Lady Oscar (film)
Encyclopedia
Lady Oscar is a 1979
film, based on the manga
The Rose of Versailles
by Riyoko Ikeda
. The film was written and directed by Jacques Demy
, with music composed by his regular collaborator Michel Legrand
. The film is a Japanese
-French
co-production and was filmed in France.
) is a young woman whose father, a career military man, wanted a boy. Rather than surrender to his disappointment after she was born, her father took to dressing Oscar in boy's clothes and raising her as a man. While privately Oscar acknowledges her feminine side, she dresses as a man and gains an honoured position as a guard to Marie Antoinette (Christina Bohm). In her youth, Oscar was in love with Andre (Barry Stokes), the son of the family's housekeeper. Years later, when the French Revolution
begins, Oscar and Andre's paths cross for the first time in years. With the assault on the Bastille, Oscar and Andre find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the revolution.
, a cosmetics company, and Catriona McColl promoted a red lipstick for the spring cosmetic line that year. Frederik L. Schodt
translated the entire manga series into English as a reference for the producers of this film, but gave the only copy of the translation to them and it was lost.
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
film, based on the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
The Rose of Versailles
The Rose of Versailles
, also known as Lady Oscar or La Rose de Versailles, is one of the best-known titles in shōjo manga and a media franchise created by Riyoko Ikeda. It has been adapted into several Takarazuka Revue musicals, as well an anime television series, produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and broadcast by the...
by Riyoko Ikeda
Riyoko Ikeda
is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She is included in the Year 24 Group. She was one of the most popular Japanese comic artists in the 1970s, being best known for The Rose of Versailles.- Biography :...
. The film was written and directed by Jacques Demy
Jacques Demy
Jacques Demy was one of the most approachable filmmakers to appear in the wake of the French New Wave. Uninterested in the formal experimentation of Alain Resnais, or the political agitation of Jean-Luc Godard, Demy instead created a self-contained fantasy world closer to that of François...
, with music composed by his regular collaborator Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
. The film is a Japanese
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
-French
Cinema of France
The Cinema of France comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad.France is the birthplace of cinema and was responsible for many of its early significant contributions. Several important cinematic movements, including the Nouvelle...
co-production and was filmed in France.
Plot
Oscar Françoise de Jarjayes (Catriona MacCollCatriona MacColl
Catriona MacColl is an English actress who has worked extensively in both film and television across Europe.-Acting career:In 1979, MacColl made her debut in the title role of "Lady Oscar" directed by Jacques Demy in Japan...
) is a young woman whose father, a career military man, wanted a boy. Rather than surrender to his disappointment after she was born, her father took to dressing Oscar in boy's clothes and raising her as a man. While privately Oscar acknowledges her feminine side, she dresses as a man and gains an honoured position as a guard to Marie Antoinette (Christina Bohm). In her youth, Oscar was in love with Andre (Barry Stokes), the son of the family's housekeeper. Years later, when the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
begins, Oscar and Andre's paths cross for the first time in years. With the assault on the Bastille, Oscar and Andre find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the revolution.
Cast
- Catriona MacCollCatriona MacCollCatriona MacColl is an English actress who has worked extensively in both film and television across Europe.-Acting career:In 1979, MacColl made her debut in the title role of "Lady Oscar" directed by Jacques Demy in Japan...
as Oscar François de JarjayesOscar François de Jarjayesis one of the main characters in the manga/anime series The Rose of Versailles, created by Riyoko Ikeda.-Character history:Born the last of five daughters to the Commander of the Royal Guards, General François Augustin Regnier de Jarjayes she is raised by her father as if she were a boy in order... - Patsy KensitPatsy KensitPatricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
as young Oscar François de JarjayesOscar François de Jarjayesis one of the main characters in the manga/anime series The Rose of Versailles, created by Riyoko Ikeda.-Character history:Born the last of five daughters to the Commander of the Royal Guards, General François Augustin Regnier de Jarjayes she is raised by her father as if she were a boy in order... - Barry StokesBarry Stokes (actor)Barry Stokes is a British actor.His film credits include: Juan Antonio Bardem's Behind the Shutters, The Ups and Downs of a Handyman, Prey, Hawk the Slayer, Rendezvous in Paris and Enemy Mine....
as André Grandier - Jonas Bergström as Hans Axel von Fersen
- Christine Böhm as Marie Antoinette
- Terence Budd as Louis XVI
- Mark KingstonMark KingstonMark Kingston was an English actor who made many television and stage appearances over his 50 year career....
as General Jarjayes - Georges WilsonGeorges WilsonGeorges Wilson was a French film and television actor. He is the father of French actor Lambert Wilson.Wilson was born in Champigny-sur-Marne, Seine , to a French father and an Irish mother...
as General Bouillé - Martin PotterMartin Potter (actor)Martin Potter is a British actor.After the National Youth Theatre and repertory theatre in Guildford and Hampstead, Potter received his first role in British television at the age of 24 in the television drama The Bonegrinder written by Dennis Potter...
as Count de Gerodere - Sue LloydSue LloydSue Lloyd was an English model turned actress with numerous film and television credits.-Biography:...
as Duchess de Polignac - Anouska HempelAnouska HempelAnouska Hempel, Lady Weinberg , born Anne Geissler, is a film and television actress turned hotelier and designer. She is also a noted figure in London society.-Personal life:...
as Jeanne Valois de la Motte - Mike MarshallMike Marshall (actor)-Early life and career:Marshall was born in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a hospital in Hollywood, California on 13 September 1944. When his parents divorced, his father made sure that he receive an American education. He began studying Law, but he dreamed of becoming an actor. He later joined...
as Nicolas de la Motte - Christopher EllisonChristopher EllisonChristopher Michael Ellison is an English actor. He is best known for his role as DCI Frank Burnside in the popular ITV police series The Bill and short lived spin off series Burnside....
as Robespierre - Constance ChapmanConstance ChapmanConstance Chapman was an English character actor working in theatre and television. She also made occasional film appearances....
as Nanny - Gregory Floy as Cardinal de Rohan
- Shelagh McLeodShelagh McLeodShelagh McLeod is a British-based Canadian film and television actress.-Early life and education:She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
as Rosalie Lamorlière - Michael OsborneMichael Osborne (actor)Michael Osborne is a British television actor.Roles include the future George V of the United Kingdom in Edward the Seventh and Mr. Howard in Grange Hill.- External links :...
as Bernard Chatelet - Angela ThorneAngela ThorneAngela Thorne is an English actress who is best known for her roles in To the Manor Born and Anyone for Denis?-Early life:Angela Thorne was born in Karachi, British India, , in 1939...
as Mademoiselle Bertin - Paul SpurrierPaul SpurrierPaul Spurrier , is a British former child actor on stage, television, and film, and a screenwriter and film director. He appeared in more than thirty different roles, with credits including Anna Karenina and The Lost Boys for the BBC, Tales of the Unexpected for Anglia Television, and the feature...
as Prince Louis Joseph - Rose Mary Dunham as Marquise de Boulainvilliers
Production
The major sponsor of the film was ShiseidoShiseido
is a major Japanese hair care and cosmetics producer. It is the oldest cosmetics company in the world and the fourth largest cosmetics company in the world.-History:...
, a cosmetics company, and Catriona McColl promoted a red lipstick for the spring cosmetic line that year. Frederik L. Schodt
Frederik L. Schodt
Frederik L. Schodt is an American translator, interpreter and writer.Schodt's father was in the US foreign service, and he grew up in Norway, Australia, and Japan. The family first went to Japan in 1965 when Schodt was fifteen. They left in 1967 but Schodt remained to graduate from Tokyo's American...
translated the entire manga series into English as a reference for the producers of this film, but gave the only copy of the translation to them and it was lost.