Valmont

Talk about too little, too late. A year after Stephen Frears's marvelous Dangerous Liaisons, Milos Forman released this film, based on the same material: the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Shot at the same time but held so as not to compete, it suffered by comparison. The story--about a pair of aristocrats, former lovers, who wager that the man cannot seduce a particularly chaste woman--is still awash in lust and intrigue. But, while Forman's craft was exceptional, his cast couldn't match the power of its predecessor. In particular, Colin Firth, as the game-playing title character, lacked the snaky charm of John Malkovich, and Meg Tilly couldn't compare to the tragic beauty of Michelle Pfeiffer. Annette Bening, though born to play a vixen, seemed callow and insubstantial next to the sinister depths of Glenn Close. --Marshall Fine

Movie Details

Cast: Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Meg Tilly, Fairuza Balk, Siân Phillips, Jeffrey Jones, Henry Thomas, Fabia Drake, T.P. McKenna, Isla Blair, Ian McNeice, Aleta Mitchell, Ronald Lacey, Vincent Schiavelli, Sandrine Dumas
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 137 min
DVD Aspect Ratios: 2.20:1

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DVD Features:

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

International rating:

Europe: 15

DVD International release dates:
North America: Sep 17, 02

VHS International release dates:
North America: Oct 3, 00