Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
Glenn Close
John Malkovich
Michelle Pfeiffer
Swoosie Kurtz
Milded Natwick
Keanu Reeves
Uma Thurman
Movie Details
Genre Drama
Director Stephen Frears
Producer Norma Heyman; Hank Moonjean
Writer Christopher Hampton
Studio Warner Bros.
Language English
Audience Rating R (Restricted)
Running Time 120 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
A sumptuously mounted and photographed celebration of artful wickedness, betrayal, and sexual intrigue among depraved 18th-century French aristocrats, Dangerous Liaisons (based on Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses) is seductively decadent fun. The villainous heroes are the Marquise De Merteuil (Glenn Close) and the Vicomte De Valmont (John Malkovich), who have cultivated their mutual cynicism into a highly developed and exquisitely mannered form of (in-)human expression. Former lovers, they now fancy themselves rather like demigods whose mutual desires have evolved beyond the crudeness of sex or emotion. They ritualistically act out their twisted affections by engaging in elaborate conspiracies to destroy the lives of their less calculating acquaintances, daring each other to ever-more-dastardly acts of manipulation and betrayal. Why? Just because they can; it's their perverted way of getting get their kicks in a dead-end, pre-Revolutionary culture. Among their voluptuous and virtuous prey are fair-haired angels played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman, who have never looked more ripe for ravishing. When the Vicomte finds himself beset by bewilderingly genuine emotions for one of his victims, the Marquise considers it the ultimate betrayal and plots her heartless revenge. Dangerous Liaisons is a high-mannered revel for the actors, who also include Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, and Keanu Reeves. --Jim Emerson
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 62
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
DVD Empire
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 4
Screen Ratio Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)
Layers Dual side, Single layer
UPC 085391187226
Chapters 34
Release Date 1/05/2001
Subtitles English; French; Spanish
Packaging Snap Case
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Color Closed-captioned Dolby Widescreen