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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Episode 1 - Oscar! The Destiny of Roses
Release Date: 1979-10-10General 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.
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Episode 2 - Flutter! Austria's Butterfly
Release Date: 1979-10-17Marie 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?
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Episode 3 - Sparks Falling Over Versailles
Release Date: 1979-10-24New 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.
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Episode 4 - Roses, Wine, and Conspiracy...
Release Date: 1979-10-31Marie 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.
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Episode 5 - Tears Falling With Dignity
Release Date: 1979-11-07Pressure 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.
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Episode 6 - Silk Dresses and Ragged Clothes
Release Date: 1979-11-14Marie 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.
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Episode 7 - Who Wrote the Love Letter?
Release Date: 1979-11-21Growing 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.
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Episode 8 - The Oscar of My Heart
Release Date: 1979-11-28An 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.
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Episode 9 - The Sun Sets, The Sun Rises
Release Date: 1979-12-05King 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.
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Episode 10 - The Beautiful Devil Jeanne
Release Date: 1979-12-12Louis-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
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Episode 11 - Fersen Leaves for the North
Release Date: 1979-12-19Now 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.
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Episode 12 - The Morning of the Duel, Oscar is...?
Release Date: 1979-12-26Unable 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.
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Episode 13 - Oh, Winds of Arras, Answer...
Release Date: 1980-01-09Suspended 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.
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Episode 14 - The Angel's Secret
Release Date: 1980-01-16Marie 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.
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Episode 15 - Countess of the Casino
Release Date: 1980-01-23When 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.
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Episode 16 - Mother, What is That Person's Name...?
Release Date: 1980-01-30In 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.
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Episode 17 - Now is the Time to Meet Again
Release Date: 1980-02-06While 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.
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Episode 18 - Suddenly, Like Icarus
Release Date: 1980-02-13Oscar 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.
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Episode 19 - Farewell, My Younger Sister!
Release Date: 1980-02-20The 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.
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Episode 20 - Fersen, A Circle Dance of Memories
Release Date: 1980-02-27Rumors 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.
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Episode 21 - A Black Rose Blooms at Night
Release Date: 1980-03-05Jeanne 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.
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Episode 22 - The Necklace's Ominous Radiance
Release Date: 1980-03-12Marie, 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
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Episode 23 - Cunning and Tough!
Release Date: 1980-03-19Jeanne’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.
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Episode 24 - Adieu, My Youth
Release Date: 1980-03-26Jeanne 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.
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Episode 25 - Unrequited Love's Minuet
Release Date: 1980-04-02Count 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.
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Episode 26 - I Want to Meet the Black Knight!
Release Date: 1980-04-09A 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.
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Episode 27 - Even if I Lose the Light...
Release Date: 1980-04-16Just 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.
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Episode 28 - Andre, A Pale Lemon
Release Date: 1980-04-30Count 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.
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Episode 29 - A Doll Starting to Walk
Release Date: 1980-05-14After 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.
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Episode 30 - You are the Light, I am the Shadow
Release Date: 1980-05-21Oscar’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.
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Episode 31 - Lilacs Bloom in the Barracks
Release Date: 1980-06-04With 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.
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Episode 32 - Prelude to the Storm
Release Date: 1980-06-18Alain 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.
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Episode 33 - In the Twilight, The Funeral Bells Ring
Release Date: 1980-07-02Facing 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.
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Episode 34 - Now, "The Tennis Court Oath"
Release Date: 1980-07-09The 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.
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Episode 35 - Oscar, Now, The Time of Separation
Release Date: 1980-07-23After 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.
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Episode 36 - The Password is "Farewell"
Release Date: 1980-07-30The 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
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Episode 37 - The Night of Passionate Vows
Release Date: 1980-08-06After 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
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Episode 38 - At Fate's Door
Release Date: 1980-08-20Oscar 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
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Episode 39 - That Smile Will Never Return!
Release Date: 1980-08-27André 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.
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Episode 40 - Farewell, My Darling Oscar
Release Date: 1980-09-03During 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.