Dangerous Liaisons

"Lust. Seduction. Revenge. The game as you've never seen it played before."

1988 1h 59m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 1,314

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 18th century France, Marquise de Merteuil asks her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont to seduce the future wife of another ex-lover of hers in return for one last night with her. Yet things don’t go as planned.

“Lust. Seduction. Revenge. The game as you've never seen it played before.”

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Cast

Glenn Close
Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil
John Malkovich
Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont
Michelle Pfeiffer
Madame Marie de Tourvel
Uma Thurman
Cécile de Volanges
Swoosie Kurtz
Madame de Volanges
Keanu Reeves
Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny
Mildred Natwick
Madame de Rosemonde
Peter Capaldi
Azolan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stephen Frears
Writers: Christopher Hampton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stephen Frears, shot by Philippe Rousselot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mick Audsley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Glenn Close and John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Lust. Seduction. Revenge. The game as you've never seen it played before.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0094947 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stephen Frears directs. Philippe Rousselot behind the camera. George Fenton scores. Mick Audsley cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

138 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Stephen Frears, shot by Philippe Rousselot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Mick Audsley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Glenn Close and John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Lust. Seduction. Revenge. The game as you've never seen it played before.".
7IMDB entry: tt0094947 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 22 themes, including "plan", "lovesickness", "paris, france", "based on novel or book".

The technical file

Cinematography: Philippe Rousselot
Original score: George Fenton
Editing: Mick Audsley
Costume design: James Acheson
Makeup / hair: Dominique Plez
Sound: Peter Maxwell
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $14,000,000
Box office: $34,670,720
Return: 248% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

Awards

Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Costume Design
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
César Award for Best Foreign Film
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Production Design

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Stephen Frears

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Community reviews

What people are saying

kevin20192024-02-20
★ 10/10
"Dangerous Liaisons" is unquestionably one of the most captivating films to come along in quite some time. It is a visually stunning film and it makes extremely good use of some exceptional locations and interiors and the excruciatingly uncomfortable looking and cumbersome costumes are exquisitely authentic. Of course there are many people out there who will automatically shy away upon learning this is a period film and for good reason. Such films can by their very nature often be obscure and lack any meaning in the modern age. They are slow moving with arcane and unengaging dialogue and the tiresome plot can have no substance or consequence and it can lack momentum. This film has none of these failings and it is an incredibly well paced work of excellence throughout whose ensemble of characters go on the most unanticipated journeys to essentially the same destination: ruination.

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