The Rose of Versailles (1979)
Raised from birth as a man, the Lady Oscar commands the palace guards at Versailles in the years before the French Revolution. Her beauty and noble spirit make her a shining figure in the eyes of both men and women but she is torn between her chosen life of service and duty to class and country and her own heart and desires. She lives as a noble amidst the opulence of Versailles but her keen senses and compassion are not blinded to the poverty of the French people.
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The Rose of Versailles
1979 / NRSeasons & Episode
General Jarjayes, deprived of the son he desperately wanted, names his newborn daughter Oscar and raises her as a boy. Now that Oscar’s reached adulthood, she’s vying for the position of Commander of the Royal Guards for Princess Marie Antoinette.
Marie Antoinette’s marriage to Louis the XVI is set to occur soon and it falls to Oscar to ensure Marie’s safe passage across the Rhine River. Will Oscar be prepared for the dark conspiracy that seeks to ruin the wedding?
New to the French court, Marie Antoinette is still learning proper etiquette in her dealings with the nobility. When Marie chooses to snub the King’s mistress, Madame du Barry, she makes a dangerous enemy.
Marie Antoinette and Madame du Barry’s bitter dispute continues to strain relations between Austria and France. Oscar’s family is soon drawn into the dispute when Madame du Barry requests Oscar’s mother to be her lady-in-waiting.
Pressure to acknowledge Madame du Barry’s presence at court continues to mount for Marie Antoinette, and she reluctantly accedes to the idea. However, Madame du Barry and Duke Orléans have begun to make plans.
Marie and Louis-Auguste’s visit to Paris presents a great danger for them and an opportunity for Duke Orléans to dispose of them. Meanwhile, two sisters, Jeanne and Rosalie, both dream of one day escaping poverty. For one of them, the path is clear.
Growing bored with Louis-Auguste’s self-indulgence, Marie decides to go to a masquerade ball. There, she meets the tall and handsome Count Hans Axel von Fersen. Marie’s interest in him give Duke Orléans an opportunity.
An accident during horseback riding threatens Marie’s life and causes Oscar’s servant, André, to be issued the King’s harshest punishment. Oscar is able to persuade the King to spare André, but soon falls prey to an injury suffered during Marie’s rescue.
King Louis the XV has fallen gravely ill. While Louis the XVI and Marie Antoinette prepare to succeed him, Madame du Barry fears for her fate in the French court after King Louis’ passing.
Louis-Auguste and Marie are crowned King and Queen or France, but even as they celebrate, life continues to be difficult for the common folk. Jeanne has managed to find a way out of poverty, but when her sister discovers her amongst the nobility, Jeanne
Now that Marie is the Queen of France, she has obligations to uphold. When she begins to neglect her official duties in favor of basking in Count Fersen’s affections, Oscar feels compelled to intervene.
Unable to shake the memory of Duke de Guéméné’s cold-blooded murder of a young boy, Oscar confronts him. In response, Duke de Guéméné issues a challenge to Oscar - a pistol duel to the death.
Suspended from her official duties, Oscar takes it as an opportunity to visit her family’s estate in Arras. Upon arriving, she is surprised to find whispers of discontent amongst the common folk.
Marie has grown exceedingly fond of the Countess Polignac, who in turn uses their friendship to obtain gifts and estates. Marie does not realize that lavishing Countess Polignac with wealth is bound to have consequences.
When Marie feels the pressure to provide Louis the XVI with an heir crushing her, Countess Polignac urges Marie to fake a pregnancy. As France’s excitement for an heir grows, so too does Marie’s guilt.
In order to help Rosalie avenge her mother, Oscar has been teaching her swordsmanship. Rosalie attends a local ball in hopes of finding the woman responsible, but instead she finds herself under the scrutiny of Countess Polignac’s daughter.
While Oscar and André scour through records for the identity of Rosalie’s birth mother, Rosalie continues to search for her mother’s killer. Hearing of Rosalie from Oscar, Marie Antoinette calls on her to attend court in Versailles.
Oscar is injured during a fight with brigands, but Count Fersen rushes to her aid and saves her life. While Oscar recovers from her wounds, Fersen takes the opportunity to visit Marie; however, Marie’s joy in her reunion with Fersen is cut short.
The truth regarding Rosalie’s birth mother is discovered, but the news only serves to cause Rosalie further grief. Meanwhile, Countess Polignac’s daughter, Charlotte, is to be married to the much older Duke Roland de Guiche.
Rumors of Marie and Fersen’s love affair have spread like wildfire. As the gossip torments the two lovers, Oscar feels powerless to stop it. Then, Fersen must make a difficult choice after receiving news that a dear friend has died in a war.
Jeanne has had a lot of luck extorting money from Cardinal Rohan, preying on his obsession with the Queen. But as Rohan’s impatience grows, Jeanne is forced to take greater risks and sparks Oscar’s ire when she attempts to bribe her.
Marie, having just been blessed with a son, chooses to seek respite in her villa outside of court. Tensions begin to rise, as nobles feel the Queen’s actions are a slight against them. Meanwhile, Jeanne is presented with an opportunity to scheme both Ca
Jeanne’s plot against the Queen has been exposed and she stands trial with her accomplices. But rather than accept punishment, Jeanne uses the trial as an opportunity to slander the Queen and Oscar.
Jeanne escapes prison and uses her freedom to publish scandalous memoirs regarding the Queen’s indiscretions. While the whole of France drinks in the gossip, Oscar exhaustively searches for Jeanne’s whereabouts.
Count Fersen has returned to France, having long been at war in America. When he hears the news of how much Marie’s image has been damaged, he opts to help her protect her reputation. Meanwhile, Oscar struggles with her own feelings for Fersen.
A man known only as the “Black Knight” has been robbing the homes of the rich and affluent and giving it away to the poor. Though his actions are helping the down-trodden find some small solace, a crime is still a crime.
Just when Oscar and André think they have the Black Knight cornered, he manages to injure André’s eye in the ensuing fight and then slip away. While André struggles with the possibility of his being blinded, Oscar attempts to track down the criminal.
Count Fersen learns of Oscars feelings for him, but too little, too late. Oscar has already accepted that they can’t be together and to further distance herself, requests permission to leave the Royal Guards.
After leaving the Royal Guards, Oscar enlists with the French Guards and is made the new commander of Company B. But Oscar has her work cut out for her… Company B has a reputation for being particularly rough.
Oscar’s father, regretful for having raised his daughter as a man, now wishes to see Oscar happily married. André is distraught by the news, but has his own share of problems to contend with.
With acts of terrorism on the rise in France, Oscar and Company B are charged with protecting a visiting Spanish Duke. Unbeknownst to Oscar, one of the members of her unit is a traitor working with the terrorists.
Alain accuses Oscar of betraying her comrades when a member of Company B is sentenced to be executed. Oscar convinces the General to reverse the condemned’s sentence, but as she travels to Paris to thank him, she and André are attacked by an angry mob.
Facing a debt crisis, King Louis the XVI is pressured to convene the Estates-General. But a more pressing matter is on the King’s mind: the failing health of his son, Louis Joseph. Louis Joseph summons Oscar to visit him one last time.
The Estates-General is in full swing. As support grows for the commoners’ faction, the nobility and clergy begin to take drastic measures. In conflict with her own feelings on the matter, Oscar is ordered to prevent the commoner’s from assembling.
After refusing to remove the commoner’s faction from the Estates-General assembly, Oscar is found guilty of treason and her men are locked up, awaiting execution. Oscar’s father, overcome with grief, takes it upon himself to deal with Oscar.
The Queen dispatches the Royal Guards to Paris and Versailles in an attempt to quell the growing discontent of the French people. Oscar, fearing that the French Guards will soon be ordered to fight their own countrymen, attempts to reason with the Queen
After finding out that André is going blind, Oscar begins to take notice of the feelings she has for him. But before Oscar has the chance to confront André, they are given orders to return to Paris and take arms against the revolutionaries
Oscar and André have found comfort in each other’s love, but it’s a short-lived comfort. Right after returning to Paris, Oscar rallies Company B in support of the revolution. With the city in chaos, Company B attempts to rally the commoners in their fight
André has been fatally wounded, leaving Oscar to continue the fight alone. As she struggles with the despair of losing her true love, the French revolutionaries prepare to mount a pre-emptive strike against Bastille Prison, a symbol of Royal tyranny.
During the Storming of the Bastille, Oscar is shot. Bastille Prison falls shortly after, marking one of the first major strides for the French Revolution. Later, Alain, Bernard, and Rosalie reflect on France’s shift in power, and the lives that were lost.
Raised from birth as a man, the Lady Oscar commands the palace guards at Versailles in the years before the French Revolution. Her beauty and noble spirit make her a shining figure in the eyes of both men and women but she is torn between her chosen life of service and duty to class and country and her own heart and desires. She lives as a noble amidst the opulence of Versailles but her keen senses and compassion are not blinded to the poverty of the French people.
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