“Ma’am, Lady Oscar, she’s dressed like a boy . . .” It’s impossible not to feel a touch of nostalgia, from the mention of the first words of Lady Oscar’s credits, the cartoon adapted from the manga Rose of Versailles Written and illustrated by Ryoko Ikeda (available from Kana Publications in four volumes).
Ahead of the manga’s fiftieth anniversary, an animated film adaptation project has been announced via the official website (in Japanese). But this isn’t the first Lady Oscar feature film to see the light of day!
In 1978, a live-action version was produced by Jacques Demy, director of Les Umbrellas de Cherbourg and Les Demoiselles de Rochefort. A real throwback, as the manga is set in France at the court of Versailles and the main character is loosely inspired by the Chevalier d’Éon, who went down in history with a particularly good taste in cross-dressing.
Despite the huge popularity of the cartoon in France, the film Lady Oscar was not released in France until 1997, mainly because of the exorbitant costs demanded by the Japanese rights holders, but also at the request of Jacques Demme – in conflict with his Japanese counterparts. The producers – who specifically requested that the film not be released in France after his death (October 27, 1990).
Iconic titles of Lady Oscar’s animated series:
A lesser-known film in the filmmaker’s career, it is therefore sometimes considered a cursed film in his filmography and is still not found in commerce, rental and video purchase platforms.
Source: allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
