Editing Dangerous Liaisons

{{short description|1988 film by Stephen Frears}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date= November 2019}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Dangerous Liaisons
| image          = DangerousLiaisonsPoster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| alt            = 
| director       = [[Stephen Frears]]
| producer       = {{ubl|[[Norma Heyman]]|[[Hank Moonjean]]}}
| screenplay     = [[Christopher Hampton]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Les Liaisons dangereuses]]''<br>1782 epistolary novel|[[Pierre Choderlos de Laclos]]}} and {{based on|''[[Les Liaisons Dangereuses (play)|Les liaisons dangereuses]]''<br>1985 play|[[Christopher Hampton]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Glenn Close]]
* [[John Malkovich]]
* [[Michelle Pfeiffer]]
* [[Swoosie Kurtz]]
* [[Keanu Reeves]]
* [[Mildred Natwick]]
* [[Uma Thurman]]
}}<!--per poster-->
| music          = [[George Fenton]]
| cinematography = [[Philippe Rousselot]]
| editing        = [[Mick Audsley]]
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[Lorimar Television|Lorimar Film Entertainment]]
* NFH Limited
}}
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1988|12|21|United States}}
| runtime        = 119 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $14 million
| gross          = $34.7 million
}}

'''''Dangerous Liaisons''''' is a 1988 American [[historical drama|period]] [[romantic drama]] film directed by [[Stephen Frears]] from a screenplay by [[Christopher Hampton]], based on his 1985 play ''[[Les Liaisons Dangereuses (play)|Les Liaisons dangereuses]]'', itself adapted from the 1782 French novel [[Les Liaisons dangereuses|of the same name]] by [[Pierre Choderlos de Laclos]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.theauteurs.com/cast_members/11229 |title= Stephen Frears |website= theauteurs.com |access-date= 2009-11-09 |archive-date= November 16, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091116145629/http://www.theauteurs.com/cast_members/11229 |url-status= dead }}</ref> It stars [[Glenn Close]], [[John Malkovich]], [[Michelle Pfeiffer]], [[Uma Thurman]], [[Swoosie Kurtz]], [[Mildred Natwick]], [[Peter Capaldi]] and [[Keanu Reeves]].

''Dangerous Liaisons'' was theatrically released by [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] on December 21, 1988. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise for the performances by Close and Pfeiffer and the screenplay, production values, costumes and soundtrack. Grossing $34.7 million against its $14 million budget, it was a modest box-office success. It received seven nominations at the [[61st Academy Awards]], including for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], and won three: [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]], [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]], and [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]].<ref name="Oscars1989">{{Cite web
 |url= http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1989
 |title= The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners
 |access-date= 2011-07-31
 |work= oscars.org
 |archive-date= July 6, 2011
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110706095646/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/61st-winners.html
 |url-status= live
 }}</ref>

==Plot==
In [[French Revolution|pre-Revolution]] Paris, the Marquise de Merteuil plots revenge against her ex-lover, the Comte de Bastide, who recently ended their relationship. To soothe her wounded pride and embarrass Bastide, she seeks to arrange the seduction and disgrace of his young virgin fiancée, Cécile de Volanges, who has only recently been [[debutante|presented to society]] after spending her formative years in the shelter of a [[convent]].

Merteuil calls on the similarly unprincipled Vicomte de Valmont, another ex-lover of hers, to do the deed. Valmont declines as he is plotting to seduce Madame de Tourvel, the devoutly religious wife of a member of Parliament and a current guest of Valmont's aunt, Madame de Rosemonde. Amused and incredulous at Valmont's hubris, Merteuil ups the ante: if Valmont somehow succeeds in seducing Tourvel and can furnish written proof, Merteuil will sleep with him as well. Never one to refuse a challenge, Valmont accepts.

Tourvel rebuffs all of Valmont's advances. Searching for leverage, he instructs his page Azolan to seduce Tourvel's maid, Julie and gain access to Tourvel's private correspondence. One of the letters intercepted is from Cécile's mother and Merteuil's cousin, Madame de Volanges, warning Tourvel that Valmont is nefarious and untrustworthy. Valmont resolves to seduce Cécile as revenge for her mother's accurate denunciation of him.

At the opera, Cécile meets the charming and handsome Chevalier Raphael Danceny, who becomes her music teacher. They fall in love with coaxing from Merteuil, who knows that Danceny, as a nobleman of lesser rank, naive, young, and not particularly wealthy, can never qualify as a bona fide suitor.

Valmont gains access to Cécile's bedchamber on a pretext and sexually assaults her. As she pleads with him to leave, he blackmails her into giving up physical resistance, and the scene ends. On the pretext of illness, Cécile remains locked in her chambers, refusing all visitors. A concerned Madame de Volanges asks Merteuil to speak to Cécile; Cécile confides in Merteuil, naively assuming that she has Cécile's best interests at heart. Merteuil advises Cécile to welcome Valmont's advances; she says young women should take advantage of all the lovers they can acquire in a society so repressive and contemptuous of women. The result is a "student-teacher" relationship; by day, Cécile is courted by Danceny, and each night, she receives a sexual "lesson" from Valmont. Merteuil begins an affair with Danceny.

After a night in Valmont's bed, Cécile miscarries her child. Meanwhile, Valmont has won Tourvel's heart, but at a cost: the lifelong bachelor playboy falls in love. In a fit of jealousy, Merteuil mocks Valmont and refuses to honor her end of their agreement unless Valmont breaks up with Tourvel. Valmont abruptly dismisses Tourvel with a terse excuse, suggested by Merteuil: "It's beyond my control." Overwhelmed with grief and shame, Tourvel retreats to a monastery where her health deteriorates rapidly.

Despite the breakup, Merteuil still refuses to honor the agreement and, provoked to do so by Valmont, declares "war". She informs Danceny that Valmont has been sleeping with Cécile. Danceny challenges Valmont to a duel, ending with the latter voluntarily running into Danceny's sword. With his dying breath, Valmont asks Danceny to communicate to Tourvel his true feelings for her; he also warns Danceny about Meurteuil and gives him his collection of intimate letters from her as proof of the veracity of his warnings. Valmont tells Danceny to circulate them after he has read them.

After hearing Valmont's message from Danceny, Tourvel dies. Meanwhile, following Valmont's death, Merteuil sinks into madness and pain. Later, she attends a show at the opera but leaves after being booed by her former friends and sycophants, implying that all of Paris has learned the full range of her schemes and depredations due to Danceny's circulation of the letters.

==Cast==
{{Div col}}
* [[Glenn Close]] as Marquise de Merteuil
* [[John Malkovich]] as Vicomte de Valmont
* [[Michelle Pfeiffer]] as Madame de Tourvel
* [[Uma Thurman]] as Cécile de Volanges
* [[Swoosie Kurtz]] as Madame de Volanges, mother of Cécile and cousin to Merteuil
* [[Keanu Reeves]] as Le Chevalier Danceny, suitor to Cécile
* [[Mildred Natwick]] as Madame de Rosemonde, Valmont's aunt
* [[Peter Capaldi]] as Azolan, Valmont's valet
* [[Valerie Gogan]] as Julie, Madame de Tourvel's chambermaid
* Laura Benson as Émilie, a courtesan
* Joe Sheridan as Georges, Madame de Tourvel's footman
* Joanna Pavlis as Adèle, Madame de Rosemonde's maid
* Harry Jones as Monsieur Armand
* François Montagut as Belleroche, Merteuil's lover
{{Div col end}}

==Production==
''Dangerous Liaisons'' was the first English-language film adaptation of Laclos's novel. The screenplay was based on [[Christopher Hampton]]'s [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play|Olivier Award]]-winning and [[Tony Award for Best Play|Tony Award]]-nominated [[Les liaisons dangereuses (play)|theatrical adaptation]] for the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Olivier Winners 1986 |url=http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/olivier_awards/view/item98521/Olivier-Winners-1986/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111154052/http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/olivier_awards/view/item98521/Olivier-Winners-1986/ |archive-date=2012-01-11 |access-date=2009-11-08 |website=The Official London Theatre Guide}}</ref> directed by [[Howard Davies (director)|Howard Davies]] and featuring [[Lindsay Duncan]], [[Alan Rickman]] and [[Juliet Stevenson]].

The film was shot entirely on location in the [[Île-de-France]] region of northern France, and featured historical buildings such as the [[Château de Vincennes]] in [[Val-de-Marne]], the [[Château de Champs-sur-Marne]], the [[Château de Guermantes]] in [[Seine-et-Marne]], the [[Château du Saussay]] in [[Essonne]], and the [[Théâtre Montansier (Versailles)|Théâtre Montansier]] in [[Versailles, Yvelines|Versailles]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Film Locations for Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liaisons (1988), in France. |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/d/Dangerous-Liaisons.php |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawrence |first=Katrina |date=2022-11-13 |title=In Search of the Paris of Dangerous Liaisons |url=https://parisfordreamers.com/2022/11/14/in-search-of-the-paris-of-dangerous-liaisons/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Paris For Dreamers |language=en-AU}}</ref>

''Liaisons'' was the final film appearance of [[Academy Award]] and [[Tony Award]]-nominated actress [[Mildred Natwick]].<ref name="afi">{{cite web |title=Dangerous Liaisons (1988) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55748 |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |access-date=28 July 2024}}</ref> [[Drew Barrymore]] and [[Sarah Jessica Parker]] were considered for the role of Cécile before it went to Thurman.<ref>{{Cite web |title=When Stylist Met Uma |url=https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/when-stylist-met-uma/15905 |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=www.stylist.co.uk}}</ref> [[Annette Bening]] went through several auditions for the role of the courtesan Émilie, but in the end the role went to Laura Benson.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/d_KvxiOEYGw Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20190820195203/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_KvxiOEYGw&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite video| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_KvxiOEYGw| title=BFI Screen Talk: Annette Bening BFI London Film Festival 2017|publisher=BFI|website=YouTube| date=2017-11-10| access-date=2018-05-27}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Bening would go on to play the role of the Marquise de Merteuil in [[Miloš Forman]]'s adaptation of ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'', ''[[Valmont (film)|Valmont]]'', a year later.

During production Malkovich had an affair with Pfeiffer. His six-year marriage to actress [[Glenne Headly]] ended shortly thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Being John Malkovich|date=26 April 2003|work=[[The Age]]|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/04/25/1050777404749.html|access-date=11 July 2015|archive-date=October 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016104615/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/04/25/1050777404749.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Right for the part|date=1 June 2003|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3592043/Right-for-the-part.html|access-date=11 July 2015|archive-date=February 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212193319/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3592043/Right-for-the-part.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Akbar|first=Arifa|title=John Malkovich: 'I don't need to be liked'|date=8 January 2011|work=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/john-malkovich-i-dont-need-to-be-liked-2176821.html|access-date=12 May 2015|archive-date=May 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507002705/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/john-malkovich-i-dont-need-to-be-liked-2176821.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Thurman later revealed that she stripped for this film because she thought it was the right choice at the time despite her immense nervousness, but she hated how "voyeuristic" the final cut of the scene was and resolved not to go naked in a movie again.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Uma Thurman will never go nude|website=femalefirst.co.uk|url=https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/Uma+Thurman-8316.html|access-date=13 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418184541/www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/Uma+Thurman-8316.html|archive-date=18 April 2023}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
The [[Film score|score]] of ''Dangerous Liaisons'' was written by the British film music composer [[George Fenton]]. The soundtrack also includes works by a number of [[baroque music|baroque]] and [[classical music era|classical]] composers, reflecting the story's [[18th Century France|18th-Century-French]] setting; pieces by [[Antonio Vivaldi]], [[Johann Sebastian Bach]], [[George Frideric Handel]] and [[Christoph Willibald Gluck]] feature prominently, although no French composers are included.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000203296|title=Dangerous Liaisons – George Fenton}}</ref>

<!-- see [[Template:Track listing]] to improve this section -->
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Track !! Song title !! Composer
|-
| 1 || ''Dangerous Liaisons'' Main Title/"Dressing" || George Fenton
|-
| 2|| "Madame De Tourvel" || George Fenton
|-
| 3|| "The Challenge" || George Fenton
|-
| 4 || "O malheureuse Iphigénie!", from ''[[Iphigénie en Tauride]]'' || [[Christoph Willibald Gluck]]
|-
| 5|| "Going Hunting" – "Allegro" from [[The Cuckoo and the Nightingale (concerto)|Organ Concerto No. 13, "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale"]] || [[George Frideric Handel]], arr. George Fenton
|-
| 6|| "Valmont's First Move"/"The Staircase" || George Fenton
|-
| 7|| "Beneath The Surface" || George Fenton
|-
| 8|| "The Set Up" || George Fenton
|-
| 9|| "The Key" || George Fenton
|-
| 10|| "Her Eyes Are Closing" || George Fenton
|-
| 11|| "[[Ombra mai fu]]", from ''[[Serse]]'' || George Frideric Handel
|-
| 12|| "Tourvel's Flight" || George Fenton
|-
| 13|| "Success" || George Fenton
|-
| 14|| "Emilie" || George Fenton
|-
| 15|| "Beyond My Control" || George Fenton
|-
| 16|| "A Final Request" || George Fenton
|-
| 17|| "Ombra mai fu" reprise/"The Mirror" || George Frideric Handel/George Fenton
|-
| 18|| ''Dangerous Liaisons'' End Credits || George Fenton
|-
| 19 || "Allegro" from [[Keyboard concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach#Concerto in A minor for four harpsichords, BWV 1065|Concerto in A minor for four harpsichords]], [[Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis|BWV]] 1065 || [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]
|}

==Reception==
===Critical response===
''Dangerous Liaisons'' holds a score of 94% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 31 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Stylish, seductive, and clever, Stephen Frears' adaptation is a wickedly entertaining exploration of sexual politics."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1005199-dangerous_liaisons/ |title=Dangerous Liaisons |publisher= [[Fandango Media]] |website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2022-06-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006021140/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1005199-dangerous_liaisons/ |archive-date=2008-10-06 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has a score of 74 based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref name="meta">{{cite web |last=Kael |first=Pauline |author-link=Pauline Kael |date=9 January 1989 |title=Dangerous Liaisons |url=https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/movies/dangerous-liaisons-pauline-kael/ |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=[[The New Yorker]] |via=Scraps from the Loft}}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= Dangerous Liaisons (1989) B+ |work= [[CinemaScore]] |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= 2018-12-20 |access-date= 2019-07-07 }}</ref>

[[Pauline Kael]] in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' described it as "heaven – alive in a way that movies rarely are."<ref name="meta"/> [[Hal Hinson]] in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that the film's "wit and immediacy is extraordinarily rare in a period film. Instead of making the action seem far off, the filmmakers put the audience in the room with their characters."<ref name="hinson">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/dangerousliaisonsrhinson_a0a8d4.htm |first=Hal |last=Hinson |author-link=Hal Hinson |title=Dangerous Liaisons |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 13, 1989 |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-date=August 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801203504/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/dangerousliaisonsrhinson_a0a8d4.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] called it "an absorbing and seductive movie, but not compelling."<ref name="ebert">{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=January 13, 1989 |title=Dangerous Liaisons |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dangerous-liaisons-1989 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229181719/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dangerous-liaisons-1989 |archive-date=December 29, 2020 |access-date=July 7, 2019 |work=Chicago Sun-Times}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' considered it an "incisive study of sex as an arena for manipulative power games."<ref name="variety">{{cite news |date=1988-01-01 |title=Dangerous Liaisons Review |url=https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/dangerous-liaisons-4-1200427610/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707184547/https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/dangerous-liaisons-4-1200427610/ |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |access-date=2009-11-08 |work=Variety }}</ref> [[Vincent Canby]] in ''[[The New York Times]]'' hailed it as a "kind of lethal drawing-room comedy."<ref name="canby">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/21/movies/review-film-passion-in-the-ancien-regime-dangerous-liaisons-on-screen.html |first=Vincent |last=Canby |author-link=Vincent Canby |title=Passion in the Ancien Régime |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 21, 1988 |access-date=February 7, 2017 |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019214259/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE5DE103DF932A15751C1A96E948260 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' reviewer wrote of [[Christopher Hampton]]'s screenplay that "one of the film's enormous strengths is scriptwriter Christopher Hampton's decision to go back to the novel, and save only the best from his play".<ref>{{cite web |title=Dangerous Liaisons |url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/64930/dangerous_liaisons.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408210358/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/64930/dangerous_liaisons.html |archive-date=8 April 2010 |access-date=8 November 2009 |website=[[Time Out London]]}}</ref> [[James Acheson]] and [[Stuart Craig]] were also praised for their work, with Sheila Benson of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' stating that "the film's details of costuming (by ''[[The Last Emperor]]'''s James Acheson) and production design (by Stuart Craig of ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' and ''[[The Mission (1986 film)|The Mission]]'') are ravishing".<ref name="latimes">{{cite web |date=21 December 1988 |first1=Sheila |last1=Benson |author-link=Sheila Benson |title=MOVIE REVIEWS : Dangerous Games for Power and Fame : 18th-Century Love Games Produce 'Dangerous Liaisons' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-21-ca-394-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707184409/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-21-ca-394-story.html |archive-date=7 July 2019 |access-date=7 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> All three would go on to win [[Academy Awards]] for their work on this film.

[[Glenn Close]] received considerable praise for her performance; she was lauded by ''The New York Times'' for her "richness and comic delicacy,"<ref name="canby"/> while [[Mick LaSalle]] of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' wrote that, once she "finally lets loose and gives way to complete animal despair, Close is horrifying."<ref name="meta"/> Roger Ebert thought the two lead roles were "played to perfection by Close and Malkovich... their arch dialogues together turn into exhausting conversational games, tennis matches of the soul."<ref name="ebert"/>

[[Michelle Pfeiffer]] was widely acclaimed for her portrayal, despite playing, in the opinion of ''The Washington Post'', "the least obvious and the most difficult" role. "Nothing is harder to play than virtue, and Pfeiffer is smart enough not to try. Instead, she embodies it."<ref name="hinson"/> The ''New York Times'' called her performance a "happy surprise."<ref name="canby"/> Roger Ebert, considering the trajectory of her career, wrote that "in a year that has seen her in varied assignments such as ''[[Married to the Mob]]'' and ''[[Tequila Sunrise (film)|Tequila Sunrise]]'', the movie is more evidence of her versatility. She is good when she is innocent and superb when she is guilty."<ref name="ebert"/> Pfeiffer would go on to win the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role]] for her performance.

The casting of [[John Malkovich]] proved to be a controversial decision that divided critics. ''The New York Times'', while admitting there was the "shock of seeing him in powdered wigs", concluded that he was "unexpectedly fine. The intelligence and strength of the actor shape the audience's response to him".<ref name="canby"/> ''The Washington Post'' was similarly impressed with Malkovich's performance: "There's a sublime perversity in Frears' casting, especially that of Malkovich... [he] brings a fascinating dimension to his character that would be missing with a more conventionally handsome leading man."<ref name= "hinson"/> ''Variety'' was less impressed, stating that while the "sly actor conveys the character's snaky, premeditated Don Juanism... he lacks the devilish charm and seductiveness one senses Valmont would need to carry off all his conquests".<ref name="variety"/>

[[Uma Thurman]] gained recognition from critics and audiences;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1005199_dangerous_liaisons|title=Dangerous Liaisons (1988)|access-date=April 29, 2017|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|archive-date=February 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225130841/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1005199_dangerous_liaisons|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/30/movies/new-face-uma-thurman-prospects-in-liaisons-were-awesome-at-first.html|title=New Face: Uma Thurman; Prospects in 'Liaisons' Were Awesome at First|date=December 30, 1998|access-date=April 27, 2020|work=[[The New York Times]]|last1=Blau|first1=Eleanor|url-access=registration|archive-date=December 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229181719/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/30/movies/new-face-uma-thurman-prospects-in-liaisons-were-awesome-at-first.html|url-status=live}}</ref> film critic Roger Ebert found her to be "well cast" in her "tricky" key role.<ref name="ebert" />

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| rowspan="7"| [[61st Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Norma Heyman]] and [[Hank Moonjean]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="7"| <ref name="Oscars1989" />
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Glenn Close]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Michelle Pfeiffer]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| [[Christopher Hampton]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]]
| Art Direction: [[Stuart Craig]]; <br> Set Decoration: [[Gérard James]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| [[James Acheson]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| [[George Fenton]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[American Society of Cinematographers|American Society of Cinematographers Awards]]
| [[American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases|Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases]]
| [[Philippe Rousselot]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theasc.com/asc_news/awards/awards_history.php |title=The ASC Awards |website=[[American Society of Cinematographers]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802060537/http://www.theasc.com/asc_news/awards/awards_history.php |archive-date=2011-08-02}}</ref>
|-
| [[Bodil Awards]]
| [[Bodil Award for Best American Film|Best Non-European Film]]
| rowspan="3"| [[Stephen Frears]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1988|Boston Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://bostonfilmcritics.org/past-winners-1980s/ |title=BSFC Winners: 1980s |website=[[Boston Society of Film Critics]] |date=July 27, 2018 |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="10"| [[43rd British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="10"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1990/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1990 |website=[[British Academy Film Awards]] |access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| Glenn Close
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Best Actress in a Supporting Role]]
| Michelle Pfeiffer
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]
| Christopher Hampton
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| Philippe Rousselot
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| James Acheson
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]]
| [[Mick Audsley]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair|Best Make-Up Artist]]
| Jean-Luc Russier
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Music|Best Original Film Score]]
| George Fenton
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]]
| Stuart Craig
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[British Society of Cinematographers#Award categories|British Society of Cinematographers Awards]]
| [[British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film|Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film]]
| Philippe Rousselot
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://bscine.com/media/uploads/awards/bsc-cinematography-feature-film.pdf?v |title=Best Cinematography in Feature Film |website=[[British Society of Cinematographers]] |access-date=June 3, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[15th César Awards|César Awards]]
| [[César Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| Stephen Frears
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.academie-cinema.org/evenements/ceremonie-des-cesar-1990/ |title=The 1990 Caesars Ceremony |website=[[César Awards]] |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 1988|Chicago Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Glenn Close
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/1988-97 |title=Chicago Film Critics Awards – 1988–97 |website=[[Chicago Film Critics Association]] |access-date=21 July 2015|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422075211/http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/1988-97 |archive-date=22 April 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| Michelle Pfeiffer
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[David di Donatello|David di Donatello Awards]]
| [[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor|Best Foreign Actor]]
| [[John Malkovich]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[Fotogramas de Plata]]
| Best Foreign Film
| Stephen Frears
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[Goldene Kamera]]
| Best International Actress
| Glenn Close
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[Joseph Plateau Award]]s
| colspan="2"| Best Foreign Film
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[London Film Critics' Circle#1989 winners|London Critics Circle Film Awards]]
| [[London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year|Screenwriter of the Year]]
| Christopher Hampton
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[Nastro d'Argento]]
| Best Foreign Director
| Stephen Frears
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[National Board of Review Awards 1988|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|2nd Place}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1988/ |title=1988 Award Winners |website=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[1988 National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| Michelle Pfeiffer
| {{draw|3rd Place}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |title=Past Awards |website=[[National Society of Film Critics]] |date=December 19, 2009 |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| Philippe Rousselot
| {{draw|3rd Place}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[Sant Jordi Awards]]
| Best Foreign Film
| rowspan="2"| Stephen Frears
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"|
|-
| Best Foreign Film (Audience Award)
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Foreign Actor
| John Malkovich{{efn|Also for ''[[Death of a Salesman (1985 film)|Death of a Salesman]]'' and ''[[The Glass Menagerie (1987 film)|The Glass Menagerie]]''.}}
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Turkish Film Critics Association|Turkish Film Critics Association Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Foreign Film
| {{draw|9th Place}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[41st Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| Christopher Hampton
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |title=Awards Winners |website=[[Writers Guild of America Awards]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |archive-date=2012-12-05 |access-date=2010-06-06}}</ref>
|}

==Related adaptations==
Almost 25 years after he played Valmont, [[John Malkovich]] directed a French-language version of Hampton's play in Paris, which ran at the [[Théâtre de l'Atelier]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theatre-atelier.com/spectacle-les-liaisons-dangereuses-77.htm |title=Les Liaisons Dangereuses |website=[[Théâtre de l'Atelier]] |language=fr |access-date=2012-11-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129015831/http://www.theatre-atelier.com/spectacle-les-liaisons-dangereuses-77.htm |archive-date=2012-11-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/feb/03/john-malkovich-direct-liaisons-dangereuses| title= John Malkovich directs Dangerous Liaisons on stage| first= Matt| last= Trueman| date= 3 February 2012| work= [[The Guardian]]| access-date= 2012-11-12| archive-date= October 3, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161003072337/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/feb/03/john-malkovich-direct-liaisons-dangereuses| url-status= live}}</ref> In December 2012, the production was brought to [[Harman Center for the Arts|Lansburgh Theatre]] by the [[Shakespeare Theatre Company]] for a limited run in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/print/171928.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131133327/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/print/171928.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |title=John Malkovich's French-Language Staging of ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' Will Dawn in DC in December |first=Kenneth |last=Jones |date=November 6, 2012 |magazine=Playbill |access-date=2012-11-12}}</ref>

In 1989, the film ''[[Valmont (film)|Valmont]]'' was released starring [[Colin Firth]], [[Annette Bening]] and [[Meg Tilly]].

In 1999, the film ''[[Cruel Intentions]]'' set the same story in present-day America, starring [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]], [[Ryan Phillippe]] and [[Reese Witherspoon]].

In 2012, a [[Dangerous Liaisons (2012 film)|Chinese version]] was released, starring [[Jang Dong-gun]], [[Zhang Ziyi]] and [[Cecilia Cheung]]. It is loosely based on the novel itself and is set in 1930s [[Shanghai]].

In 2018, the TV series ''[[The Great Seducer]]'' was released as a modern-day adaptation set in Korea starring [[Joy (singer)]], [[Moon Ga-young]], [[Kim Min-jae (actor, born 1996)]] and [[Woo Do-hwan]].

[[Dawn French]] and [[Jennifer Saunders]] parodied ''Dangerous Liaisons'' on their sketch show [[French & Saunders]], which then inspired their 1999 comedy series ''[[Let Them Eat Cake (TV series)|Let Them Eat Cake]]''.

In 2022, the series [[Dangerous Liaisons (TV series)|''Dangerous Liaisons'']] premiered on premium television provider [[Starz]]. According to writer Harriet Warner, the series is loosely inspired by the novel and explores the marquise's life before the events of the play.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rantala |first1=Hanna |title=New 'Dangerous Liasions' TV series 'a prelude, origin story', makers say |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/new-dangerous-liaisons-tv-series-a-prelude-origin-story-makers-say-2022-11-02/ |website=Reuters |date=November 3, 2022 |access-date=28 November 2022}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0094947|Dangerous Liaisons}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=72221}}
* {{AFI film|55748}}
* {{Mojo title|dangerousliaisons}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|id=1005199-dangerous_liaisons|title=Dangerous Liaisons}}
* [https://texasarchive.org/2015_01680 Interview with Uma Thurman about Dangerous Liaisons] at [[Texas Archive of the Moving Image]]

{{César Award for Best Foreign Film}}
{{Stephen Frears}}
{{Christopher Hampton}}
{{Les Liaisons dangereuses}}
{{Portal bar|Film|United States|France|1980s}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1988 films]]
[[Category:1980s erotic drama films]]
[[Category:1980s historical romance films]]
[[Category:1988 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:American erotic drama films]]
[[Category:American films based on plays]]
[[Category:American historical romance films]]
[[Category:American romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Best Foreign Film César Award winners]]
[[Category:American erotic romance films]]
[[Category:Films about adultery in France]]
[[Category:Films based on adaptations]]
[[Category:Films based on French novels]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos]]
[[Category:Films directed by Stephen Frears]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Christopher Hampton]]
[[Category:Films scored by George Fenton]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1780s]]
[[Category:Films set in France]]
[[Category:Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award]]
[[Category:Works based on Les Liaisons dangereuses]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Val-de-Marne]]
[[Category:Films shot in Seine-et-Marne]]
[[Category:Films shot in Essonne]]
[[Category:Films shot in Versailles, Yvelines]]
[[Category:English-language erotic drama films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic drama films]]
[[Category:English-language historical romance films]]