Les liaisons dangereuses

I do believe this is the best adaptation of the famous book since this series has an absolutely amazing cast. I can't imagine a better m-me de Merteuil than Catherine Deneuve - she is naturally very cold, beautiful and smart-looking. I believe this is exactly the way one has to be to do the kind of things m-me de Merteuil does - a cold criminal mastermind. Nobody could have played this better than Catherine. Glenn Close is great, but this the next level of evil.

Dark-looking and handsome Rupert Everett did a great job as Valmont. I believe, his look is the best I've seen for Valmont as well. Nastassja Kinski created a very touching and fragile image of Marie de Tourvel. No other adaptation has made me feel so sorry for Marie Tourvel as this one since Kinski is very genuine and, I don't know, mermaid-looking or something. Fragility, femininity, sincerity.

And I also loved the time the story was transferred to - I believe, it fits the end of the 20th century well and accentuates the characters even better. It was normal that Marie de Tourvel was virtuous in the XVIII century, (after all, each romance led to babies back then). It is precious that she is virtuous in the 20th century and makes all the following events look even more serious. It is normal that being a rich person all you care about is balls and beaux in the XVIII century. It looks loathsome for the people of the 20th century.

I also enjoyed the pace, the sceneries and the dialogues. This is a great mini-series and I strongly recommend it as a two-evening watch. Don't forget the red wine! 😊

This version of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" is, in my opinion, a very good 'modern' adaptation/expansion of one of my favourite stories. I liked the 1988 version very much. As an expanded version, this one was delicious.

I didn't find the duel/contest to be very convincing. Having said that, I think this is my only negative criticism of the picture. I didn't bother to see the English version. The French version with English subtitles worked very well.

I saw this on DVD, with French sub-titles (I'm learning French).

I'm absolutely amazed at the number of commentators on this site who disliked this production. I've seen four versions of the work, and in my opinion this is by far the best. It is ravishing to look at, the story is compelling and presented with great clarity and sophistication, and the acting is outstanding. Yes, Catherine Deneuve was too old for the part. But she didn't look it, or act it; regardless of the date of her birth, she retains an allure that I for one would find difficult to resist if I had the honour and good fortune to meet her. As for Rupert Everett, who cares about whether he's used botox or not? He's got exactly the right sort of snake-like ability to fascinate and attract. And both of them can actually act. I think it's one of Catherine Deneuve's very best performances, probably because of the quality of the screenplay with which she had to work.

I found it compelling from the very first moment, and I'm about to buy the DVD.

There is a literary work of the same name that also serves as title to this article (Les liaisons dangereuses or Dangerous Liaisons), which was written by the writer Pierre Choderlos Laclos (1741-1803) and published in 1782, with a plot showing the human miseries of the high classes as far as feelings are concerned. Broadly speaking, it is a story of seduction, betrayal and revenge, where perfidy is the dominant element of that society of nobles, where love is nothing more than a caprice or a temporary passion. The work has been taken to the cinema in several occasions, but the versions more known are the French one of 1959, directed by Roger Vadim with acting of Jeanne Moreau and Gérard Philipe; the British production of 1988, directed by Stephen Frears; and the third one, which is the subject of this article, co-production Canada-United Kingdom-France, in miniseries for TV (2003), directed by the Frenchman José Dayan, set in Parisian society in 1960. Dayan chose a first-class actress to play the role of the seductive beautiful Madame Isabel de Merteuil, Catherine Deneuve, an elegant woman from head to toe, with a very suggestive look and really attractive movements. The libido of any man rises when he watches the figure of this actress in this miniserial. His interpretation as an entity devoid of love, full of ambitions and selfishness is simply masterful. The other antihero is the Visconde Sebastian de Valmont played by the English actor Rupert Everett, who became famous as an actor previously with a supporting performance in the comedy "The wedding of my best friend (1997)" by director P.J. Hogan. Everett played well the role of another depraved, who boasted of his personal beauty. It is not a purpose to describe the plot of the miniserial, but especially emphasize that the performances of their actresses and actors were all well done, to the extreme that it seems that they are the same characters in the novel. The interest in following the novel increases with its development.

Shot in French, director Josee Dayan's `Les Liaisons Dangereuses' (2003) is the fifth film adaptation of the classic Choderlos de Laclos tale of amorality, deceit, revenge, betrayal, lust and love. In its extended 252 minute mini-tv series version, the film presents a reworked, coherent story reset into the 1960's. Because of awesome cinematography, a highly complementary musical score, and a first rate cast with superb performances from Catherine Deneuve, Rupert Everett, Nastassja Kinski, Leelee Sobieski and the supporting cast, `Les Liaisons Dangereuses' (2003) is a stellar integrated work that is candy for both the eye and the mind. All of the major characters have depth that is allowed to develop because of the mini-tv series format of 252 minutes (a lot longer than most films). This film is a rarity because it is entirely dialog driven. The editing is very tight and the film never drags. For mature audiences only, there is a look and feel to it that is absolutely riveting.

There are three dvd versions available: (1) in French with English subtitles, (2) English spoken by the actors, and (3) the definitive extended 3 dvd set in French with English subtitles and an interview with the director. (1) and (2) are truncated 200 minute versions with anamorphic transfers. I saw `Les Liaisons Dangereuses' (2003) on (3) and this is probably the dvd to watch because of its gorgeous anamorphic transfer in a European 2.35:1 aspect ratio, although it is listed as an anamorphic 1.78:1 aspect ratio. (3) is the extended version with a total run time of over 300 minutes, including a 50 minute director's interview.