Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Directed by Stephen Frears

Film Review

"If this book burns, it burns as only ice can burn."  That was Baudelaire's assessment of Choderlos de Laclos's infamous epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses.  Stephen Frears' dazzling screen adaptation (based on a stage play by Christopher Hampton) loses none of the savage cynicism and rapier-like black humour that scandalised France when the novel was first published in 1782, but it is all too easy to be distracted from its darker purpose by its stunning visual design and sheer elegance.  The first English language screen adaptation of de Laclos's novel offers a grimly fascinating study in decadence and manipulation in the perfumed salons of pre-revolutionary France, a far darker, far more disturbing work than either Roger Vadim's Les Liaisons dangereuses (1959) or Milos Forman's Valmont (1989), two other films to have been inspired by the same literary source.

Dangerous Liaisons marked an important milestone in the career of Stephen Frears, the first Hollywood feature for a British film director who had previously won acclaim for his vibrant brand of cinema, exemplified by My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987).  Having grown accustomed to making films on a shoestring, Frears makes the most of his 14 million dollar budget and gives us one of the most visually stunning films of the 1980s, a sensual feast that rewards the eye as much as its content stimulates the mind.  The film's striking locations are exclusively to be found in France and include the Château de Vincennes in Val-de-Marne and the Château du Saussay in Essonne, as well as the Théâtre Montansier in Versailles.  Stuart Craig  and James Acheson both won Oscars for their work on the set and costume design, and the film won a third Oscar for its screenplay.  The film also took the Best Foreign Film award at the Césars in 1990, the French equivalent of the Oscars.  As befits such a high quality production, Dangerous Liaisons boasts a high calibre cast, and it is no wonder that it proved to be a critical and commercial success.

The casting of Glenn Close and John Malkovich for the two principal roles - those of the demonic duo, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont - was both daring and inspired.  Neither Close nor Malkovich has what might legally be called conventional sex appeal and yet, watching them in this film, it is hard to imagine another pair of actors who could portray their characters with such mesmerising élan and electrifying sensual power.  Their verbal exchanges resemble a fencing tournament, and are conducted with just as much dexterous precision and ferocity.  Whilst Merteuil and Valmont are about as grotesque and morally vacuous as you can imagine, Close and Malkovich somehow succeed in rendering them human, and occasionally we catch just a glimpse of the past personal tragedies that have created two such Hellish monsters.  We even grow to pity them as their obscene game playing rebounds and delivers them each a blow far deadlier than any they have inflicted on others.

The one other standout performance is Michelle Pfeiffer's captivating portrayal of the seemingly incorruptible Madame de Tourvel.  Arguably, Pfeiffer has the hardest job of all, making her disgustingly virtuous character interesting and likeable, but she succeeds admirably - the sequence in which Malkovich finally manages to break down her character's resolve is almost too horrific to watch, far more shocking than an earlier sequence depicting the deflowering of a virgin.  Pfeiffer was awarded the Best Supporting Actress BAFTA in 1990 for her performance, but failed to win the Oscar for which she was also nominated.  Unknown at the time, Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman both turn in some fine work in their supporting roles, some years before they secured stardom for themselves.

As impressive as the performances are, what makes Dangerous Liaisons such a compelling and memorable film is Christopher Hampton's crisp, deliciously cruel screenplay which more than does justice to Choderlos de Laclos's satanic novel.  More than anything, it is Hampton's tasty dialogue that gives the film its unflagging energy and cynicism, although it certainly helps that the film is directed by a filmmaker as creative and daring as Stephen Frears, and avails itself of a cast of exceptional ability.  Dangerous Liaisons is a magnificent tour de force, an enjoyably barbed retelling of the exploits of two of the most twisted and pitiful characters in French literature.  Nothing burns more fiercely than ice, and there is nothing icier than an intellect without a conscience...

Film Synopsis

France, circa 1760.  Behind a façade of scrupulous respectability, the Marquise de Merteuil delights in inflicting cruelty on those who do her wrong through her meticulously calculated romantic intrigues.  When she discovers that a former lover of hers is soon to marry the 16-year-old Cécile de Volange, the Marquise plans to take her revenge by persuading her equally amoral partner, the Vicomte de Valmont, to rob her of her virtue on the eve of her wedding.  Valmont dismisses this as too easy a challenge and instead sets his mind to seducing Madame de Tourvel, a married woman who is renowned for her high-minded principles.  It so happens that Valmont's intended victim is staying at his aunt's mansion whilst her husband is out of the country, but the Vicomte's scheme is apparently thwarted when Madame de Tourvel is forewarned of his intentions.  This setback prompts the Vicomte to take up the challenge that the Marquise de Merteuil had set him.  As he anticipated, Cécile de Volange proves to be an easy conquest, but events take an unexpected turn when she becomes pregnant - a nice gift for her future husband on his wedding day!  Encouraged by this victory, Valmont returns to Madame de Tourvel and finally succeeds in seducing her, but his success comes at a terrible price...