FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Dangerous Liaisons [1988] [DVD] [1989]

Dangerous Liaisons [1988] [DVD] [1989]
enlarge	Director: Stephen Frears Actors: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz, Keanu Reeves Studio: Warner Home Video Category: DVD List Price: ~~£13.99~~ Buy New: £4.45 as of 25/11/2009 23:57 GMT details You Save: £9.54 (68%) New (16) Used (11) from £3.28 Seller: selectcheaper Rating: 23 reviews Sales Rank: 5149 Format: PAL, Widescreen Languages: English (Subtitled), Turkish (Subtitled), Hungarian (Subtitled), Polish (Subtitled), Icelandic (Subtitled), Arabic (Subtitled), Czech (Subtitled), Greek (Subtitled), English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 115 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 7321900118729 ASIN: B00004CWNQ Theatrical Release Date: December 21, 1988 Release Date: June 1, 2006 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review A sumptuously mounted and photographed celebration of artful wickedness, betrayal and sexual intrigue among depraved 18th-century French aristocrats, iDangerous Liaisons/i (based on Christopher Hampton's iLes Liaisons Dangereuses/i) 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 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. iDangerous Liaisons/i is a high-mannered revel for the actors, who also include Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, and Keanu Reeves. i--Jim Emerson/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 23 1 2 3 4 5 Next » A classic May 27, 2005 25 out of 25 found this review helpful The 18th Century setting of this excellent adaptation of the Christopher Hampton play in pre-revolutionary France, serves much better to amplify the story line than any modern day adaptation ever could. The seemingly villianous characters of the Marquis de Merteuil (Glenn Close) and Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich) with their plotting and machinations, are something that only that ghastly age could produce, with social divisons so wide it caused a revolution, as well as its culture of female repression. The sumptious costumes and cinematography emphasising the immense wealth and indolence of the aristocrats. The tight corsets of the women out of which they could barely breathe, emphasising the social restrictions that suffocated their spirits. That we know that the ultimate fate of these aristocrats was with "Madame de Guillotine" contributes to the atmosphere a subtle danger that pervades throughout the film, central to the plot of sexual intrigue and manipulation. pJohn Malkovich exudes charisma as Valmont and really does look like a french aristocrat from those times. It is unfortunate then that his seduction of Madame de Tourvelle (Michelle Pfeiffer) is conducted in the manner of a drill sargent, making his character as a lady killer a bit unbelievable. Michelle Pfeiffer and Glen Close give the best performances in the film. The torment of Madame de Tourville, played by Pfeiffer, struggling between her love for Valmont and everything she believes in, is acted with exquisite emotional honesty. pIt is interesting that author Francois Choderlos de Laclos who wrote the original novel in 1782, being a man, had such a sympathetic insight into the inequalities and double standards the women of the time had to endure. The character of the Marquis de Merteuil being the anti-hero here as a supremely intelligent, capable woman in a society which offers her no outlet for her abilities, apart from destruction and manipulation. Although excellently acted, Glenn Close who plays her reminds me scarily of (a young) Margaret Thatcher! pIt is probably the most definative adaptation of the original novel we are ever likely to get, with its message of the timeless constancy of candid, unsophisticated human nature, with its flaws, desires and vunerabilities. A film version with Lindsey Duncan and Alan Rickman as Merteuil and Valmont respectively (who were in the original Broadway version) would have been awesome. But sadly not meant to be. That aside, this version is pretty close to perfection. This film delights all the senses.... September 3, 2005 EmmaCate (London, England) 13 out of 13 found this review helpful I can't believe someone could only give this film 1-star. Well, I suppose I can - you have to be very sensual to appreciate this to the full extent, and that can't be everyone.pMalkovich is a bit... uber-Malkovich, I suppose, but he's still brilliant and of course, phenomenally sexy. He does the steady derangement of Valmont (from having to juggle maintainance of his reputation and an unexpected real love), superbly. This is especially apparent from the "Beyond my control" scene until the end of the film. Close is also incredible - she should really have got some kind of award. The Marquise is a deep and intense character with a shady past that you see more of in the book, but never once did I think her overplayed. Close's scenes with Malkovich were, for me, steeped in frisson such as I've never before seen created between two actors. In this respect you half watch the film and half get seduced by it. Pfeiffer is excellent, but in some way her performance doesn't stand out for me as much as the others' do. She just plays her part very well. Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman are good in their pawn roles. Men watching with ladies should derive pleasure from seeing the latter get a splendid pair out later on in the film (shame the Norfolk dude only tuned in for an hour). Love this video January 24, 2001 e.worker@dundee.ac.uk (Dundee,UK) 5 out of 5 found this review helpful Based on the same book as Cruel intentions, this film is far more subtle than its over americanised follower. If you like period films, this is deffinately worth watching, the superb quality of the acting by the whole cast, even Keanu Reeves, combined with great direction, script and costume all contribute to a wonderful film in which there is so much plot you may well become a little bit confused, but watch it again and you will come to appreciate the more subtle twist caused almost entirely by one characters plotting and desire for revenge. Revenge being what this film is really about, not love as it may seem at times. Watch this film and you won't regret it. surprisingly great! October 20, 2002 amandajwhoopi (north east, england) 8 out of 9 found this review helpful having seen cruel intentions first and wondering why on earth everyone thought it was so special, i thought dangerous liaisons was probably very similar. it happened to be on tv last night, and from the moment it started to the second it finished, i was hooked. i'm not a fan of period dramas or of any of the actors in particular, but this film is amazing. from first sight you don't think john malkovich is attractive, however the sexual chemistry on this film is fantastic and my opinion of malkovich's character changed considerably!! i totally believed the character could in fact have any woman he wanted - thurman and pfeiffer are wonderfully innocent and glenn close does have a devious presence which makes the film all the more believable. after seeing this, it confirms my first opinion of cruel intentions - no sexual chemistry, no great acting from any lead and even the story is narrowed too much. i'm going to buy dangerous liaisons so i can keep on watching, it is actually mesmerising to watch how the characters develop. BUY THIS NOW, u won't regret it!! Dangerously Addictive October 5, 2003 N. Oliver (barnstaple, devon) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful I first saw this film years ago and it still has the power to shock and enthrall me. A tale of lust, revenge, deception, power and greed - pretty much all the seven deadly sins in one gorgeous film! Glenn Close plays her character with glee - revelling in the power that her character can command over men. John Malkovich's character, hopeless against one woman's will. A wonderful performance from Michelle Pfeiffer playing the innocent married woman, used as a pawn in their power struggle. Each scene is more powerful than the next - leaving you breathless and struggling to remain impassive while the scenes are played out. This film will never date and its not hard to see why. Showing reviews 1-5 of 23 1 2 3 4 5 Next »

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