Review of Madame Du Barry

Enjoyably risqué and loaded with décor, this movie sails through an interesting plot filled with French bedroom farce material. Reginald Owen is spoiled and oddly prescient about his place in history, as "next to last" King of France. He's needing his grandson to step up his game from repairing gadgets to repairing the dynasty and Grandson needs great boosting in the ego department. Owen does not. He's smitten with Du Barry, whose initial scene features a winsome foot most of all, followed by a smirk from Del Rio as she lounges after entertaining her lover while he dresses after their encounter. She's on the way up and as she uses all her wiles on both her lover, who passes her along to his king, and the king, she comes across as suitably fiery.

There are cat fights among the women, outrageous demands for a snowfall in summer, and court intrigue involving Du Barry's enemy, Verree Teasdale, superb as is Owen. Jory I couldn't believe as a romance of Du Barry's, although he sounded patriotic enough wanting his country not to go to war for specious reasons. Del Rio is lovely to look at in sweeping gowns over panniers, and her gauzy near nude scene is memorable. What I took away is numerous chuckles over the double entendres, admiration for Owen's performance as ribald Louis, and appreciation for the wedding night scene of young Louis and Marie Antoinette, couched as it was in teen innocence.