Les liaisons dangereuses (1959)

Juliette Merteuil and Valmont is a sophisticated couple, always looking for fun and excitement. Both have sexual affairs with others and share their experiences with one another. But there ... See full summary »

Director:

Roger Vadim

Writers:

Claude Brulé (adaptation), Choderlos de Laclos (novel)

Stars:

Jeanne Moreau, Gérard Philipe, Annette Stroyberg

2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jeanne Moreau	...	Juliette de Merteuil
Gérard Philipe	...	Vicomte de Valmont
Annette Stroyberg	...	Marianne Tourvel (as Annette Vadim)
Madeleine Lambert	...	Mme Rosemonde
Jeanne Valérie	...	Cécile Volanges
Nicolas Vogel	...	Jerry Court
Boris Vian	...	Prévan
Gillian Hills	...	Une amie de Cécile
Paquita Thomas	...	Nicole
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Danceny
Simone Renant	...	Mme Volanges

Storyline

Juliette Merteuil and Valmont is a sophisticated couple, always looking for fun and excitement. Both have sexual affairs with others and share their experiences with one another. But there is one rule: never fall in love. But this time Valmont falls madly in love with a girl he meets at a ski resort, Marianne.

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Plot Keywords:

female feet | topless female nudity | sex | nudity | hand on breast | 

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Taglines:

Original Version! Every Controversial Scene Intact!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Gillian Hills was originally cast as Cecile but since she was only fourteen years old there was an outcry and she was recast in a smaller role.

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Connections

Version of Les liaisons dangereuses (1980)

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Soundtracks

No Problem
Written by Jacques Marray (as Duke Jordan)
Performed by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

User Reviews

La Marquise de Merteuil...

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.

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

18 December 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dangerous Love Affairs

Filming Locations:

Paris Studios Cinéma, Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Marceau-Cocinor

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1