Jeanne Poisson, marquise de Pompadour (Eng. Jeanne Poisson, Marchioness of Pompadour) is a French miniseries in two 97-minute episodes, first broadcast on the France 2 channel in October of 2006.
Jeanne Poisson (Hélène de Fougerolles), a young girl from the bourgeoisie who became Madame d'Étiolles thanks to a loveless marriage arranged by her ambitious mother, is on her way to conquer handsome young King Louis XV of France (Vincent Pérez), and falls madly in love of with him. For twenty years, she has to juggle with his frivolity and the disdain of the court, who loathes her as a commoner.
This work displays the following tropes:
- Adapted Out: Madame Première, Elisabeth, who was the only one of the king's children to actually by on friendly terms with Madame de Pompadour.
- Altar Diplomacy:
- Between the Dauphin and his second wife, Marie Josèphe of Saxony; a marriage that he does not want, nor any of his relatives, as he is still mourning his beloved first wife - however his father demands a son and heir from him.
- In the same breath, Louis quite bluntly says that his own marriage, when he was fifteen, was this trope as well, and that he never wanted it. In front of his wife and mother of his ten children.
- Animal Motifs: Poisson is French for fish; Jeanne's enemies are always comparing her to one, and at several points leaving dead fish in her rooms.
- Antagonistic Offspring: King Louis at several points describes his son the Dauphin as his "worst enemy"; father and son do not love or respect each other in any way, and Jeanne becomes the stake of their rivalry.
- Artistic License – History: Dauphine Marie-Josèphe's first born child was a girl, Princess Marie-Zéphyrine. Their second child was indeed a son named Louis Joseph Xavier, but he was duke of Burgundy; the duke of Berry was Louis Auguste, future Louis XVI, but he was born three years later.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Throughout the first half of the series, Princess Henriette is repeatedly the one most tolerant of Jeanne and her father's affair with her; however, she is the one landing the strongest blow to their relationship as, on her deathbed, she makes her father promise never to sin with her again, causing him to repudiate his mistress.
- Blithe Spirit: Jeanne, a commoner who is friends with scientists and philosophers, is a very modern woman bringing a new wind to the stuffy court of Versailles and Louis's own gloomy nature.Jeanne: I shall have him. Other women can distract him, but I'll make him discover everything! Love, passion, lightheartedness, science, dancing! Ah! I want him, I want him, I want him and I'll have him!
- Composite Character: Jeanne at one point refers to Princess Adélaïde as Madame Troisième. Adélaïde was actually Madame Quatrième, the fourth daughter; the third was Marie-Louise, who does not otherwise appear.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite being as antagonistic of Jeanne as her husband requires, and even taking personal pleasure in it, the Dauphine demands that they allow Jeanne time to mourn for her baby upon her stillbirth, if only to hit even harder afterwards.
- Grande Dame: Queen Marie Leszczyńska is a mix between this and Reasonable Authority Figure. Already in her fifties, she is pious, motherly, regal and dutiful. A partisan of peace, she tolerates Pompadour and appreciates how respectful she is towards her; but after Jeanne oversteps into her territory by arranging her son's sencond marriage, she openly announces that she is unleashing her children's wrath on her.
- Good Adultery, Bad Adultery: Played With and deconstructed. Jeanne, as the protagonist, is not presented in a bad light for being the other woman: the king had already cheated on the queen before, it was expected, and the position of maîtresse-en-titre ("titular mistress") was long established as the French court. She and Queen Marie first have a cordial rapport, as Jeanne shows her respect as queen and as a person, and their ties only sours when she starts involving herself in politics and in the lives of the royal children. On top of that, Jeanne is rather uninterested in sex, while Louis is very much a sex addict, using it to combat his constant melancholy, so he keeps cheating on her as well with random girls. While she is furious at first, she goes the pragmatic route and declares that since he wants sex, she will arrange for him to meet with "little mistresses" at his leisure. In some way, he is loyal to her through this arrangement, and coldly sends one of the girls packing when she implies that she might take Jeanne's place.
- Ill Girl: Jeanne becomes this in the last years of her life. Earlier on, she catches an STI that prevents her from having sex, because Louis is still sleeping with other women and transmitted it to her.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Jeanne makes herself into one, using her Blithe Spirit and modernity to conquer and influence the king.
- Masquerade Ball: Louis first asks Jeanne to meet him at one, and even there only comes to her in the privacy of her carriage.
- Men Don't Cry: After the stillbirth of Jeanne and Louis's son.Jeanne: Louis, are you crying?Louis, crying: A king does not cry. Not for the death of his parents, nor for the death of his children.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Elisabeth de Brunoy, Jeanne's cousin and confidente, is utterly devoted to her, but Jeanne grows cold and haughty to her over the years, so she informs on her to her enemy the Dauphin in exchange for good marriage prospects.
- The Mistress: Jeanne Poisson, Marchioness of Pompadour, famously mistress to King Louis XV. Through her proximity to him, she heavily influenced the culture and politics of the country.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Elisabeth tells the Dauphin about Jeanne's pregnancy, and gives her a product given to her by him. The poison makes her miscarry and nearly kills her, much to Elisabeth's dismay, though not to her surprise.
- Numerical Theme Naming: Numerical Theme Red Baron-ing, here: the king's many daughters are known to the court by their order of birth, from Madame Première ("Lady First") Elisabeth, Madame Seconde ("Lady Second") Henriette, all the way to the eighth, Madame Dernière ("Lady Last") Louise.
- Only Sane Woman: Henriette, among the king's children. She does not like the idea that her father should live in sin, but she is not antagonistic towards Jeanne herself, describing her as gentle-looking. When Adélaïde is furious that Jeanne should run through her without saluting her to rush to attend her mother on her death bed, Henriette is more understanding.Henriette: If my mother was dying, I believe I would have pushed you into the water.
- Parental Favoritism: Madame Seconde, Henriette, is blatantly Louis's favorite. He dotes on her and her child-like innocence and kindness.
- Servile Snarker: Lebel, the king's valet, is in the habit of bringing mistresses to the king every night and interview them for him. He doesn't respect any of them, and Jeanne no more than the others. Otherwise, he is utterly devoted to his master.
- Sexless Marriage:
- Between King Louis and Queen Marie Leszczyńska; she has forbidden him access to her bedchamber after the birth of their tenth child, and he describes their relationship as full of respect but devoid of passion.
- Eventually, between Louis and Jeanne. He keeps the promise he gave his daughter to never sleep with her again, and keeps her as a best friend and nearly a relative, seeking pleasure in other women under her supervision; they remain very much in love till the end.
- Stage Mom: Madame Poisson, Jeanne's mother, has been doing her damndest to get her on the king's path; she is obsessed with the rank and gifts her daughter might earn by becoming his mistress. Eventually, her blatant greed begins to infuriate Jeanne, who refuses to speak to her until her death.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: At one point, Adélaïde trips Jeanne to make her fall into a fountain, calling her a fish returning to her habitat. Jeanne, soaked to the bone in the middle of the pool, chooses to laugh and calls herself "Venus born from water".
