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The Affair Of The Necklace | Year: 2001 Classification: Drama Directed: - Charles Shyer Actors/Actresses: - Christopher Walken - Adrien Brody - Hilary Swank - Simon Baker Mildly entertaining Based on a true story, this tale of a young woman's quest to regain the family property falters primarily because of Hilary Swank. A fine actress in contemporary American films, she lacks the gravity, passion and underlying rage that should have driven this character. Instead, she brings a too-modern sensibility to the film that is glaringly out of place. The other performers, Simon Baker (who is simply wonderful in TV's The Guardian) and Brian Cox (the best Hannibal ever in Michael Mann's Manhunter, the film of Red Dragon) and Jonathan Pryce all do fine work. But given that Swank is the centerpiece of this affair, there just isn't sufficient glue to hold it all together and make one commit wholeheartedly to the film. Joely Richardson is sometimes tedious as Marie Antoinette, sometimes a bit believable. But her performance, too, is lacking. The film is worth seeing for the sets and costumes and for its historical significance, but is, overall, disappointing. Make it a Blockbuster night There is an old saying in theater that instructs you not to "put a gun onstage in the first act if it is not going to go off in the second". By the same turn, do not introduce Christopher Walken into your movie unless you are going to send your script up on itself a little. Jonathan Pryce, Adrien Brody, and Walken all hit the right demi-tragic, mostly comic, tone, as do the minor characters. Everyone else, though, seems to have shown up thinking that they had been cast in "The Hours." "The Affair of the Necklace" has to be viewed with a generous suspension of disbelief, or with one's forehead protected for a lot of flat-palming. Ninette's final, "If I reached for anything that shown brightly..." speech- which is a bit too Shirley Temple for the rest of the movie- actually diminishes our sympathies for her and cuts the film's last thread of realism. Marie Antoinette's sub-guillotine, "well, maybe I was a bit excessive," flashback, is also a little inexplicable given the modern frame of the movie. Only on Google groups does one still find such negative and simplistic representations of her. And Louis XVI was more fully encompassed in "Start the Revolution Without Me". The scenery, however, especially at Versailles, is fantastic and- though I have doubts about the wisdom of Swank's "Annie"-style hair on the cover (given her character's orphaned status)- the movie generally fits in well with other flawless, high-end costume dramas. If it hadn't been "based on true events," a tag which subjects a movie to a greater deal of scrutiny than most can stand, I would have thought this one much stronger than it was. In the end, Pryce, Brody, and Walken do save the movie from itself, and generally make it an entertaining, if not accurate, weekend rental. As an addition to one's video library, however, it is best passed on. A Masterpiece This is one of the most historically accurate movies that I have ever seen. This movie is about the scandal that rocked the French monarchy during the late 1780's and helped set the stage for the French Revolution that overthrew the monarchy. Hilary Swank delivers a superb performance as the scheming Jeanne de la Motte-Valois. Jonathan Pryce and Christopher Walken also shine in this well executed movie. The Affair of the Necklace is a movie that combines greed, lust, corruption and sexuality in a most beguiling mix. This movie is the end result of a rare combination of quality acting, distinguished directing, skillful script writing, a large budget and careful attention to historical accuracy in every detail. The Affair of the Necklace is a masterpiece. Buy The Affair Of The Necklace at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Affair Of The Necklace Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Affair Of The Necklace This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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