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Les Liaisons Dangereuses – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1959
Director: Roger Vadim
Writers: Choderlos de Laclos, Claude Brulé, Roger Vadim, Roger Vailland
Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Gérard Philipe, Annette Stroyberg, Madeleine Lambert, Jeanne Valérie, Nicolas Vogel, Boris Vian, Gillian Hills, Paquita Thomas, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Simone Renant

Release Date: November 12th, 2019
Approximate running time: 109 Minutes 22 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1959), starring Jeanne Moreau (Jules and Jim) and Gérard Philipe (La Ronde), is a provocative adaptation of the classic novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Updated to present-day France by director Roger Vadim (Barbarella), the film follows Valmont (Philipe) and Juliette (Moreau) as they manipulate each other into having extra-marital affairs. Juliette points Valmont towards the 16-year-old Cécile (Jeanne Valérie), since she has eyes on Cécile’s prospective fiancé Court (Nicolas Vogel). Sex becomes sport in this deliciously backstabbing drama which notably features a score by jazz legend Thelonious Monk." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Les Liaisons Dangereuses comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.3 GB

Feature: 33 GB

Reportedly, this transfer was sourced from a 4K master created by Eclair for TF1 Films. The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the grain remains intact.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. This audio track is in excellent shape; dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer ( 3 minutes 56 seconds, DTS-HD mono French with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine.

Summary:

Directed by Roger Vadim, whose other notable films include And God Created Woman, Blood and Roses, Barbarella, and Pretty Maids All in a Row.

The narrative revolves around a decadent couple who exploit inexperienced lovers and get a taste of their own medicine when one of them falls in love with one of their sexual conquests.

Over the years, there have been ten film adaptations of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The most notable adaptations are Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons, Miloš Forman’s Valmont, and Roger Kumble’s Cruel Intentions. Seventeen years after Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Roger Vadim would direct Une femme fidèle, his second adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Though there are advantages to being the first film to adapt literature, most notably being the first visual interpretation of a literary work, there are also negatives to being the first film adaptation of a literary work. Most notably, issues related to censorship in Roger Vadim’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses fall into the latter category.

Given that Les Liaisons Dangereuses was a novel that stirred controversy from the moment it was released, it’s appropriate that Roger Vadim direct the first film adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, since he’s a filmmaker whose films garnered an ample amount of controversy.

Anyone who is remotely familiar with Les Liaisons Dangereuses or its many film adaptations should thoroughly enjoy Roger Vadim’s adaptation. And though he transposes the story to a modern setting, this does not lessen the impact of this adaptation since the elements from the novel are intact.

Performance-wise, the cast is all very good in their respective roles, especially Gérard Philipe's (The Red and the Black) exquisite portrayal of Vicomte de Valmont, a narcissistic seducer who views sex as a game. Though women are the focal point of Roger Vadim’s cinema, Gérard Philipe's performance is the heart and soul of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Other performances of note include Jeanne Moreau (The Bride Wore Black) in the role of Juliette de Merteuil, Vicomte de Valmont’s rival and lover; Jeanne Valérie (Hired Killer) in the role of Cécile Volanges, Juliette’s teenage cousin who falls prey to Vicomte’s cruel game; and Annette Stroyberg (Blood and Roses) in the role of Marianne Tourvel, a diplomat's wife who’s another one of Vicomte’s victims. At this time, Annette Stroyberg was married to Roger Vadim, and psychically, she bears many similarities to Roger Vadim’s ex-wife, Brigette Bardot.

From a production standpoint, there’s not an area where this adaptation does not excel. The premise is superbly realized, the narrative gives key moments an ample amount of time to resonate, and the stunning black-and-white cinematography does a great job reinforcing the mood. Standout moments include the scene where she seduces Cécile and the poetic finale where Juliette gets her comeuppance. Ultimately, Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a solid adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s novel of the same name.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses gets a solid audio/video presentation from Kino Lorber that comes with an informative audio commentary, highly recommended.