France before 1789 , the story deals with two aristocratic libertines who embark on a twisted and cruel intrigue to spread dismay and corruption wherever they can . When a scheming widow (Glenn Close) hears that her lover is to marry her cousin's daughter , she asks the corrupt playboy Valmont (John Malkovich) to take the girl's virginity and they then make a thorny bet . But first she bets him , with her body as prize , to seduce a virtuous young , married woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) . The lover , Valmont , bets that he can seduce her , even though she is an honorable , devout woman . If he wins , he can have his lover to do as he will . Along the way , the Marquise of Merteuil and the Vizcomte spend their time testing and manipulating the loves of others . Based on the same novel as "Dangerous Liaisons", a scandalous success when it first appeared in 1782 . Lust . Seduction . Revenge . The Game As You've Never Seen It Played Before . As unpredictable as love itself.
This excellent movie is perfectly performed by a magnificent plethora of actors playing aristocratic roles based on the characters created by Choderlos de Laclos from the play "Les liaisons dangereuses" and interesting script by Christopher Hampton , in which a playboy count called Valmont loves beautiful women and in the process of seducing a married woman , he falls in love . The studded-cast impersonating correctly the peculiar personages , they work out the look of the characters , the voices , gestures and styles . Absorbing and riveting rendition set in Baroque France , centering around the two egoistic decadent members of the18th-century French nobility . Regarding the corruption , ambition , ruthlessnes and badness of a thunderous epoch , XVIII Century , pre-French revolution . Fabulous and stunning protagonists , such as : Glenn Close as the nasty Marquise de Merteuil , John Malkovich as Vicomte de Valmont , the rakish and amoral seducer as you might expect and Michelle Pfeiffer as failthful , devout Madame de Tourvel who becomes one of their victims , all of them bring depth , modernity and immediacy to their characters that reveals the intensity of feeling that exists beneath the powdered wigs, and brilliant language . Along with a magnificent and elegant support cast , such as : Swoosie Kurtz , Keanu Reeves , Peter Capaldi , Mildred Natwick who's tremendous in her last film role and a young gorgeous Uma Thurman . Interesting to comparison-view with ¨Valmont¨ 1989 by Milos Forman with Colin Firth as Valmont , Annette Bening as Merteuil , Meg Tilly as Madame de Tourvel , Fairuza Balk , Jeffrey Jones , Henry Thomas , though this retelling had already pinched all the kudos and doesn't have the same impact as the Stephen Frears version .
Insightful production design and luxurious sets describing the glamorous scenarios these people live in , as well as lush costumes , gowns and atrezzo . Colorful and appropriate cinematography by Philippe Rousselot with exceptional images and showing splendorous settings and evocative palaces . This riveting picture was well directed by Stephen Frears , providing an elegant portrayal of the jaded decadence of the 18th century French aristocracy on the eve of the French Revolution . Stephen has directed a large number of films of great quality and big hit . He has directed seven Oscar nominated performances : Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep and Mirren won for The Queen (2006). He directed three Oscar Best Picture nominees: Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Queen (2006) and Philomena (2013). Stephen's specialized on portrayals about diverse social stratum , such as he proved in : ¨Liam¨, ¨The Van¨, ¨The snapper¨ , ¨My beautiful laundrette¨, ¨Sammy and Rosie get laid¨, among others . Rating: 7/10. Better than average, well worth watching.
This excellent movie is perfectly performed by a magnificent plethora of actors playing aristocratic roles based on the characters created by Choderlos de Laclos from the play "Les liaisons dangereuses" and interesting script by Christopher Hampton , in which a playboy count called Valmont loves beautiful women and in the process of seducing a married woman , he falls in love . The studded-cast impersonating correctly the peculiar personages , they work out the look of the characters , the voices , gestures and styles . Absorbing and riveting rendition set in Baroque France , centering around the two egoistic decadent members of the18th-century French nobility . Regarding the corruption , ambition , ruthlessnes and badness of a thunderous epoch , XVIII Century , pre-French revolution . Fabulous and stunning protagonists , such as : Glenn Close as the nasty Marquise de Merteuil , John Malkovich as Vicomte de Valmont , the rakish and amoral seducer as you might expect and Michelle Pfeiffer as failthful , devout Madame de Tourvel who becomes one of their victims , all of them bring depth , modernity and immediacy to their characters that reveals the intensity of feeling that exists beneath the powdered wigs, and brilliant language . Along with a magnificent and elegant support cast , such as : Swoosie Kurtz , Keanu Reeves , Peter Capaldi , Mildred Natwick who's tremendous in her last film role and a young gorgeous Uma Thurman . Interesting to comparison-view with ¨Valmont¨ 1989 by Milos Forman with Colin Firth as Valmont , Annette Bening as Merteuil , Meg Tilly as Madame de Tourvel , Fairuza Balk , Jeffrey Jones , Henry Thomas , though this retelling had already pinched all the kudos and doesn't have the same impact as the Stephen Frears version .
Insightful production design and luxurious sets describing the glamorous scenarios these people live in , as well as lush costumes , gowns and atrezzo . Colorful and appropriate cinematography by Philippe Rousselot with exceptional images and showing splendorous settings and evocative palaces . This riveting picture was well directed by Stephen Frears , providing an elegant portrayal of the jaded decadence of the 18th century French aristocracy on the eve of the French Revolution . Stephen has directed a large number of films of great quality and big hit . He has directed seven Oscar nominated performances : Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep and Mirren won for The Queen (2006). He directed three Oscar Best Picture nominees: Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Queen (2006) and Philomena (2013). Stephen's specialized on portrayals about diverse social stratum , such as he proved in : ¨Liam¨, ¨The Van¨, ¨The snapper¨ , ¨My beautiful laundrette¨, ¨Sammy and Rosie get laid¨, among others . Rating: 7/10. Better than average, well worth watching.