The Affair of the Necklace Movie Review 2001

Louis XVI-era history is given a tabloid treatment in this costume drama concerning the vengeful efforts of orphaned Jeanne de la Motte-Valois to restore nobility to her family name. She conspires with a court rogue to hatch a sophisticated scam involving the cardinal of France, Marie Antoinette, German Illuminati, and the fabulous necklace of the title, paving the way for the French Revolution. Excessive narration and flashbacks bog the plot; film offers little other than eye candy in the form of intricate set pieces and fancy dress. Intriguing story potential is mishandled, and Swank is terribly miscast but looks nice in a corset. The remaining actors are underused, except Walken in a scene-chewing role as a Svengali-like mesmerist.

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 120 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Royalty, French, France, Period Piece: 18th Century, Adoption & Orphans, Historical Drama, True Stories, Historical Romance

Screenplay

John Sweet

Cast

Hilary Swank, Jonathan Pryce, Simon Baker, Adrien Brody, Brian Cox, Joely Richardson, Christopher Walken, Paul Brooke, Peter Eyre, Simon Kunz, Hayden Panettiere

Cinematography

Ashley Rowe

Director

Charles Shyer

Music

David Newman

Other

Tony Dawe, David Moritz, Jean-Michel Hugon, Milena Canonero, Alex McDowell

Producer

Charles Shyer, Redmond Morris, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Alcon Entertainment, Warner Bros.