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Affair Of The Necklace

2001, Movie, R, 116 mins

Affair Of The Necklace: Review

AFFAIR OF THE NECKLACE
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Scandal, seduction, political hanky-panky: This sumptuously designed film, based on a real-life imbroglio that captivated 18th-century France and helped weaken its profligate monarchy, has all the ingredients of a juicy historical romp. But it's bloodless, fussy, and undermined by Hilary Swank's stiff, one-note performance. Paris, 1786: On trial for her part in l'affaire du collier, which has cast a shadow over the highest levels of French government, including Queen Marie Antoinette (Joely Richardson), disgraced Countess Jeanne de la Motte-Valois (Swank) defiantly tells her story. Born into the aristocratic Valois family, little Jeanne saw her father — who espoused the unpopular position that nobles ought to treat their peasants humanely — murdered by the king's emissaries. Her family's wealth was confiscated and her mother died of a broken heart, leaving Jeanne with nothing but her soiled name. As a young woman, she schemes to restore her family's honor and holdings, making a marriage of convenience to rakish Count Nicolas de la Motte (Adrien Brody) that affords her access to the royal court, then enlisting the aid of savvy and well-connected gigolo Retaux de Villete (Simon Baker). But her petition to rehabilitate the Valois name falls on deaf ears, so Jeanne resorts to intrigue. She hears of a 2800-carat diamond necklace, whose creators are desperate to unload the extravagant piece of jewelry on Marie Antoinette, who in turn wants no part of the pricey bauble. Jeanne seizes upon the overweening vanity of wealthy Cardinal Louis de Rohan (Jonathan Pryce), whose political ambitions are impeded by the Queen's disfavor, persuading him that Marie Antoinette really wants the necklace but needs an emissary to purchase it quietly on her behalf. Jeanne then plans to secretly sell off the necklace piecemeal, using the proceeds to buy back the Valois estate; she's certain that when Rohan realizes he's been duped, he'll pay off the jewelers to avoid embarrassment. That Jeanne's plan will go horribly wrong is never in question; the pleasure of the story should lie in the brittle repartee and intricate machinations that lead up to the inevitable debacle, as it does in films like RIDICULE (1996) and DANGEROUS BEAUTY (1998). But Swank is painfully uncharismatic, leaving Christopher Walken, in the minor role of occultist Count Cagliostro, to decamp with any scene in which he appears. His performance may not be historically credible, but it's hugely entertaining: Would that the same were true of the film overall. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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