Kirpianuscus ...for many reasons. few - the mark of Roger Vadim on a story almost classic, the presence of Boris Vian in a role reflecting his work, the cold chemistry between Jeanne Moreau and Gerard Philipe and for the most inspired soundtrack. because it is a jazz film. with improvisation and tension, seduction and precise picture of near reality. more than an adaptation, it is a confesion. Valmont by Philipe, one of his last roles, is more than an example of good job but a testimony about the force and nuances and beauty of the great game of nuances for a special actor. because it is not an ordinary film. it reflects its time more than the source of inspiration novel and the contemporary lost of emotion, form of profound insensitivity/cruelty/egocentric circles in brilliant way. and this is the motif to see it. maybe twice. for admire an authentic masterpiece. and an useful warning.

MARIO GAUCI Roger Vadim's reputation as a director of erotica and his own affairs with numerous leading ladies has denied him serious attention by movie critics. Nevertheless, he did make a few prestigious efforts – mainly adaptations of famous, sometimes infamous, material: the film under review (based on the novel by Choderlos de Laclos), BLOOD AND ROSES (1960; Sheridan LeFanu's "Carmilla"), VICE AND VIRTUE (1963; inspired by the works of the Marquis de Sade), CIRCLE OF LOVE (1964; Arthur Schnitzler's "La Ronde"), THE GAME IS OVER (1966; Emile Zola's "La Curee'") and the "Metzengerstein" segment from SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968; based on an Edgar Allan Poe short story). I own all six of these but have watched only four so far, including LIAISONS; actually, I liked all of them – but, excluding SPIRITS, this first rendition of a scandalous classic emerges as not just the most satisfactory of the lot but perhaps the most significant in his entire oeuvre.Incidentally, in view of the updating of the narrative from the 18th to the 20th century, the full original title is LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES 1960; tragically, co-star Gerard Philipe would not live to see that year through, as he succumbed to cancer two months after the film's September release…though he had, by then, finished work on another, namely Luis Bunuel's REPUBLIC OF SIN (1959). The source novel has been regularly adapted for both the big and small screens, especially in the last 25 years: I had earlier watched the 1988 DANGEROUS LIAISONS and the 1999 modernization CRUEL INTENTIONS, and also own the 1989 VALMONT and the 2003 DANGEROUS LIAISONS TV mini-series (coincidentally, featuring one of Vadim's former flames and VICE AND VIRTUE co-star Catherine Deneuve); speaking of Philipe, Vadim and remakes, it is interesting to note that Philipe had appeared in the original versions of two films Vadim would eventually rework, i.e. LA RONDE (1950) and THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS (1952; Vadim's would be made 10 years later where, again, he was just one of several directors involved in an anthology).Anyway, this adaptation of French sexual intrigues makes a rather uneasy stab at equating what can be described as the perversions of the nobility (taking pleasure in corrupting the inexperienced, consequently quashing their idealized notion of love) with the amoral attitudes of the late 1950s; I say uneasy because, even if Federico Fellini's contemporaneous LA DOLCE VITA depicted a similarly decaying aristocracy, the 1960s would soon reveal that hedonism was pervasive and not tied to a certain class! That said, the plot retains its essential fascination – aided by the spot-on casting of Philippe, Jeanne Moreau (who would break out internationally soon after), Annette Stroyberg (then Vadim's wife and billed under his surname), Jeanne Valerie and Jean-Louis Trintignant; in keeping with the director's penchant for nudity, all three females mentioned shed their clothes throughout – but these scenes are extremely tame by the standards of even a decade down the line! There are other good and not-so-good points: on the one hand, the ironic come-uppance of the central conniving pair (Philippe is killed in a fall while struggling with the otherwise mild-mannered Trintignant, after the latter finds out that the former has impregnated his girlfriend – and Philipe's own cousin! – Valerie; Moreau – Philipe's wife, who had also callously tried to break up the young couple's affair by seducing Trintignant – is facially-scarred after being engulfed in flames while trying to dispose of incriminating letters prior to the impending inquest over her husband's death); and the jazz soundtrack by Thelonious Monk (a trend popularized by Miles Davis' score for Louis Malle's LIFT TO THE SCAFFOLD {1958}, also featuring Moreau). On the other hand, some of the dancing at the climactic party is 'wildly' dated but, more importantly, Stroyberg's descent into madness at Philipe's deception simply does not ring true in a modern context! For what it is worth, the film is also included in the "Wonders In The Dark" poll and I watched it appositely to mark the birthdays of its director and main female star.

Cristi_Ciopron I seldom write about movies I have seen once, many years ago; but Les Liaisons' cast makes it worth.I would say this spicy '59 flick is the best thing Vadim ever directed; not so much an adaptation, but rather a variation on Laclos' theme, a light, sardonic and suspenseful treatment, in an interesting movie, the only time known to me when Vadim handled with shrewdness a subject. I have seen it some 10 yrs ago, and still remember my joy; if Laclos' novel is a sharp, elegant masterpiece, once known to the European connoisseurs of French culture, Vadim's flick is an amusement. The cast is especially delightful: Merteuil is played by Mme Moreau (--Glenn Close, Bening, Gellar, Deneuve have been other actresses to take the same role, 30—40 yrs later--); Valmont is played by Philipe, that amazing actor (--Malkovich, Firth, Everett are no true contenders …--); Mme. De Tourvel has been played by more famous actresses in the subsequent adaptations (Mrs. Pfeiffer, Mrs. Tilly and Mrs. Kinski).It seems an indecency to give Close and Malkovich roles once made by Moreau and Philipe;

netwallah One of the best films about heartlessness I've ever seen, largely because of the fine work of Jeanne Moreau as Juliette and Gérard Philipe as Valmont. Setting most of the action at a ski resort is especially brilliant because it's at once full of glamour and quite enclosed. For a while the film seems to be a sort of sex comedy, especially with the seduction of the young cousin Cecile (Jeanne Valérie), who is in love with fellow student Danceny (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and engaged to a dull fellow chosen by her family. Cecile is very comely, and the post-seduction scene when she lies nude on her stomach doing her geometry homework and Valmont rests the textbook on her bum—it's sweet and amusing. It turns sour when Juliette steals Danceny and forces Valmont to abandon the virtuous Marianne (Annette Vadim) with whom he's actually fallen in love. Moreau is strong and beautiful and twisted, a tour-de-force acting job. At last, an angry Danceny strikes despairing but still glamorous Valmont, who falls and hits his head on an andiron and dies. Juliette accidentally sets her clothing on fire trying to burn their awful letters. Marianne goes mad when she learns of Valmont's death, and with a trance-like smile talks softly about the imaginary home they might have had together. The photography is really fine, and the best additional thing is the wonderful music by Thelonius Monk and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. It's even better than I'd remembered it from many years ago.