LADY OSCAR
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Original title: Berusaiyu no bara
Characters: Oscar François de Jarjayes, André Grandier, Marie Grandier, Victor Clément de Girodel, Alain de Soissons, Bernard Chatelet, Nicole Lamorliére, Colonel Dagôut, Madame de Jarjayes, The Echo of Paris, Gerard Lasalle, Doctor, Diane de Soisson, Painter, Innkeeper of Arras, Gilbert Sugéan, mother of Alain
Production: Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Authors: Iyoko ikeda
Regia: Osamu Dezaki, Tadao Nagahama
Country: Japan
Year: October 10th 1979
Broadcast in Italy: 1st March 1982
Gender: Dramatic / Historical / Adventure
Episodes: 45 mm
Duration: 25 minutes
Recommended age: Teenagers aged 13 to 19
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 Lady Oscar (in the Japanese original Versailles no bara, i.e. The Rose of Versailles) was conceived and written by the Japanese author
Iyoko ikeda
in 1972, initially as a manga comic that enjoyed considerable success, so much so that it became an anime between 1979 and 1980. The cartoon series definitively consecrated this character all over the world, as both the plot and the setting , both the complex psychological profile of the character contributed to making this anime a real masterpiece.
The story of Lady Oscar is set in France in the second half of the 700th century, among the luxurious nobility of the court of Versailles and in the atmosphere of the French Revolution. Lady Oscar's real name is Francoise De Jarjayes and her father, Count De Jarjayes, General of the King's Guards, having no male heirs, educated Lady Oscar, as if he were a little man, making her learn all the teachings of military discipline. She places a young orderly at her side; Grandier, grandson of the housekeeper of the Jarjayes family, will go with the aim of serving and protecting her. In 1770 at the age of only 14, Lady Oscar became Captain of the Royal Guards and bodyguard of Princess Marie Antoinette, future Queen of France and her closest friend. In her adventures as Lady Oscar, she will find herself fighting against all of Marie Antoinette's enemies: nobles inside the palace who plot conspiracies against the queen, revolutionaries, poor people tired of royal injustices, thieves and criminals, but the greatest enemy Lady Oscar will have to face is her inner conflict: the dual personality of man and woman.
 The education received from an early age confuses the complex personality of Lady Oscar, in fact she does not feel at ease even in wearing women's clothes and behaving like a Versailles lady, in that world made of frivolity, superficiality and hypocrisy; she prefers to choose the life she was destined for from her early age. On the other hand, the ladies of the court feel a kind of envy for that beautiful woman, dressed as a man. This will not prevent Lady Oscar from falling in love with the Count von Fersen, but her love is not returned, as the Count sees her as a friend and is in turn in love with Princess Marie Antoinette. But Andrè is in love with her and is the only one who sees her with her true woman's face, who understands her delicate and fragile inner personality, as he has always known her. She decides to stay by her side even when she wants to do without his help to live alone. After the disappointment she had with Count von Fersen, Lady Oscar decides to live like a man, and it is then that Andrè, taken by a moment of anger, kisses her passionately to the point of tearing his clothes, revealing all his love. At this point, scared Lady Oscar escapes and decides to abandon the Royal Guard for the Soldiers of the Guard, but here she will find Andrè again, enlisted to follow her, thanks to the help of her friend Alain. Meanwhile, Andrè begins to take an interest in the turmoil surrounding the French Revolution, to the point that he is accused by Lady Oscar of being the elusive Black Knight, a sort of Robin Hood who steals from the rich to give to the poor. But Andrè will be able to unmask the real Black Knight and prove his innocence.
 During the fight, Andrè will be injured in the eye and this will lead him to gradually lose his sight. Later Andrè and Bernard (the Black Knight) will become friends and join together to fight in the name of the freedom of France. But Lady Oscar falls ill with tuberculosis and the nightmare of death leads her to get rid of all her repressed inhibitions, therefore she definitively betrays her loyalty to the queen, leaves a letter to her father and takes the side of Andrè to fight the cause of freedom. , equality and fraternity. Finally Lady Oscar understands that her greatest love is Andrè on the very day when Fersen saves her from an angry mob who wanted to execute her, but her heart is turned only to Andrè and invokes him in tears. Lady Oscar and Andrè meet in the woods and it is here that they will love each other and Lady Oscar will finally discover her true essence as a woman. But unfortunately their dream and their glimpsed happiness will never come true, because one day, during some fights, Andrè dies to save Lady Oscar, making her a shield from a bullet that was about to reach her. Desperate for Andrè's death, she is spurred on by Andrè's friend, Alain to continue her fight, therefore she will continue to fight. Lady Oscar died in battle on July 14, 1789, fighting for freedom, shortly before the storming of the Bastille.
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All names, images and trademarks are copyright Riyoko Ikeda and those entitled and are used here for cognitive and informative purposes.
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