07/03/2007
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 137 minutes
Valmont (1989) is a period drama set in late 18th century France which follows Marquise de Merteuil (Annette Bening) and lover Valmont (Colin Firth) - two former lovers who set about manipulating every single person within their grasp to satisfy their own devious plans. It is based on the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses which also inspired Dangerous Minds and Cruel Intentions so if you've watched either of those the story may seem very familiar.
Merteuil wages a bet with Valmont that he can't seduce the married Madame de Tourvel which he accepts and proceeds to use every sleazeball technique you can imagine to win. Meanwhile, Merteuil spitefully sets out to encourage a 15 year-old girl, about to marry Merteuil's ex, to lose her virginity. By the end of the film there has been so much double-crossing and underhand seduction that even Jerry Springer would raise an eyebrow. Needless to say, these two nasty people receive some karmic retribution but not without leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
It's easy to forget the fact that Valmont is set in France since the characters all speak English and in a wide variety of accents (ranging from American to cod-French that would fit perfectly in the opening scene of Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail). This makes it quite difficult to immerse yourself totally in the historical setting, as well-realised as it may be.
Despite this annoyance and the fact that it also runs about 20 minutes too long, Valmont is ultimately enjoyable for its timeless story and strong cast performances. This would be a worthy addition in the collection of any period drama aficionados and fans of Cruel Intentions.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Valmont is released on DVD in the UK on 2nd April, 2007
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
