Amazon.comFor all its earnest intrigue, historically accurate references, and elaborate set design, The Affair of the Necklace is best enjoyed as a comedy of Hollywood errors. The court of late-18th-century France is ruled by Marie Antoinette (Joely Richardson), whose confidence and favor is yearned for by Jeanne de la Motte-Valois (Hilary Swank), a young woman stripped of her title and orphaned at a young age. As flashbacks repeatedly remind the audience, Jeanne is essentially pure at heart even as she takes up with a court gigolo (Simon Baker) and enacts the intricate scheme from which the title is drawn. Soon embroiled in Jeanne's plan to win back her rightful place in the world are her avaricious husband of convenience, Nicolas (Adrien Brody); the soon-to-be-disposed-of Marie Antoinette; the salacious Cardinal Rohan (Jonathan Pryce); a necklace of questionable taste; and a host of other players. All the makings for a hilarious romp (à la Ridicule) are in place, but director Charles Shyer, with his lavish budget in tow, wants the film to be taken seriously. Only Christopher Walken, in a hilarious turn as the fraudulent soothsayer Count Cagliostro, sees through the facile script and relishes his part in what will no doubt prove a colossal flop. --Fionn Meade
REVIEW
L'affaire du collier I think this movie gets me because it is based on a true story, not entirely true, but the necklace scandal, in my opinion did contribute to the french revolution, Hilary is wonderful, I think. The whole movie is wonderful, and sad because you know what happens to the people involved, I would recommend owning this DVD, if you enjoy, historical, or period pieces.
OK if you're a Holms collector; otherwise, forget it. The fact that a film is on DVD doesn't guarantee that its quality is very good. The fact that a film's quality is threadbare doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it. In addition to Overstock, one may find this pairing of Sherlock Holmes films on Amazon and Deep Discount. In any case, the price is only a few bucks. Whether this is a good bargain I leave to the reader.
The plots of these films are of little consequence. They are of interest only to people who collect Holmes films ... anybody who merely wants a few of the better offerings would do well to purchase some of those made by Jeremy Brett ... or, in a pinch, Basil Rathbone. There are a few other very good Holmes films featuring good actors on a one-shot basis - such as "Seven Per Cent Solution" or "Private Life of Sherlock Holmes". In any event, these films are considerably less estimable.
Here we have a pair of films featuring some of the best actors to do Holmes, even if the results tend toward disappointing. This appears to be the only disc with these films on it (although "Deadly Necklace") appears by itself in the same version on other discs.
"(Sherlock Holmes and) the Deadly Necklace" dates from 1962, although it neither looks it nor sounds it. Some who have seen this may be surprised to learn that it was produce by Hammer Studios. Not that Hammer hasn't turned out some really schlock stuff, but where Christopher Lee was concerned, they usually did a better job. The print a direct transfer from a rather worn 1:1.33 copy in black-and white. The quality of the color suggests the original may have been in color, and the snipped ends of the film's aspect suggest it may originally have been 1:1.66 or more.
The film is set in the early 20th Century - not improbable, since Holmes was still working then (and didn't actually die until 1957). However, the script is not adapted from any actual Doyle story. It involves an Egyptian necklace, and Professor Moriarty shows up as a world-famous archaeologist as well as the Prince of Crime. The plot is melodramatic and banal.
The biggest defect of this film is that - for whatever unfathomable reason - Hammer filmed it in Germany. It was nonetheless filmed in English. It was then dubbed in German and then re-dubbed in English. So what you hear isn't Lee nor any of the other original actors, but a bunch of unknowns - not that, outside of Lee, I doubt anyone would know any of the other actors. This is too bad, since Lee (see his "Hound of the Baskervilles") makes a quite decent Holmes. As it is, his voice double is condescending and plain as bread pudding with no raisins nor cinnamon.
The music for this film is primarily jazzy, in a possible attempt to be "period". Too bad nobody thought of ragtime. As it is, the music doesn't relate to what's happening on the screen, and often is at odds with the action.
The other film is "(Sherlock Holmes and) the Speckled Band" from 1931, starring a young Raymond Massey. The quality of the picture and sound is fully up to that of the 1962 effort, and in fact a bit better. Massey makes a quite respectable Holmes, although he certainly doesn't own the rôle in the way Rathbone did and Brett does. The other thespians who take part in this production are unlikely to be of interest to modern readers. The acting - as is true of many films of this period - owes a lot to the post-Victorian stage and to silent films.
There is very little else to be said of this film. The settings seem to be an odd combination of the 1890s (horse-drawn carriages) and the 1920s (electronic devices such as a primitive dictaphone). Taken altogether, it's an interesting curio and a sufficient inducement to buy the DVD with the pairing rather than a DVD with "Deadly Necklace" only.
DescriptionThis second feature in Nacer Khemir's Desert Trilogy is a visually ravishing folktale reminiscent of "The Thousand and One Nights." The story revolves around Hassan, who is studying Arabic calligraphy from a grand master. Coming across a fragment of manuscript, Hassan goes in search of the missing pieces, believing that once he finds them, he will learn the secrets of love. With the help of Zin, a lovers' go-between, he meets the beautiful Aziz, Princess of Samarkand. After encountering wars, a battle between false prophets and an ancient curse, he learns that an entire lifetime would not suffice for him to learn the many dimensions of love.
Winner! Special Jury Prize, Locarno International Film Festival
REVIEW
Very Nice The second part of Nacer Khemir's Desert Trilogy is more satisfying than the first instalment "Wanderer's of the Desert". It's more colourful than it's predecessor and easier to follow. The arabic spoken is classical as opposed to the strong Tunisian accent of Wanderers. I think that non-arabs might find the love sick student a bit over the top but it makes lots of sense in a Middle Eastern context and the over-emphasis on love, especially, Divine love was something prevalent in Islamic society at those times. I kind of slightly lost my bearing on the story towards the 3rd act but it was still nice to watch. 4 Stars because there were no Extra Features on the DVD. Director's Commentary please!
Adaptations of two famous short stories: 1 - THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO - From a story by Edgar Allan Poe. Dark passions and revenge rule in a deep, dark crypt. - 2 - THE NECKLACE - From a story by Guy de Maupassant. A magnificent necklace borrowed for a grand ball is lost. The borrowers sacrifice all to replace it.
DescriptionFrom the makers of Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter, its a punch-drunk dream come true as Canada's favorite super spy, Harry Knuckles makes his feature film debut in "Harry Knuckles and the Pearl Necklace" A valuable necklace has gone missing, and Harry is on
REVIEW
"Smells Like Fish But It Tastes Like Pain" This movie Rocks.Funny as hell!!! From the creator of Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter.This is the story of Harry Knucles the Not-So-Secret-Banana-Eater-Super-Agent who has to recover a mysterius pearl neklace stolen by a Gigantic Bionic Big Foot.With the help of his luchador friend El Santos he goes on a quest against nuns,ninjas and sexy spies. The fight scenes are "classic B rated jewels" and it got a great story lines and Dark humor (Ie. There's a wrestling move called "Turbo Gerbil" Not gonna explain it).There's also a breaktrough in musical Montage never seen before I wont tell cause I dont wanna spoil it for you. This movie includes the original Harry Knucles short that inspire the movie and a bunch of extras .If you are a fan of B movies, independent films and funny one liners this is a must have.
Romance on the Run (1938)The film begins with a super-valuable necklace being stolen and the owner of the insurance company is fretting about how to pay off his client's claim. When a man with a shady past, Barry Drake, recovers the stones for the insurance company, everyone seems happy until they discover that it is a fake. Most of the rest of the film consists of Barry and the insurance office assistant going on a cross-country adventure trying to find the real necklace.Director: Gus MeinsProduction Company: Republic Pictures CorporationAudio/Visual: sound, black and whiteLanguage: EnglishKeywords: romance,comedy,detective,1938,hillbillyRun time: 53min 6sec
Sweden released, PAL/Region 2 DVD:it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ),Czech ( Subtitles ),Danish ( Subtitles ),Dutch ( Subtitles ),English ( Subtitles ),Finnish ( Subtitles ),French ( Subtitles ),German ( Subtitles ),Hungarian ( Subtitles ),Norwegian ( Subtitles ),Polish ( Subtitles ),Swedish ( Subtitles ),SPECIAL FEATURES: Black & White, Interactive Menu, Scene Access,SYNOPSIS: In this frothy romantic adventure, Marlene Dietrich plays Madeleine de Beaupre, a devious jewel thief. After sneaking a valuable string of pearls away from jeweler Aristide Duval (Ernest Cossart), Madeleine attempts to flee Paris, leaving a trail that will instead implicate psychiatrist Dr. Pauquet (Alan Mowbray). While headed for the Spanish border, she nearly runs into Tom Bradley (Gary Cooper), an American auto engineer vacationing in Europe. Madeleine spots Tom again as she waits to go through Spanish Customs; worried that the stolen pearls will be found in her handbag, she slips them into Tom's pocket. After they both make their way through inspection unscathed, Madeleine flirts with Tom in an attempt to get the valuables back; he's too shy to respond in kind, so she gets his attention by trying to "repair" the engine of her car with a hammer. Madeleine lures Tom to the San Sebastian estate of her partner in crime, Carlos Margoli (John Halliday). It doesn't take long for Tom to figure out what Madeleine and Carlos are up to; however, he also knows that he's fallen in love with her, and he is willing to play along if it allows him to be near her. Carlos was originally to have been played by John Gilbert; Halliday was a last-minute replacement after the one-time silent screen star died a week before shooting was to begin.
DescriptionAn Hongkong designer happened to get involved into a lost case of a national treasure necklace. He came to know an Shenzhen designer A Yuan and a comedy story happened.
DescriptionLegendary Baker Street sleuth Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Lee) takes on the evil Moriarty again when the mad doctor goes after a priceless necklace which once belonged to Cleopatra. Director Terence Fisher and star Lee had previously worked together in
REVIEW
defies explanation i bought this based on the sherlock holmes interest i have had since a kid and also because christopher lee was in it..but its a real stinker,dubbed awfully,to the point that even christopher lee admitted that it wasnt his voice used in the end product! a total waste of money and time,save your pennies,badly done all round...even christopher lee's later tv reincarnation of sherlock holmes was much better,incident at victoria falls and another..
