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A multi layered film with a very simple premise...

I have seen this film numerous times and is has massive obvious appeal. It's visually very beautiful, the photography the costumes and so on and I think all of the performances are either good or exceptional; I refer to those given by Glenn Close and John Malkovich, Who I consider to be one of the finest actors of his generation and a personal favourite. That the principal players are considered to be insufficiently physically attractive for the roles they play, I find curious. They are not conventionally attractive and I believe that adds interest, authority and an undeniable sense of power to the performances and the way the characters are presented. They are flawed, self regarding manipulative bullies whose behaviour is thoroughly vile but they also have enormous appeal. They are driven by a need to control the fate of others but are unable to control their own fate; they are equally victims.Conversely the character of Mm. de Tourvel as played by Michelle Pfeiffer is, in comparison, fairly colourless and uninteresting and her beauty is a hindrance rather than a help. Her soul is presented a pure but it is not, of course. She, as others, caved into her desires when her capacity to resist was sufficiently eroded. Valmont is well aware that he will succeed, though he didn't expect to fall in love and thus lose all control of the consequent course of events. For me, the weakest performance and the weakest character was that of Cecile Valanges played by Uma Thurman. There is little for her to do and she is not given much of a personality, even when one takes into account her young age. A performance which is thoroughly overlooked is that of Peter Capaldi as the Vicomptes clearly devoted manservant. He is aware of his masters nature but is able to see beyond this to the point of developing a love for him. The entire dual scene with Danceny is the most moving in the film when Valmont allows himself to be released from his torment. Particularly moving is the moment when Azolan places Valmont jacket around his deceased body as Danceny looks on apparently filled with a sense of regret. As this is interspersed with Danceny fulfilling Valmonts request to tell the dying Mm. de Tourvels of his immense love for her, the poignancy of their respective passing is added to tenfold. It is one of the most moving pieces of film I have seen. It is also the perfect build up to the final scenes in which the Marquise learns of Valmonts death and is so desperately distraught she appears tearing at her own skin before collapsing to the floor. She has lost all control but her character has not lost the sympathy of the audience. She has finally given into her true feelings and is, in the process is destroyed. Her final and very public destruction as she looks around, only her eyes moving, at the baying onlookers at the opera, who have, through the circulation of correspondence between her and Valmont, been made aware of the wicked acts planned and executed by both, is an acting triumph. The character is hollow and irreparably broken.

Superb

Superb acting, character interaction, tight story, great lines & lush environments translate into a great movie.

Call it not costume drama, but high art

Ever seen Cruel Intentions? Then you must watch this, the finest retelling of the 18th c. Choderlos de Laclos novel, to see how it's done. This film is in many ways more modern than its teen-spun counterpart, thanks to the director's sensitivity to the era and to period filmmaking. The characters behave like natural participants in their environment, which was after all a greedy and prestige-driven society much like that of the 1980s. The dialogue is often hilariously wicked and catty, the sets and costumes are obsessively accurate, and the sexual tension is kept at a fever pitch. This film is an "owner" for any intelligent fan of cinema.

Wow, you HAVE to see this!

I saw this for the first time about a year ago because I was reading the book for a class, and while the book is certainly interesting, the movie just blew me away. Outstanding acting on the part of all, especially in the dynamic between the male and female roles. Highest recommendations!

Doubtless, an appropriate ending!

I saw this movie about a week ago and thought it was quite good and rather fascinating. I really liked it. It was quite faithful to the book. `Dangerous liaisons' was interesting from beginning to end. I can't believe how incredible this movie was. I like John Malcovich's performance. He showed us his great acting skills. He was certainly well cast to play the main character Vicomte de Valmont. He really envelops himself into the role quite well. What about Glenn Close? I think she was amazing, I never thought she could act in films as interesting as this one. This movie is utterly stupendous. Have a look at the scenery in 18th century France where this movie takes place. It's great. I really enjoyed this movie every minute; Nevertheless I don't understand why some people said that this movie was too slow. I don't think it was slow. I think it was very fast instead, because the movie just lasted two hours. It wasn't definitely that long and slow. Glenn Close must have been the academy award winner for best actress in a leading role. Anyway, I think this movie was wonderful. The ending was thoroughly appropriate, Look at Glenn Close's face expressions when she's wiping her face and getting teary-eyed for having been ashamed in front of everybody because of what she did. She was certainly mean. This movie shows us that everybody gets what they deserve. She reminds me of Kathryn (Sarah Michell Gellar) in "Cruel intentions". Cruel intentions was Ok; however `Dangerous liaisons' was much better. I really enjoyed this more than cruel intentions even though it's the same story.As for Michelle Pfieffer, What can I say? I think she was wonderful to portray Madame de Tourve. She's a revelation, What a tremendous actress!. Her academy award nomination for best actress in a supporting role was very well-deserved. I like the scene as she dies, but she dies realizing that Vicomte de Valmont loved her with his whole being.
All in all. It's worth watching and beautiful visually, the costumes are stunning. I'm glad this movie was over-rated. Glenn Close is one of the best actresses I have ever seen. Two thumbs up!! 9/10

Dangerous Liaisons, a title befitting of itself.

Dangerous Liaisons touches on an essential part of everyone's life, love. A tale that has no time, the story unfolds among a blanket of love, lies, and deceit, revolving around the lust and cruelty in two hearts that finally ends with dire consequences.

A Sexy and Nasty Romp, with Wigs and Corsets

A juicy and enthralling costume drama full of sex, nastiness and nudity.Glenn Close and John Malkovich play two bored aristocrats who entertain themselves by screwing around with the lives of those around them. They're hollowed out husks of human beings who see emotions and feelings as toys put on the planet for their amusement. Malkovich is appropriately slimy and creepy -- as always, he makes me itch, but for once I didn't mind, since his incredible unpleasantness as an actor makes him perfect for the role. But it's Glenn Close who owns this movie, creating a character who will take your breath away with her icy cruelty. The film also boasts Michelle Pfeiffer, Keanu Reeves(!), Uma Thurman and Swoosie Kurtz.The production design is top notch; the time and place would be any art director's and costume designer's wet dream. And Stephen Frears displays does the same for this movie that he would do for "The Grifters" two years later -- he makes meanness fun.Grade: A

Sexual decadence before the fall of the guillotine

This is a tale about the ancien régime in 18th century France before the revolution in which the moral decadence of the privileged classes rivaled that of Sodom and Gomorrah and the ancient Romans. The story comes from a novel by Choderlos de Laclos that was made into a stage play by Christopher Hampton. It is a cynical satire on human sexuality as well as a very subtle examination of sexual hypocrisy and desire, a kind of oh so sophisticated laugh at bourgeois morality that would have delighted Voltaire and Moliere and greatly amused Shakespeare. It is a tale of elaborate lechery and revenge that backfires because it seems that anybody, even the most jagged rake can fall in love, and thereby become the victim.John Malkovich plays the rake, Vicomte de Valmont, whose sole purpose in life is to seduce women, rob them of their virtue and then move on. Glenn Close plays his back-stabbing confidante and one-time lover, the Marquise de Merteuil. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the coy and virtuous Madame de Tourvel, who is to be Valmont's latest conquest. Uma Thurman is cast as a teenaged ingenue who is betrothed to Merteuil's lover while Keanu Reeves plays her naive music teacher and would be lover, Chevalier Danceny. Stephen Frears, who has directed such diverse films as The Grifters (1990) and My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), after a somewhat cryptic start, does an excellent job of bringing the biting cynicism of Laclos and Hampton to the screen.I know of two other versions of this film, Milos Forman's Valmont (1989), starring Colin Firth and Annette Bening, and Roger Vadim's Dangerous Liaisons (1960). Regrettably , I haven't seen Vadim's film, but Forman's Valmont is excellent. In polite society comparisons are said to be odious.
I shall proceed anyway:John Malkovich vs. Colin Firth. Malkovich is widely recognized as a great actor, but he is clearly miscast in this role, yet he brings a predatory dimension to the part that is in keeping with the overall psychology of the movie. Firth, while not as celebrated for his acting skills as Malkovich, is nonetheless a fine actor, and his charm and playful inventiveness are more in keeping with the character of Valmont, whom women love. Call it even.Glenn Close vs. Annette Bening. Again Close is considered the more accomplished actor, but Bening is sexier, prettier and considerably more charming. Whether that is a plus as far as the reality of the novel and play are concerned is debatable. For my part I found Bening a lot more fun to watch. Edge to Bening.Michelle Pfeiffer vs. Meg Tilly. Pfeiffer is a much bigger star and has more experience as an actress. She is beautiful, but Tilly is more passionate. Pfeiffer was nominated for an academy award for best supporting actress for her work, but did not win. Personally I thought Tilly was more believable and was especially effective in projecting first the repressed passion and then the complete abandonment as she gives herself to Valmont.
Pfeiffer's portrayal of Tourvel's coy awakening, with just a hint of duplicity, and then her utter dissolution when he leaves her, was star quality. Edge to Pfeiffer.Uma Thurman vs. Fairuza Balk. I loved them both. Thurman, of course, is a more statuesque beauty with a polished and controlled acting style, but Balk's wide-eyed innocence was a delight. Call it even.Keanu Reeves vs. Henry Thomas. Thomas was cute, but almost too juvenile to be believed. Reeves seemed just right for the part. Clear edge to Reeves.Frears vs. Forman. Frears's direction was more cynical, especially in the duel between Valmont and Merteuil in which their mutual and complementary debauchery is in sharp focus. And his resolution was more clearly defined.
Forman's strength was in the delight and playfulness of many of the scenes, especially those relating to the seduction of Tourvel. His direction was more comedic and he allowed a greater development of secondary characters, while Frears concentrated more on the two leads. I give a very small edge to Forman, but would not argue with those preferring Frears.Bottom line: I liked Forman's movie better, but the voters at IMDb.com preferred Frears's Dangerous Liaisons, giving it an average of 7.7 stars out of ten to 6.7 for Valmont. Some bon mots:Valmont tells Madame de Tourvel as he dumps her, "My love had great difficulty outlasting your virtue. It's beyond my control."Valmont demands that the Marquise de Merteuil reply to his proposal of a night together, will it be love of war? He says, "A single word is all that is required." Long pause, and then she gives him three, "All right. [Pause.
Cut to satisfied smile on Valmont's face.] War."When Valmont returns from making love to Madame de Tourvel he reveals to Merteuil that for the first time he may be in love. He relates his feelings to her, "I love her. I hate her..." The camera turns to Close, who yawns.Valmont's aunt while consoling Madame de Tourvel, who has confessed that she is in love with Valmont and can't help herself, says, reflecting the wisdom of all who have been there, "In such matters all advice is useless."Toward the end, Valmont says, "I have no illusions. I lost them on my travels."

My all time favorite film

Dangerous Liaisons is probably my all time favorite film. I absolutely LOVE this movie. I love everything about it. Honestly, I think it should have won best picture (yes Rain Man WAS good, but come on now.) And Glenn Close should have won the oscar (Jodie Foster is a great actress, but i just didn't care for The Accused).John Malkovich is perfect as Valmont, and Michelle Pfeiffer will never be better.If you haven't seen this movie yet, then you must rent it and it will probably become one of your favorites too.Right when I saw this movie I HAD to buy right away, and I did. I still watch it all the time, it gets better and better.I gave it a 10, of course.

Subtly erotic and wickedly evil !

In 18th Century France, a woman (brilliantly played by Glenn Close) manipulates the lives of others for her amusment, with the help of a man she loves so much (played by John Malkovich). Based on a French novel. Only complaint : The DVD suffers in special feautres and bonus materials. A must !

The Game as You have never seen it....

You wouldn't necessarily think that an adaptation of an albeit famous 17th century French novel would make a relevant and fascinating piece of cinema... but it does.

The first thing that strikes you is how well the film is lit and shot. The period locations and costumes are visually sumptuous and perfect. Better yet, the acting entirely matches the skill of the direction that takes its method from the theatre - emotions are conveyed by expression and not dialogue. Glenn Close gives her best performance on celluloid as the scheming Madame de Merteuil, amorally hellbent on bending everyone to her will, no matter the method or the cost, and John Malkovitch is her perfect foil as the cynical hedonistic but world-weary Valmont. Michelle Pfeiffer engages our empathy as the tortured and manipulated target of Malkovitch's desire and Close's plotting.

The film is basically a morality tale, but one that fascinates in its exposure of ego, vanity, intrigue and the war between the genders, subjects that are timeless in their relevance, despite the period setting. The storyline, which sticks faithfully to the original novel, remains compelling throughout as we watch deceits within deceits take their tragic course. Whole-heartedly recommended - take your time over it, and enjoy.

Among the best costume dramas

This novel by Chodorlos de Laclos must have been quite scandalous in the time of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. There seem to have been so many filmed versions. The only other one I have seen is Valmont, and while that one is OK, this one is far superior. John Malkovich seems to have been born to play the Viscomte de Valmont. And Glenn Close as the Marquise de Merteuil, wow what can you say? Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves hit all the right notes as utterly ingenuous (at first) puppy-love stricken youngsters. And the beauty of Michelle Pfeiffer as Marie de Tourvel, is striking. Her performance is as awesome as her pulchritude. Really this film is among the best costume dramas I have seen, and I recommend it.

Wonderful mixture of deception, betrayal, and wickedness

I loved this movie. Glenn Close was wonderful as usual, John Malkovich (wonderful as the bad guy we all love to hate in every movie) and Michelle were great, and the ending was great although sad. Glenn Close should have won the Oscar, as well as Michelle. Costumes and sets are beautiful. Watch this one if you are in the mood for betrayal, deception and characters that you want to slap.

Sinfully Delightful!

"Dangerous Liaisons" is, by far, one of the best films ever made! I love everything about this movie from the story to the actors portraying the charcters. I think Glenn Close and John Malkovich were cast perfectly in their roles of scheming, manipulative aristocratic people who have nothing better to do than seek revenge and cruelly ruin people's lives.

I would definitely suggest this film to anyone! Younger people may not find this period piece very appealing, so for them I would suggest "Cruel Intentions," which is based on the same story. Anyone who wants to be immersed in an incredible tale of love, hate, deceit, cruelty, and revenge should watch this film!

Great movie, one of my favorites. John Malkovich is perfect.

This movie is one of my favorite of all times. It's a great story with a good ending, superb acting, specially that of John Malkovich, he is one of the, if not, the best actor I've ever seen on screen. Everyone should have the pleasure of watching this movie. I highly recommend it!

A lavish and superbly cruel film that easily engages with a strong story, great characters and strong performances

The Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil is a harsh and cold woman who views other women as her rivals as clearly as she holds them publicly close as friends. Victomte Sebastien de Valmont is equally out for the destruction of women but does so by seducing and destroying them. Merteuil turns to Valmont to seduce the chaste Cecile de Volanges, thus destroying her marriage but Valmont cannot help and feel that it is all too easy and instead wagers sex with Merteuil against him being able to seduce the notoriously moral Marie de Tourvel.While children flock to the infinitely inferior Cruel Intentions, the viewer of more discerning taste will always stick with this classy, rich and enjoyable version of Dangerous Liaisons. The plot can be summarised simply but has several strong threads running together to create an involving game of seduction and cruelty. The say the film is nasty and cruel is to perhaps not stress highly enough how enjoyable it is for being so; it is done with such a taste for it that it makes it engaging while also being repulsive in the depths the games go to. It develops very satisfyingly and I easily found myself drawn into it. It is to the credit of Hampton's script that I found the characters both horrible but yet also engaging – unlike Cruel Intentions where I just hated their vacuous selfishness and couldn't barely bring myself to care about them enough to even dislike them. No, with DL the characters are much stronger and much more appealing while simultaneously managing to be cruel and repulsive.The cast rise to the material and I'm hard pressed to think of a similarly starry cast where all involved turn in such rich performances. Close is maybe not the most obvious of roles but she is all the better for it, turning in one of the most deliciously scheming and cruel characters I can recall seeing. With the excesses it is to her credit that she is so subtle and restrained for the majority. Malkovich has more fun with a showier character and makes it look easy where really it is challenging to play such an anti-hero and keep the audience onside while also pushing them away. Although these two make up the majority of the film, the smaller roles are also very well filled. Pfeiffer is brilliant; Thurman gets the mix of innocence and sexuality just right and Reeves is, well, not rubbish. I refrain from giving any credit to Kurtz simply because I think she lost whatever she was due by appearing in the same role in the MTV remake. Frears' direction is great and he makes good use of close-ups and other reoccurring techniques; he is well supported by his costume and set designers who combine to produce a tangible sense of time and place that is befitting the lavish feel of the whole film.Overall this is a fine film that is driven by so many factors that it is hard to pin down just one. The script is well written and produces an engaging and tasty plot for adults to get into. The characters are both engaging and repulsive and are well delivered by a cast that give roundly strong performances. All this comes together to produce a fantastically cruel film that just shows how poor Cruel Intentions was and what an insult to the intelligence it is.

A terrific Film

I have only now, surprisingly seen Dangerous Liaisons and I saw it because I had seen Previously, Valmont and the more modern Cruel Intentions. I can't believe it's taken me this long to see this movie! It was absolutely superb and I now own it on DVD and plan to watch it many times.SPOILER ALERT: One thing I really liked about this movie was that it differed in many way from Valmont and the MAJOR change, (as anyone who has seen both will immediately know what I'm talking about), was more interesting and satisfying to me then the movie Valmont(though I really liked that movie as well). This version is also better cast, with the possible exception of Uma Thurman who is one of my all time favorite actresses, but who really didn't distinguish Cecile in any way, though I think that's less her fault then the movie makers' who minimized the part. One thing I did find lacking in Liaisons, was that, unlike Valmont, Cecile doesn't really have a lot to do.But the casting was still, overall better then Valmont. John Malkovich was mesmerizing and definitely wove a spell over the audience as well as the various women he conquered. He was simply stunning.Glen Close was extraordinary and remains one of the best actresses working today. I never cease to be amazed at her versatility.And PFEIFFER, whose movies, for the most part, I have not enjoyed, is throughly captivating as Madam De Tourvel and though I love Meg Tilly I did feel she was miscast in Valmont. Pfeiffer was perfect in a heartbreaking performance that was just as Oscar worthy as anybody in the movie.Dangerous Liaisons is a fascinating mix of seduction, passion, betrayal, mind games and love, with terrific acting by a cast of some of the best players working today. It is a great movie(9.5 out of 10) and should have won an Oscar. If you haven't seen it, please do. Wish I hadn't waited so long myself.

a real class act

DANGEROUS LIAISONS is a fantastic character study of the twisted and obsessed. The classic novel translates perfectly to the screen in this adaptation by Christopher Hampton which was taken from his acclaimed stage play.

Glenn Close is mesmerising as the seductive and manipulative woman who challenges the cruel Valmont (John Malkovich) to seduce her naive niece (Uma Thurman). However, Valmont also wishes to seduce and disgrace a remote beauty (Michelle Pfeiffer), totally uncaring and unaware of the tragic outcome that will envelope them both.

The stellar cast also includes Keanu Reeves (THE MATRIX, PARENTHOOD), Swoosie Kurtz (LITTLE GIRLS IN PRETTY BOXES, REALITY BITES) and veteran Mildred Natwick (THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY).

The DVD transfer is gorgeous and has a dynamic 5.1 sound mix that shows off the beautifully dramatic score by George Fenton.

Remade as VALMONT (starring Colin Firth and Fairuza Balk) and CRUEL INTENTIONS (starring Ryan Phillippe).

stunning

i absolutely loved this movie. Full of deceit, lies, and sex. It captures all the combinations to make an excellent movie. If you like "Angels and Insects" or "Cruel Intentions" , you will completely enjoy this movie.

The cast are miracle workers. With Glenn Close and John Malkovich, you will believe the story they are telling.

A must buy.

A successful remake

Having read the original novel, I can really admire the director's execution of the plot, considering that the novel consists entirely of letters. It must be really challenging for the screenplay writer to work off the original text that consists of multiple first person narratives. The screenplay writer and the director did a fine job of covering all the major points in the plot. All the dialogues were recreated seamlessly. The costumes were impeccable. I didn't even mind the actors being American, because they left their American personas behind and entered a world completely unfamiliar to them.