Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

Note des utilisateurs:

7.6/10   

Réalisateur:

Stephen Frears

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Hampton (play)
Choderlos de Laclos (novel)

Release Date:

21 décembre 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drame | Romance

Accroche:

Lust. Seduction. Revenge. The Game As You've Never Seen It Played Before.

Plot:

Rich and bored aristocrats in Rococo France play high-stakes games of passion and betrayal.

Plot Keywords:

Deviousness | Love Triangle | Male Female Relationship | Dying Words | Wager

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 14 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive.

Ensemble

Glenn Close	...	Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil
John Malkovich	...	Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Madame Marie de Tourvel
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Madame de Volanges
Keanu Reeves	...	Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny
Mildred Natwick	...	Madame de Rosemonde
Uma Thurman	...	Cécile de Volanges
Peter Capaldi	...	Azolan
Joe Sheridan	...	Georges
Valerie Gogan	...	Julie
Laura Benson	...	Emilie
Joanna Pavlis	...	Adèle
Nicholas Hawtrey	...	Major-domo
Paulo Abel Do Nascimento	...	Castrato
François Lalande	...	Curé

Autre(s) titre(s) :

Liaisons dangereuses, Les (France) [fr]

Durée:

119 min

Pays:

USA | UK

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Son:

Dolby

Classification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | France:Unrated | Australia:M | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Peru:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Château de Champs-sur-Marne, Champs-sur-Marne, Seine-et-Marne, France

Company:

Lorimar Film Entertainment

Anecdotes:

Swoosie Kurtz, who plays Madame de Volange, went on to play Dr. Greenbaum in Cruel Intentions (1999), the modern retelling of Dangerous Liaisons. In both films, Valmont seduces her daughter.

Guillemet:

[Cécile is startled by a sudden noise, Valmont gets up to investigate]
Vicomte de Valmont: It's only the wind.
[Cécile is gasping]
Vicomte de Valmont: Where are you? It's nothing to be frightened about.
Cécile de Volanges: Yes there is. I'm bleeding!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in American Arts & Culture Presents John Horatio Malkovich 'Dance of Despair & Disillusionment' (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

O Malheureuse Iphigénie !

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive.

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.