own expense

Rochester ,"Satyr" on Man

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Unread post by SnoopyDances » Wed Jun 28, 2023 11:38 am