Valmont (1989)

Set in Baroque France, a scheming widow and her lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman. The lover, Valmont, bets that he can seduce her, even though she is an... See full summary »

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Choderlos de Laclos (novel), Jean-Claude Carrière,

Stars:

Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Meg Tilly

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Firth	...	Valmont
Annette Bening	...	Merteuil
Meg Tilly	...	Madame de Tourvel
Fairuza Balk	...	Cecile
Siân Phillips	...	Madame de Volanges (as Sian Phillips)
Jeffrey Jones	...	Gercourt
Henry Thomas	...	Danceny
Fabia Drake	...	Madame de Rosemonde
T.P. McKenna	...	Baron
Isla Blair	...	Baroness
Ian McNeice	...	Azolan
Aleta Mitchell	...	Victoire
Ronald Lacey	...	José
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Jean
Sandrine Dumas	...	Martine

Storyline

Set in Baroque France, a scheming widow and her lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman. The lover, Valmont, bets that he can seduce her, even though she is an honorable woman. If he wins, he can have his lover to do as he will. However, in the process of seducing the married woman, Valmont falls in love. Based on the same novel as "Dangerous Liaisons."

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Plot Keywords:

lover | bet | france | widow | love | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ha-Peetooim Ha-Assurim Shel Velmont

Filming Locations:

Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen, Calvados, France

Box Office

Budget:

$33,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,132,112 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Renn Productions, Timothy Burrill Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wil Wheaton was originally chosen to play Danceny, but the producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation would not release him from his commitments, and the role went to Henry Thomas.

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Goofs

In the bathtub, talking with Valmont, Madame's negligee makes dramatic shifts on and off the legs from one shot to the next.

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Quotes

Cecile: We will only write this time, won't we?

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Connections

Version of Les liaisons dangereuses (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Minuet from Quartet in F, Opus 50, Number 5"
Joseph Haydn

User Reviews

beautifully crafted, passionately acted

i only saw the movie tonight, more than 10 years after it is made. That's a real pity. This is such a beautiful film, attractive actors, regal costumes, lavish settings.... seductive, funny... good combo of everything... i would recommend this film to everyone!!!