Review of Dangerous Liaisons (1988) by Stewart S — 08 Apr 2008

7.9.

What makes this jewel of Stephen Frears so enjoyable is the sense we get that we are seeing a film like we havenâ??t seen before. There have many period pieces, but this splendid theatre lures us into the late eighteenth century world of the morally corrupt French nobility with Oscar winning costumes and set design and Oscar nominated music score. And once lured in, Frears takes over bringing out superb performances from the perfectly casted troupe of John Malkovich, Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, and a scarcely eighteen year-old Uma Thurman. Malkovich creates the wicked Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont a devilish character we that despise, yet admire and in the end a character with whom we almost ashamedly sympathize. Glenn Close is masterful as the evil Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil whom we never like nor trust. Pfeiffer is perfect as the straight laced Madame Marie de Tourvel. The alternating interplay between both Malkovich and Close and Malkovich and Pfeiffer is the true gem of the film.

But more than the costumes, the set design, the music and the acting, the Oscar Winning screenplay by Christopher Hampton adapted from novel Les Liaisons Dangerouses by Choderlos de Laclos that truly sets this film apart. The dialogue, often Oscar Wilde-like, is replete with subtle and not so subtle social commentary that ranges from the humorously benign (â??one does not applaud the tenor for clearing his throatâ?? and â??itâ??s always the best swimmers who drownâ??) to the piercingly cynical (â??regret is an essential component to happinessâ?? and â??those who are most worthy of love are never made happy by itâ??). But most of all itâ??s the story of betrayal and deceit with the most despicable characters whose actions and motivations we can scarcely believe. To our great relief, we find that even evil can fall prey to love.

The final three scenes in the film feature Close at her finest. While hardly uttering a word, we can see and feel her total destruction.