The Affair of the Necklace

The Affair of the Necklace is a 2001 American historical drama film directed by Charles Shyer. The screenplay by John Sweet is based on what became known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, an incident that helped fuel the French populace's disillusionment with the monarchy and, among other causes, eventually led to the French Revolution. Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois, orphaned at an early age, is determined to reclaim her royal title and the... more

The Affair of the Necklace is a 2001 American historical drama film directed by Charles Shyer. The screenplay by John Sweet is based on what became known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, an incident that helped fuel the French populace's disillusionment with the monarchy and, among other causes, eventually led to the French Revolution. Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois, orphaned at an early age, is determined to reclaim her royal title and the home wrested from her family when she was a child. When she is rebuffed by Marie Antoinette and her efforts to achieve her goal through legal channels fail, she joins forces with conceited and well-connected gigolo Rétaux de Villette and her wayward, womanizing husband Nicholas to concoct a plan by which she will earn enough money to purchase the property. King Louis XV had commissioned Parisian jewellers Boehmer and Bassenge to create an extravagant 2,800 carats (560 g), 647-diamond necklace he intended to present to his mistress Madame du... less