Les liaisons dangereuses (film)
Encyclopedia
Les liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) is a 1959 French-language film, based on the 1782 novel
by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
. It was directed by Roger Vadim, and stars Jeanne Moreau, Gerard Phillipe, and Annette Vadim. It was a French/Italian co-production.
as a modern (1959) adaptation of the once scandalous French novel, it pits one woman's desire to manipulate others against the power of real love. Jeanne Moreau
plays Juliette de Merteuil, a conniving socialite who manipulates the Vicomte de Valmont (played by Gérard Philipe
) into meeting and seducing Marianne (Annette Vadim
). Valmont and Marianne fall in love much to his dismay and to the delight of Merteuil. Shot in black and white in the style of the French New Wave
(Nouvelle Vague) Vadim's whirlwind portrayal of Merteuil and Valmont's deceitful dealings brings together a clash of late 1950s society and 18th century morality.
died almost 8 weeks after the film's release. It was the last of his films that was released before his death.
, with additional music by ‘’Jack Marray‘’ (an alias for Duke Jordan
), Art Blakey
and the Jazz Messengers, Barney Wilen
and Kenny Clarke
.
Les Liaisons dangereuses
Les Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782....
by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos was a French novelist, official and army general, best known for writing the epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses ....
. It was directed by Roger Vadim, and stars Jeanne Moreau, Gerard Phillipe, and Annette Vadim. It was a French/Italian co-production.
Synopsis
Directed by Roger VadimRoger Vadim
Roger Vadim was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.-Early life:...
as a modern (1959) adaptation of the once scandalous French novel, it pits one woman's desire to manipulate others against the power of real love. Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
plays Juliette de Merteuil, a conniving socialite who manipulates the Vicomte de Valmont (played by Gérard Philipe
Gérard Philipe
Gérard Philipe was a prominent French actor, who had appeared in 34 films between 1944 and 1959.-Career:...
) into meeting and seducing Marianne (Annette Vadim
Annette Vadim
Annette Vadim was a Danish actress who was the second wife of the French film director Roger Vadim. Her films included Vadim's Les Liaisons Dangereuses ....
). Valmont and Marianne fall in love much to his dismay and to the delight of Merteuil. Shot in black and white in the style of the French New Wave
French New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
(Nouvelle Vague) Vadim's whirlwind portrayal of Merteuil and Valmont's deceitful dealings brings together a clash of late 1950s society and 18th century morality.
Reactions
Vadim's film brought Moreau to an international audience, despite the film's less than stellar critical reviews. The later Jules et Jim would bring her true international stardom. Gérard PhilipeGérard Philipe
Gérard Philipe was a prominent French actor, who had appeared in 34 films between 1944 and 1959.-Career:...
died almost 8 weeks after the film's release. It was the last of his films that was released before his death.
Music
The film's score was composed by Thelonious MonkThelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
, with additional music by ‘’Jack Marray‘’ (an alias for Duke Jordan
Duke Jordan
Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's so-called "classic quintet" , featuring Miles Davis...
), Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
and the Jazz Messengers, Barney Wilen
Barney Wilen
Barney Wilen was a French tenor and soprano saxophonist and jazz composer.Wilen was born in Nice; his father was an American dentist turned inventor, and his mother was French. He began performing in clubs in Nice after being encouraged by Blaise Cendrars who was a friend of his mother...
and Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming...
.
Cast
- Jeanne MoreauJeanne MoreauJeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
- Juliette de Merteuil - Gérard PhilipeGérard PhilipeGérard Philipe was a prominent French actor, who had appeared in 34 films between 1944 and 1959.-Career:...
- Vicomte de Valmont - Annette VadimAnnette VadimAnnette Vadim was a Danish actress who was the second wife of the French film director Roger Vadim. Her films included Vadim's Les Liaisons Dangereuses ....
- Marianne Tourvel - Madeleine Lambert - Mme Rosemonde
- Jeanne Valérie - Cécile Volanges
- Nicolas Vogel - Court
- Boris VianBoris VianBoris Vian was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer. He is best remembered today for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of their...
- Prévan - Gillian HillsGillian HillsGillian Hills is an actress and singer. She rose to fame as a teenager in the 1960s in the British films Beat Girl and later, Blowup...
- A friend of Cécile - Paquita Thomas - Nicole
- Jean-Louis TrintignantJean-Louis TrintignantJean-Louis Trintignant is a French actor who has enjoyed an international acclaim. He won the Best Actor Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Career:...
- Danceny - Simone RenantSimone RenantSimone Renant was a French film actress. She appeared in 43 films between 1934 and 1983. She was born in Amiens, France and died in Garches, France.-Selected filmography:* Voyage sans espoir...
- Mme Volanges