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The Affair of the Necklace by Stephen Farber In the wake of this fall's horrific terrorist attacks, everyone in Hollywood is wondering what kinds of films audiences will venture out to see. An answer may be found in two current releases, Gosford Park and The Affair of the Necklace, a pair of lush period pieces. Being transported to another time could be just what the doctor ordered for frightened, shell-shocked moviegoers. Both films are set in fairly turbulent eras--The Affair of the Necklace takes place on the eve of the French Revolution and Gosford Park unfolds between the two world wars in England--and both have scenes of murder and mayhem. Yet even the violence seems more rational and civilized than the bloodshed we've witnessed in 2001. In a way, these movies represent an elegant form of escapism, and they're escapist in the best sense of the word. They engage our minds and our emotions while still allowing us to relax. As with Gosford Park, a well-crafted story is also the great strength of The Affair of the Necklace, which represents an impressive achievement on the part of the writer, John Sweet, as well as the director, Charles Shyer. In his previous outings, Shyer has been associated exclusively with contemporary comedies like Private Benjamin, Baby Boom and Father of the Bride. This lavish evocation of the court of Louis XVI marks a radical departure for him, but his comic gifts add a touch of impudence to what could have been a stiff historical pageant. The film was inspired by a scandal that rocked the monarchy in the years before the French Revolution, centered around a dispossessed noblewoman, Jeanne de la Motte-Valois (Hilary Swank). In the opening scenes, Sweet swiftly establishes Jeanne's burning desire to reclaim her name and her family home, as well as underscoring the formidable obstacles in her path. PAGE 1 | 2 |
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Shyer draws us into a teasingly complicated plot that involves the machinations of a slew of venal and scheming characters. He has assembled an expert supporting cast to embody these crafty courtiers. Jonathan Pryce as the vain, hedonistic Cardinal Rohan, Simon Baker as the wryly witty gigolo who becomes Jeanne's accomplice, Christopher Walken as a conniving mesmerist, Brian Cox as a savvy royal adviser and Joely Richardson as the shallow but not unsympathetic Marie Antoinette all deliver pointed, commanding performances. The only weak link in the company is Adrien Brody, who was perfectly cast as the scruffy union organizer in Bread and Roses but seems ill at ease in 18th-century France. There are a few moments when Swank also seems out of her element, but on the whole she acquits herself credibly in a role that takes her a long way from her Oscar-winning turn in Boys Don't Cry. She manages to make Jeanne strong and sympathetic, and to her credit, she highlights the character's flaws as well as her heroic qualities. While Jeanne is bravely determined in her drive to retrieve what is rightfully hers, her single-mindedness has its cost; she realizes too late that she has sacrificed personal relationships to an abstract principle. This film is rousingly enjoyable, admirably complex, and, like Gosford Park, ravishing to behold. Cinematography, sets and costumes provide plenty of swoon-inducing moments. While you're watching these two sumptuous period films, you're grateful to forget the present and luxuriate in the compelling but somewhat less troubling problems of characters in distant times and places. These movies make the glamorous trappings of the past an intensely alluring alternative to the nightmare images on our TV screens. PAGE 1 | 2 |
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