After hearing for years how wonderful this movie is, I finally sat down and watched it, and was thoroughly disappointed. I especially found Malkovich a bit too whiny to be believable as the Vicomte de Valmont. He is supposed to be a lover of many women but I find it hard to believe many would be drawn to him in this film. Glenn Close does perform well except that I don't believe her character could be believed to be anything but a hardened woman, disappointed in love and badly used in marriage. I do credit Michelle Pfeiffer as giving a good performance as Madame de Tourvel. It is believable although not quite as I had pictured it when reading the book.
I have not seen the more recent film, "Cruel Intentions" based on the book, but I have seen "Valmont". Of the two versions, I much prefer "Valmont". Although it does not follow the book's plot, it is definitely believable and Annette Bening is exactly how I would picture Madame de Mertueil: absolutely an angel in public, but cunning and deceitful behind the scenes. Colin Firth seems a far more likely Valmont, very likeable and difficult for a woman to resist. My only complaint with that film was the lack of consistency in the accents of the characters.
I have not seen the more recent film, "Cruel Intentions" based on the book, but I have seen "Valmont". Of the two versions, I much prefer "Valmont". Although it does not follow the book's plot, it is definitely believable and Annette Bening is exactly how I would picture Madame de Mertueil: absolutely an angel in public, but cunning and deceitful behind the scenes. Colin Firth seems a far more likely Valmont, very likeable and difficult for a woman to resist. My only complaint with that film was the lack of consistency in the accents of the characters.