Cruel Liasons, Dangerous Intentions
Directed by Miloš Foreman
Starring Annette Bening, Colin Firth, Meg Tilly
Released November 17th, 1989
Rated R
The Marquise de Merteuil (Annette Bening) talks at length about the tragedies caused by the illusion of love. She doesn’t believe in love, a concept she finds ridiculous. She is frenemies with Vicomte de Valmont (Colin Firth), a cad who considers himself a ladies’ man. Of Valmont, Merteuil says “If I had a brother, I’d want him to be just like him.” There is electricity between them, two wolves always on the hunt for lambs.
Those lambs include Cécile de Volanges (Fairuza Balk), a 15-year-old innocent raised in a convent, her music teacher Danceny (Henry Thomas), a 17-year-old straight arrow in love with Cecile, and Madame de Tourvel (Meg Tilly), a married woman pursued by Valmont. Meg Tilly is an actor sorely missed on screen. Her performances are always very natural, and I would have liked to see her continue her acting career. Colin Firth’s Valmont is more darkly humorous than other versions, with an emphasis on how pathetic he really is. Annette Bening (in only her second film!) is magnetic as Merteuil. You can’t take your eyes off of her or her wicked ways. Fairuza Balk ends up giving the best performance in the film as wide-eyed innocent Cecile. She’s truly wonderful.
Set in a world lit by candles, Valmont is a sexy, voyeuristic view of the depravity of the elite. This tale of the lifestyles of the rich and privileged manipulating people for fun and games has titillated audiences for years with numerous adaptations of the book in the form of stage productions and films. If you are not familiar with the story, it is filled with alliances, backstabbing, fencing, secret love letters, double crossings, and death. It would be imprudent for me to explain further, as the twists and turns are part of the trashy fun.
It is a tad mystifying that the title of the film is Valmont, placing the focus (and blame?) on one character instead of using a different title that could encompass the misdeeds of the ensemble. If you’ve seen other, more popular versions of this story, you may question if this one is worth a watch. Valmont has some differences in story from the source material (and by extension, most adaptations), and an entirely different denouement. Miloš Foreman’s adaptation is a lavish production with impeccable costumes (which garnered an Academy Award nomination for Theodor Pištěk), that carries a certain majesty from being shot on location instead of a soundstage.
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray sports a brand-new HD master from a 2K scan of the 35mm interpositive, and as a result the film looks gorgeous. Special features include the theatrical trailer, a featurette with director Miloš Foreman called The Art of Seduction, and an audio commentary by film historian Daniel Kremer.
