Valmont (1989)

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

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

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:

Smallpox | Historical | Seduction | Based On Novel | Independent Film

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
Sébastien Floche	...	Priest (as Sebastien Floche)
Antony Carrick	...	President de Tourvel
Murray Gronwall	...	Flea Market Salesman
Alain Frérot	...	1st thug
Daniel Laloux	...	2nd thug
Christian Bouillette	...	3rd thug
John Arnold	...	1st Knight of the Maltese Order
Nils Tavernier	...	2nd Knight of the Maltese Order (as Niels Tavernier)
Yvette Petit	...	Mother superior
Richard De Burnchurch	...	Volanges Major-domo (as Richard de Burnchurch)
Jose Licenziato	...	Blind guitar player (as José Licenziato)
Ivan Palec	...	Servant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alexis Desseaux	...	Extra (uncredited)
Eric Moreau	...	Beggar (uncredited)

Directed by
Milos Forman

Writing credits
Choderlos de Laclos		(novel "Les liaisons dangereuses")
Jean-Claude Carrière		(writer)
Milos Forman		(writer)

Produced by
Michael Hausman	....	producer
Paul Rassam	....	producer

Original Music by
Christopher Palmer

Cinematography by
Miroslav Ondrícek		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Nena Danevic
Alan Heim

Casting by
Maggie Cartier
Ellen Chenoweth

Production Design by
Pierre Guffroy

Art Direction by
Loula Morin
Albert Rajau
Martina Skala

Costume Design by
Paule Mangenot		(costumes: women)
Theodor Pistek
Carine Sarfati		(costumes: women)

Makeup Department
Jean-Pierre Berroyer	....	hair stylist
Fabienne Bressan	....	wig supervisor
Cécile Collin	....	makeup assistant
Jean-Pierre Eychenne	....	makeup artist
Sophie Harvey	....	makeup assistant
Paul LeBlanc	....	wigs and makeup designer
Annick Legout	....	assistant makeup artist
Paul Le Marinel	....	makeup artist (as Paul Lemarinel)
Jacqueline Stuffel	....	wig supervisor
Pierre Vadé	....	hair stylist
Marie-France Vassel	....	makeup assistant

Production Management
Francis Barrois	....	assistant unit manager
Patrick Bordier	....	production manager
Xavier Castano	....	production manager
Catherine Chouridis	....	assistant unit manager
Philippe Delest	....	assistant unit manager
Kevin J. Foxe	....	post-production supervisor
Jacques Frederix	....	assistant unit manager
Eric Hubert	....	assistant unit manager
Janou Shammas	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pascal Baeumler	....	additional second assistant director
Philippe Bérenger	....	second assistant director (as Philippe Berenger)
Jean Fellous	....	trainee assistant director
Isabelle Henri	....	additional second assistant director (as Isabelle Henry)
Olivier Horlait	....	first assistant director
Laurent Modiano	....	trainee assistant director
Jérôme Navarro	....	second assistant director
Thomas Vincent	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Jean Allou	....	lead carpenter
Jean Bretonnière	....	scenic painter
Jean Colin	....	propman: furniture
Marcel Daudin	....	assistant leadman location
René Donnenwirth	....	props
Jean-Michel Ducourty	....	assistant art director
Jean-Paul Gaillot	....	chief construction grip
Roland Jacob	....	buyer
Marcel Laude	....	props
Jacques Leguillon	....	set dresser (as Jacques-Albert Leguillon)
René Loubet	....	construction manager
François Marcepoil	....	backdrop painter
André Marchandet	....	model maker
Philippe Margottin	....	propman: furniture
Robert Pilat	....	upholsterer
Jean-Yves Rabier	....	assistant art director
Brigitte Renard	....	sculptor (as Brigitte James)
Georges Robert	....	chief painter
Yves Seigneuret	....	buyer
Claude Suné	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Jean-Marie Blondel	....	second cable man
Richard P. Cirincione	....	sound editor (as Richard Cirincione)
Randall Coleman	....	assistant adr editor
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chris Fielder	....	apprentice sound editor
Susan Sklar Friedman	....	apprentice sound editor
Rudy Gaskins	....	assistant sound editor (as Rudolph Gaskins)
Kenton Jakub	....	assistant sound editor
Bruce Kitzmeyer	....	sound editor
Kevin Lee	....	sound editor
Christopher Newman	....	production sound mixer (as Chris Newman)
Harry Peck Bolles	....	sound editor (as Harry Bolles)
Mark Rathaus	....	sound editor
Maurice Schell	....	supervising sound editor
Ahmad Shirazi	....	sound editor
David Sutton	....	boom operator
Susan M. Wagner	....	assistant sound editor (as Susan Wagner)
Deborah Wallach	....	adr editor
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Maurice Schell	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Steve Crawley	....	special effects crew
Tony Donn	....	special effects crew
Patrick Hegarty	....	special effects crew
Garth Inns	....	special effects: U.K.
Michel Norman	....	special effects: France

Stunts
Frédéric Vallet	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Maurice Baltel	....	best boy grip
Eric Baraillon	....	electrician
Brigitte Barbier	....	second assistant camera
Jean-Marie Benoît	....	electrician (as Jean-Marie Benoit)
Geoff Brown	....	camera operator: Louma crane
Philippe Cadeau	....	best boy electric
Sylvain Cuhial	....	electrician
Jacques Debaye	....	generator operator
Roland Dondin	....	electrician
Jean Harnois	....	camera operator
Manuel Jover	....	grip
Jaromír Komárek	....	still photographer (as Jaromír Komarek)
François Lauliac	....	first assistant camera
Jean-Claude LeBras	....	gaffer (as Jean-Claude Lebras)
Pascal Lombardo	....	electrician
Jozef Ort-Snep	....	camera operator: second unit (as Joseph Ort-Snep)
Michel Podik	....	grip
Isabelle Scala	....	first assistant camera
Michel Strasser	....	grip
René Strasser	....	key grip
Christian Thurot	....	generator operator
Noël Véry	....	steadicam operator

Casting Department
Pascale Béraud	....	extras casting: France
Marie-Sylvie Caillierez	....	extras casting: France
Margot Capelier	....	casting: France
Cyrena Hausman	....	casting assistant: USA
Lofti Mokdad	....	extras casting: France
Gérard Moulévrier	....	casting: France

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gaelle Allen	....	costume accessories designer
Pascale Baume	....	wardrobe assistant
Isabelle Benoist	....	wardrobe assistant
Moidele Bickel	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Bernadette Villard)
Fabrizio Caracciolo	....	wardrobe coordinator
Vincent Ganden	....	wardrobe assistant
Sylvie Gautrelet	....	wardrobe supervisor
Isabelle Lelievre	....	wardrobe assistant (as Isabelle Le Lièvre)
Simone Leroy	....	wardrobe assistant
Eric Perron	....	wardrobe assistant
Benoit Pistel	....	wardrobe assistant
Delphine Provent	....	wardrobe assistant
Henriette Raz	....	wardrobe assistant (as Henriette Raz-Boffety)

Editorial Department
Megan B. Agosto	....	apprentice editor (as Megan Agosto)
Carol A. Ellison Fleming	....	assistant editor (as Carol Fleming)
Pamela Reis	....	apprentice editor
Marie-Pierre Renaud	....	first assistant editor
Barbara Tulliver	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michelle Cooper	....	apprentice music editor
James Flatto	....	assistant music editor
Chuck Irwin	....	music engineer
Dick Lewzey	....	music engineer (as Dick Lewsey)
Neville Marriner	....	conductor (as Sir Neville Marriner)
Paul Mottram	....	orchestrator
Christopher Palmer	....	music arranger
Stuart Stanley	....	music editor
John Strauss	....	additional scoring
John Strauss	....	supervising music editor
Jean-Michel Tavernier	....	music coordinator: France
Jeff Atmajian	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Jean-Claude Souffir	....	production driver

Other crew
Pierre Andrieu	....	production assistant
Patrice Arrat	....	assistant choreographer
Francis Barrois	....	production assistant
Josée Bénabent-Loiseau	....	worldwide press and marketing
Claude Berri	....	presenter
Martin Brossollet	....	assistant to producers
Jarmila Buzkova	....	set interpreter
Claude Carliez	....	weapons master
Michel Carliez	....	assistant weapon master
Florence Courtois	....	assistant production accountant
Jean-Louis Coutant	....	bow master
Jean-Benoit Doerr	....	production assistant
Christine Duffau	....	assistant production coordinator
Sylvie Duluc	....	production assistant
Suzanne Durrenberger	....	script supervisor
Katherine Enger	....	assistant script supervisor
Nathalie Farjon	....	production coordinator
Roland Farjon	....	production assistant
Bertille Fournier	....	harp teacher
Pierre Fournier	....	production assistant
Françoise Gavalda	....	production accountant
Patrice Gladel	....	production assistant
Jacques Grousset	....	caterer
Anne Gyory	....	script consultant
Ann Jacoby	....	choreographer
Jacques Le Roux	....	writing advisor
François Nadal	....	horse trainer
André Noël	....	dog trainer
Jan Novák	....	script consultant
Osceola Refetoff	....	assistant to producers
Valerie Remise	....	production assistant
Roland Riallot	....	production assistant
Stanislas Robiolle	....	production assistant
Clare Sauzey	....	assistant production coordinator
Eva Schmitz	....	assistant: Milos Forman
Pierre Soubestre	....	production assistant
Catherine Staub	....	production accountant
Gerard Staub	....	production assistant
Pierre Trémouille	....	financial supervisor
Heidi Vogel	....	production associate: USA

Production Companies

• Burrill Productions
• Renn Productions

Distributors

• Condor Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• LW Editora (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Nea Kinisi (Greece)
• Nea Kinisi Video (Greece) (VHS)
• Orion Pictures Corporation
• Transmundo Films (Argentina)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (Argentina) (video)

Special Effects

• Effects Associates

Other Companies

• Clinton Recording Studios  music recorded at
• Locafête  catering
• Tirelli Costumi  costumes

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:

Iceland:L | Brazil:16 | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2000) | UK:15 | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | 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:

Burrill Productions

Trivia:

'Michelle Pfieffer' 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 bed, talking to her lover, Madame's legs change position 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:

Te Deum

better of the two by far

I notice a bit of a war going on between partisans of this and "Dangerous Liaisons" (the Glenn Close/John Malkovich/Stephen Frears vehicle). I'm not entirely sure why, but I find "Valmont" so much better. I think it's because: A) Milos Forman is unquestionably a better director than Frears, especially when he can call on the photographic talents of a cinematographer like Miroslav Ondricek; B) "Valmont" takes the time to develop some of the relationships between characters on screen, while the other simply injects the viewers into preexisting relationships; C) Colin Firth and Annette Benning are quite simply sexier than Glenn Close and John Malkovich; "Dangerous Liaisons" is too intellectual, while "Valmont" works at the hormonal level too. D) Fairuza Balk is far more believable as a virgin than Uma Thurman (can anyone say differently?!?). I certainly acknowledge "Dangerous Liaisons" as a well-made, well-acted film, but in the end I find it nearly unwatchable compared to "Valmont", which I can (and have) enjoyed over and over.