Customer Reviews
Give Alexandre Dumas Some Credit! - By: F. S. L'hoir, 09 Jul 2008 
"L'Affaire du Collier" may be based upon a true story, but it is also an enthrallling historical romance, "The Queen's Necklace," by Alexandre Dumas, who certainly had more than the "Three Musketeers" up his sleeve. Dumas relates the identical story of Joseph Balsamo, aka Count Cagliostro, Jeanne de la Motte Valois, the lecherous but charming Cardinal de Rohan & the great diamond scam, although the movie makers give Dumas no credit whatsoever (I note that the book is available on Amazon.com, & I highly recommend it!).
The costume designer, Malena Canonero, deserves plaudits for the swathes of silks, satins, & lace jabots that recreate the opulence of the 18th-century court of Louis XVI magnificently. The settings are also splendid. I found much of the music jarring, however, in that the composer insisted on giving it a modern beat at times, & also used a mish-mash of Mozart's "Requiem," among other things. I find such cuts & rearrangement of a bar here; a bar there, to be both lazy & a bit of a cheat. In the featurette, the director explains that he wanted to make the period "accessible" to modern audiences. Such "accessibility" not only insults the intelligence of the modern audience but also weakens the movie.
Because the story is so strong, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I was particularly impressed with the performances of Jonathan Pryce as the suave Cardinal, Adrien Brody as Jeanne's feckless husband, & Simon Baker, who is especiallly engaging as her love interest. All of them are believable & and move well in their silks. Although Hilary Swank is an excellent actress, I thought she was miscast in this role. She looks a trifle uncomfortable in her costume & moves more like a woman of the twenty-first century rather than one of the eighteenth.
These reservations aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, which I will keep & watch again.
A Court Scandal at Versailles told as if it were a political scandal involving sex, money and power in Washington - By: Klaus Meyer, 23 Jan 2008 
The Affair of the Diamond Necklace was a messy scandal in the 1780s at the court of Louis XVI of France involving the queen Marie Antoinette. It concerned an unsavoury episode in which the wife of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, whose reputation was already tarnished by gossip & scandal, was implicated in a crime by contemporary public opinion. The Affair was historicallly significant as one of the events that led to the French populace's disillusionment with the monarchy, making the Queen even more a liability to her husband. Like the Rasputin scandal before the Russian Revolution this very affaire was a sign, not a cause for the revolution but undermined the Queen or Empress & by that the whole monarchy.
So, this is quite serious stuff. This movie is loosely based on that story.
Writer/director/producer Charles Shyer is known for his lightweight comedies as "Baby Boom" (1987) & "Father of the Bride" (1991), he ventured now into a lavish period piece, shot in Prague on a modest $30 million budget. But I feel he should have sticked to the comedies.
It is indisputable is that the film looks gorgeous, with magnificent sets & costumes & providing the film with its only highlight.
But already the music does not match (why not French music, but German?). The story is neither told coherent or with great knowledge. It is seems that he tells it as it were a political scandal involving sex, money & power in Washington.
That applies as well to the lead actress, Oscar winning Hilary Swank. She does look tremendous, otherwise she struggles. But good looks alone do not carry any movie & especiallly not a long one.
This is a movie without any feeling or knowledge about the time & importance. It will not bore you to death, but it will leave no impression for you. It is one of these movies when shown on TV you would not mind the commercial breaks.
The straw that broke the camels back - By: M. A. Ramos, 05 Oct 2007 The Affair of the Necklace' chronicles the attempt of 18th century Jeanne Valois to reclaim the estate & good name of her family after its seizure by the pre-revolution French crown. This is supposed to be the affair, which precipitated the falll of Marie Antoinette. And the scenes of the infamous Cagliostro, the legendary sooth sayer/wizard of the times, who helps Jeanne Valois maneuver so that she can her family estates & titles. The famous 2800-carat necklace that was the center of the controversy between the Queen & Cardinal Rohan.
The based on a true story...and fun to watch. The script could have easily been written to a higher standard. Though you can see that no expenses were spared in the costumes. Still, there are some intriguing moments in the film. And it did peak my interest to look more into the period.
So what more can you ask. Fun to watch, somewhat historical & interesting enough to make you want to look further.
TAKE HILARY TO THE PILLORY... - By: Lawyeraau, 19 Jan 2003 This film is loosely based upon a true story. While Queen Marie Antoinette of France still held on to her head, she became embroiled in a scandal over a necklace. The scandal, in fact, contributed to the rise of the French Revolution & the demise of the monarchy in France.
The leading jewelers of the day, Charles Boehmer & Paul Bassenge, had wanted Marie Antoinette to buy an elaborate & very expensive, multi-looped diamond necklace, weighing approximately 2800 carats. This necklace, which had six hundred & forty seven diamonds, had purportedly been designed for Madame Du Barry, the mistress of Marie Antoinette's father-in-law, the late King Louis XV, & a woman she despised. Marie Antoinette was not at alll interested in this necklace & made herself quite clear to the somewhat desperate jewelers, who had invested much of their capital in this necklace.
In the film, a young woman, Jeanne St. Remy de Valois (Hilary Swank), who callled herself a Countess by virtue of her marriage of convenience to a certain rake, Nicolas de La Motte (Adrien Brody), wanted to get back her father's estates, which had been taken by the crown after he had been, she believed, wrongfully executed for his perceived political beliefs. She was obsessed with righting this wrong & regaining her family's lost honor.
When she was unable to secure that which she so desired, she took up with a court gigolo, Retaux de Vilette (Simon Baker). With his assistance, she concocted an elaborate scheme, rife with political intrigues, & secured possession of the notorious diamond necklace under the ostensible color of Queen Marie Antoinette's authority. This theft ultimately came to light, & she & her cohorts were arrested in this matter, although the necklace was never recovered. This would lead to a sensational trial, because her accused accomplice in the matter was none other than Cardinal Louis Constantin de Rohan (Jonathan Pryce), a prince of France.
The film, woodenly directed by Charles Shyer, centers around the character, Jeanne. Unfortunately, Hilary Swank is unable to carry the day. Her portrayal of Jeanne is one dimensional. She also segues back & forth between her obvious American accent & a pseudo-British one. To sum up her performance in a nutshell, it is sub-par. An otherwise excellent actress, she is simply out her element in this period film, because she is unable to overcome her contemporary veneer.
Of course, as she is the centerpiece of the film & fails, so does the film, no matter how well meaning the endeavor. Of course, she had help, as the script has its problems. There is very little tension for a film that is about one of the greatest thefts ever conceived. Not even the delicious performance of Jonathan Pryce, as the dissolute Cardinal de Rohan, can overcome some of the fundamental flaws in this film. Still, there are some intriguing moments in the film, & those who enjoy period pieces & historical dramas may get a modicum of enjoyment viewing it.
