The Affair of the Necklace (2001)

After watching Marie Antoinette, I was more familiar with the Affair of the Diamond Necklace. This is another retelling of that story, but from the perspective of Hilary Swank’s Jeanne of Valois-Saint-Rémy, a prominent participant in the scandal. For such a tale of intrigue, this film is quite dull. Joely Richardson makes a decent Marie Antoinette and Christopher Walken is amusingly campy as the occultist Count Cagliostro, but Swank is poorly cast in her role. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a period piece or just an inability to encompass the various qualities necessary of the character, but she doesn’t bring an ounce of believability to the role.

Oscar Nomination: Best Costume Design