Dangerous Liaisons (1959)

"Les Liaisons Dangereuses", a novel by Chordelos DeLaclos, had a great impact in the French culture. It's a work of such impact that it has served to inspire different screen treatments throughout the years. Roger Vadim updated the book to the France of the 1950s. Together with Claude Blule and Roger Vailand, they adapted Laclos' story among the upper classes.Juliette Merteuil, who is married to the Vicomte Valmont, are swingers in Paris. Juliette and Valmont love to play around and they move in the right circles where it appears that everything goes, or is, at least, tolerated. They are the ultimate sophisticates who have class the right connections. Juliette wants to teach a lesson to someone that had crossed her in the past, and sets to weave a web of intrigue in order to get her revenge and her kicks, in doing so.Needless to say, everything backfires on Mme. Merteuil and the Vicomte, as they get entangled in the web that has been spun. Valmont wanted to turn the youthful Cecile into a sex object, even though she is a virtuous girl who is going to get married with Danceny, the man who offended Mme. Merteuil. At the same time, Valmont can't help falling in love with Marianne, a beautiful young woman. It is ironic what happens to Valmont and to Mme. Merteuil, who instead of smallpox gets her face damaged by fire.The film is interesting to watch as a comparison with the other versions that appear to be much better made than the Vadim version. The best thing going for the film is Gerard Philipe, who plays Valmont. Mr. Philipe made a good impression as the Vicomte. Jeanne Moreau, who is seen as Juliette Merteuil, looked beautiful in the role of the evil woman with designs on others. Jeanne Valerie appears as Cecile and Annette Vadim portrays Marianne. The young Jean-Louis Trintignant is seen as Danceny.What distinguishes the film is the jazzy musical score by Thelonious Monk. The music blends well with the night club settings in the film and it can stand alone for listening. Marcel Grignon's dark photography didn't transfer to the DVD format well. This has to be one of the darkest photographed films in memory. Even the snow scenes look dark! Roger Vadim's attempt was courageous for transferring the novel to that high society world of the Parisian society.

Among all Vadim's duds,"les liaisons dangereuses " seems to have stood the test of time better than the other "works" of the director.The reason is to be found in the cast.Gérard Philipe -though largely overshadowed by John Malkovich in Frears's version -and mainly Jeanne Moreau are earnest thespians and you cannot be wrong with them.And Roger Vailland and Claude Brulé had a good idea for the conclusion:fire instead of smallpox allows us to hear Laclos's immortal line "She's wearing her soul on her face!"Objections to this early version -to be followed by half a dozen of them- remain:that the story should have been transferred to the sixties is eminently questionable:La Merteuil was a definitely modern original character in Choderlos de Laclos's times ;in 1960,such a woman's behavior had become banal.Vadim would do worse when he would transfer Zola's "la curée" to his era.Proof positive that all that glittered in the nouvelle vague was not gold.

This hyper-cool French updating of the Laclos classic is a blast from start to (amazing) finish; its immorality can be a drag in the middle section, but there's too much fun to be had in it to abandon it for that reason. Jeanne Moreau does the full range of bad girl, and her performance alone would merit a viewing, but you can also enjoy the film for its sleek, French attitudes, its Thelonius Monk score, a handsome young Jean-Louis Tritignant, his suits, her wardrobe, and so on, forever. It's a nasty little film is some ways, but I enjoyed it immensely just the same.

Interesting adaptation of the infamous Laclos classic, this movie was banned in England on it's original release. Difficult to understand why by today's standards. The movie is introduced by director Roger Vadim who basically warns that everyone is going to be bad, bad, bad. He then appears to head off to the nearest cafe for a nasty cigarette and a vile cup of coffee. Given that the movie was made a decade before the sexual revolution of the 1970's it must have had an aura of scandal about it at the time but is strictly tied to the 1950's and suffers from the inhibitions of the period. Very French, very stylish and well acted by the principals the storyline holds up but the cynicism and callousness of the original book are missing. Still, it's never boring and worth seeing for the performances and the direction that later, more explicit movies would take.