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"When all you hold dear is taken and you have nothing left - risk is of little consequence."

Screenwriter John Sweet makes his feature film debut with the romantic drama, "Affair of the Necklace." This beautifully filmed drama is a tale of celebrity and sex, greed and desire, corruption and temptation. Based on the controversial true story of Jeanne De La Motte Valois, a countess whose name was stripped from her by the Royal Family during the late 18th Century, "Affair of the Necklace" unveils the story of Jeanne's fight to recover what was unjustly taken from her - a fight that endangered all who stood in her way.

Napoleon wrote that the flames of the French Revolution were fanned by three factors: the defeat at Rossbach during The Seven Years War; the lack of intervention in the Dutch Netherlands; and "L'Affair du Collier," also known as "The Affair of the Necklace," one of the great scandals of European history. "Affair of the Necklace" is at once a tale torn from history's most lavish pages and a distinctly contemporary reflection on what happens when great desire and great power converge. As a young girl, Jeanne watched in horror as soldiers of the reigning King Louis XV brutally seized her family's chateau. Surviving on her wits and her wiles, she vowed to one day reclaim her birthright. Committed to this quest, Jeanne insinuates herself into the court at Versailles. It is against this swirling, glamorous backdrop presided over by King Louis XVI and his extravagant and controversial wife, Marie Antoinette, that Jeanne risks her life to orchestrate an elaborate scheme of intrigue, romance and scandal revolving around the Queen and the world's most spectacular diamond necklace.

Centuries ahead of her time, Jeanne De La Motte Valois was a beguiling and unconventional woman who broke all the rules and masterminded an ingenious and perilous conspiracy that scandalously incriminated the rich and famous and may well have paved the way to the guillotine for Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI - ending 800 years of Absolute Monarchy.

Screenwriter Sweet read about Jeanne's life and was struck by the similarities to modern events. "I was surprised by the contemporary nature of Jeanne and her scheme," says Sweet. "The behavior of the people involved in the necklace scandal was totally outrageous, shockingly audacious, very funny, and incredibly modern. What amazed me is that Jeanne created a huge circus where everything became blown out of proportion, and everybody who survived got a book deal in the end. To me, that just proves that things really haven't changed all that much since her times."

Sweet admits the scandal remains controversial and the question behind who really masterminded the events remains unanswered. Sweet had to rely upon his extensive research and his imagination to fill in the blanks in the story, and come up with a believable version of the events.

Director Charles Shyer had the ardous task of finding the right actress to portray this controversial historic figure who brought down a Monarchy. Shyer knew from the beginning he wanted an actress who was not only striking and smart - but one who defied expectation and convention. He wanted someone with whom audiences could empathize as she seduces and manipulates the rich and powerful, yet whose flaws and vulnerability could bring her crashing to the ground in a stunning fall. Shyer found all of those qualities in Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank ("Boys Don't Cry"). "What's so interesting about Hilary is her ability to convincingly shift 180 degrees," says Shyer. "The role of Jeanne is the antithesis of Teena Brandon, her character in "Boys Don't Cry." In "Affair of the Necklace," she is absolutely gorgeous, absolutely sexy, and absolutely unpredictable."

Hilary Swank was drawn to Jeanne's story. "I feel that Jeanne's tale deals with human issues that transcend time - issues of love and fear, of right and wrong, of family bonds, of ego. It's about following a dream. Jeanne may have lived in another era, but I related to her story, and I think it really speaks to our lives today," she says. "I don't think Jeanne ever felt she was in over her head. She was determined, no matter what, to get back what was rightfully hers. In the end, I feel it really worried her that her plan was going to bring other people down. Ultimately, I don't believe that she wanted to hurt anyone. But when you're in that thick, how do you get out?"

Screenwriter John Sweet adds, "In Jeanne's time, blood was everything and your history was your destiny. Jeanne was remarkable because she literally fought her way out of poverty and connived her way into the Court, essentially surviving by her wits. Jeanne's driving force was always to obtain respect, and in her mind, the necklace became the one thing that could bring that to her. She became so obsessed, she literally pushed herself and those around her to the brink of disaster."

In addition to Swank, the cast includes Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Louise de Rohan, Cardinal of all of France, Adrien Brody as Nicolas de la Motte, a Count who Jeanne marries to gain access to the Royal Court, Simon Baker as Retaux de Villete, a court rouge, and Christopher Walken as Count Cagliostro. Joely Richardson takes on the heady role of Queen Marie Antoniette.

SOURCE: Warner Brothers Pictures