Du Barry, Woman of Passion

Cosse breaks the engagement because he overhears the King offering Jeannette the position of his favorite mistress and mistakenly believes she has already accepted. Jeannette had actually refused the King's offer moments before, fighting off Count Du Barry while the King watched eagerly, but Cosse did not hear her refusal. Believing she chose wealth and power over their relationship, he ends the engagement in anger.

This misunderstanding sets the tragic trajectory for both characters, as Cosse's departure pushes Jeannette toward accepting the King's patronage.

The King disguises himself as a messenger to observe Jeannette anonymously at the gambling house before revealing his identity. He had heard about her reputation and was intrigued by her beauty and charisma. This deliberate concealment allows him to assess her temperament firsthand, and when she demonstrates her fiery spirit by fighting off Count Du Barry, the King is further excited by her defiance.

The disguise emphasizes the King's fascination withJeannette while setting up the dramatic reveal that transforms her life.

Count Du Barry sees Jeannette as his opportunity for advancement and offers to sell her his exiled brother's title. Although Jeannette refuses to pay for it, she nonetheless becomes known as Countess Du Barry, likely through the King's influence and Du Barry's maneuvering. This title grants her legitimate access to court society and establishes her position as the King's official mistress.

The title marks Jeannette's complete transformation from shopgirl to aristocrat, deepening the class divide that fuels the rebellion.

The Duc de Brissac betrays Cosse out of unwavering loyalty to 'King and God.' Despite discovering his son is alive and hiding in Jeannette's room, the Duc chooses his duty to the monarchy over family ties. When soldiers search the palace, the Duc himself finds Cosse and hands him over, believing he must prioritize his oath to the King even at the cost of his own son.

This betrayal illustrates the rigid class loyalty that drives much of the film's tragedy, as the Duc's duty directly enables the King's plan to execute Cosse.

Cosse becomes a rebel because the King had him falsely imprisoned out of jealousy over his relationship with Jeannette. After being released or escaping imprisonment, Cosse channels his anger toward the monarchy's oppression and becomes the leader of the rebellion against the King. The film reveals that he was imprisoned by the King months before the events at the palace, fueling his transformation from royal guardsman to revolutionary.

This shift from royal guard to rebel leader represents the film's central theme of how the monarchy's own actions seed its destruction.

The Pacte de Famine is a historical grain-trading agreement that deliberately created food scarcity to profit from high grain prices. The King's advisors urge him to repeal this pact to calm the growing rebellion and address starvation among the French commoners. The King refuses, prioritizing royal profit and power over the suffering of his people, which fuels the revolutionary sentiment that ultimately overthrows him.

The King's refusal to abolish the famine pact directly motivates Cosse's rebellion and the people's hatred of Jeannette.

Jeannette opens the palace gates to save Cosse from execution. The King had planned to publicly execute Cosse at a grand party, and when Jeannette's plea to save him fails, she strategically opens the gates to let in the angry mob that had gathered outside. The resulting chaos provides the distraction Cosse needs to escape, though it also marks her final break with the monarchy.

This act represents Jeannette's complete reversal from royal mistress to revolutionary sympathizer, sealing her fate when the monarchy falls.

Cosse renounces his loyalty to the French Republic so he and Jeannette can be executed together. After Jeannette is condemned to death during the Revolution for her connection to the ancien régime, Cosse cannot overturn her sentence despite his position in the new republic. By renouncing his loyalty, he chooses death with the woman he loves over living in a world without her, ensuring they face their fate side by side.

This final sacrifice completes Cosse's arc from loyal guardsman to a man who rejects both monarch and republic for love.

The King knows Jeannette still loves Cosse but insists she forget him because he wants her complete devotion as his mistress. He tells her directly that Cosse will never return to her, essentially demanding she abandon her past life and accept the royal court as her new reality. This reflects the King's desire to possess both Jeannette and the status she represents, regardless of her true feelings.

The King's awareness of Jeannette's divided heart creates tension throughout her time at court and influences later events.

The commoners hate Jeannette because she lives in extreme luxury while France suffers from famine and poverty. The Duc de Brissac explicitly tells Jeannette that the people resent her extravagant lifestyle, her collection of jewels, and her position as the King's mistress. Her wealth represents the very oppression that is starving the nation, making her a symbol of aristocratic excess regardless of her personal feelings or charitable actions.

This public hatred foreshadows Jeannette's fate during the Revolution when her connection to the ancien régime leads to her execution.