Valmont (1989)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

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

Release Date:

17 November 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Set in Baroque France, a scheming widow and her lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman...

Plot Keywords:

France | Love | Widow | Costume Drama | Harp

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2000) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Brazil:16 | UK:15 | Iceland:L | Peru:18 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Sweden:7 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen, Calvados, France

Company:

Renn Productions

Trivia:

Michelle Pfeiffer was offered the role of the Marquise de Merteuil at the same time she was offered the role as Madame de Tourvel in Dangerous Liaisons (1988).

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary (1989) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Minuet from Quartet in F, Opus 50, Number 5

The Man Who Could Not Love

Valmont is a very entertaining romance set in the upper classes of 17th century France. Valmont, the title character, is a rogue and womanizer. He is very likable, but has a terrible flaw; he can't love, and that is his ultimate undoing.

Milos Forman and his crew expertly recreate the world of baroque France. The actors are excellent especially Colin Firth as Valmont. The pacing is lively, as Valmont's world unravels, or at least gets away from him. Lots could be written on the psychology of Valmont, and its relationship to that of the modern Western man. And the movie works on that intellectual level, but it also works as a period-piece costume romance. I recommend it.