Dangerous Liaisons (1989). After issuing a damning report on Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley’s The Duchess, I thought I should write a review on a film I mentioned in the post – Dangerous Liaisons.
The film is based on an 18th century novel, ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’, by French author de Laclos. The story is set in 18th century France, and tells of an agreement made between a Vicomte de Valmont, an aristocrat and professional womanizer, with Marquise de Merteuil, a socialite and manipulator of persons.
Merteuil makes a wager with Valmont that should he be able to seduce Madame de Tourvel, a well-known paragon of virtue, she would give herself to Valmont who himself has long lusted for Merteuil. Valmont takes on the challenge with relish, going so far as to also deflower the young and virginal Cécile before her marriage.
Valmont eventually succeeds in his ‘grand’ enterprise, but when he returns to Merteuil for his reward, she changes the circumstances of the agreement. The two declare war on each, and manipulate their proxies into fights with fatal circumstances for many of the characters involved. The ending is tragic and of bitter irony for the characters who survive.
The story has been adapted into films several times already, including a mind numbingly dumb interpretation set in modern day New York albeit with a very attractive trio of beauties – Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair.
Their film, Cruel Intentions, retains each of the major characters of de Laclos’ novel, but made the mistake of slavishly retaining each character’s dispositions in verbatim. That killed the film from a story-telling standpoint as it’s hard to believe the character attitudes that was accepted and ‘the norm’ in 18th century France in modern day New York.
Continued in the next post.
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