Du Barry Was a Lady

May agrees to marry Louis because she has always planned to marry for wealth rather than love. Growing up poor, she sees the lottery win as an opportunity for financial security. When Louis wins $150,000, she accepts his proposal despite not loving him, viewing it as her chance to escape poverty and achieve the elegant life she's always wanted.

May chooses Alec because her conversation with Louis and an elderly woman on the subway causes her to reconsider what truly matters in a relationship. After Louis wins the lottery, she realizes that money alone won't bring happiness. Her experiences throughout the night shift her priorities, and she decides to marry for love instead of wealth, choosing Alec despite Louis's financial offer.

The subway conversation where Louis and an elderly woman challenge May's belief that money is everything plants the seeds for her change of heart.

Louis falls into the dream sequence after accidentally drinking a drugged beverage that was intended for someone else at the nightclub. The drugged drink sends him into a vivid unconscious state where he imagines himself as King Louis XV at Versailles, with the people from his real life playing roles in his fantasy.

The dream serves as an allegory for Louis's real-world situation. In the dream, he becomes a powerful king (mirroring his sudden wealth), May becomes Madame Du Barry (a woman who uses beauty for status), and Alec becomes the Black Arrow (a rebel fighting against unfair power). The dream explores whether power and wealth truly bring happiness, just as Louis must decide whether money can buy May's love in reality.

After May and Alec reject Louis's offer of $10,000 as a wedding gift, a tax collector arrives demanding $80,000 in taxes on the lottery winnings. The remaining $70,000 is further reduced by the tax bill, effectively reducing Louis's windfall to a much smaller amount. This satirical twist underscores the film's theme that wealth doesn't guarantee happiness and comes with financial consequences.

Louis accepts May's confession because he is so enamored with her that he's willing to accept a practical marriage rather than one based on mutual love. Interestingly, he seems content with this arrangement at first, suggesting he values having May in his life regardless of her motivations. His acceptance reflects his insecurity and desperate desire to win her, even on unfavorable terms.

In the dream, Madame Du Barry warns Louis about the fragility of privilege and the dangers of pursuing a high-born lifestyle. She cautions that royal power is precarious and that those who seek status through wealth and power constantly live under threat. This warning reflects the film's commentary on how money and status provide no real security or happiness.

The Perfume Girl, played by Ava Gardner, is a mysterious and glamorous figure who appears in the background of the nightclub scenes, shimmerimg around May's world. While her role is relatively small, she represents another aspirational figure in the nightclub environment, adding to the film's atmosphere of ambition and allure. Gardner's presence adds star power even in a minor capacity.

The Black Arrow, played by Alec in the dream, leads a populist rebellion against the king, representing those who fight against greed and oppression. In the dream, Louis witnesses the tension between the monarchy's selfishness and the people's desire for fairness. This storyline mirrors the real-world theme of choosing between genuine love and material wealth.

In the dream, Louis sentences the Black Arrow to death by guillotine after being influenced by his court advisors, representing how power can corrupt even kind-hearted people. However, when Du Barry pleads for mercy and confesses her love for the Black Arrow, Louis changes his mind and shows mercy. This moment illustrates the dream's theme that compassion should triumph over rigid authority.

The dream assigns royal and historical roles to the main characters: Louis becomes King Louis XV, May becomes Madame Du Barry (the famous royal mistress), Alec becomes the Black Arrow (a rebel/outlaw), and a waiter named Charlie plays the Dauphin. The roles reflect each character's real-world dynamic, Louis as the powerful one with money, May as someone using her beauty for status, and Alec as someone who opposes the system.