Who doesn’t love a good period film? The splendid combination of the magnificent costumes, often scandalously entertaining plots and timely stories, they can often be guilty pleasures, films that may be superficial and not entirely representative of the period of time in which they are set – but I’ll be damned if I said I didn’t adore them, especially those that are intent on providing sheer entertainment through their inviting, toothsome stories and exquisite casts that bring these historical pieces to life through their commited performances. One of the period films that is considered one of the greatest of all time is Dangerous Liaisons, a film I watched recently after putting it off for the longest time. Everything I had heard about this film was true, and my expectations were all met, with Dangerous Liaisons being an ambrosial experience, filled with the most luscious designs and the most delightfully scandalous situations. Needless to say, I found Dangerous Liaisons to be a truly entertaining film, and everyone involved in this film were firing on all cylinders, including the marvelous cast, comprised of some of the greatest performers of their generation at the very top of their game. Dangerous Liaisons is one of the rare films that more than meets its reputation, and endures as one of the most exquisite period films ever made, and one I simply cannot bring myself to forgetting.

The film, as is already well-established, is based on the play by Christopher Hampton, which was in turn based on the classic French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by  Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, and is focused on the interactions of two high-society individuals who have a penchant for betrayal and deception. Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil (Glenn Close) is a middle-aged noblewoman who has a desire to plot revenge against the man who wronged her, a former lover. She makes an agreement with her friend -or rather friendly rival – Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich) that if he can seduce the beautiful Madame Marie de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer), he will earrn de Merteuil’s respect and adoration, as well as daring him to seduce her ex-lover’s intended, the young and virginal Cécile de Volanges (Uma Thurman), in the hopes that the Vicomte’s sexual prowess with someone else’s fiancee will bring shame on the man who wronged de Merteuil. What follows is an exploration of the conquests of these characters, as they seduce and are seduced, using deception and betrayal as powerful tools of manipulation. A complex web of duplicity and deceit is woven, with the lust for scandal and treachery superceding common decent and morality for many of these characters, who quite relentlessly give in to their primal urges – not only those of sexual, carnal desire, but also the satisfaction of double-crossing those who have acted in a way most unfitting. Dangerous Liaisons is a film about a very many things, but more than anything else, deceit and scandal runs rampant as these characters interact and come to agreements that none of them ever wish to agree to.

Perhaps the most significant merit of Dangerous Liaisons, other than the visual aesthetic and relentless eccentricity of the story, was that it paired two incredible performers in quite possibly their best roles to date. Admittedly, I am not entirely fond of Glenn Close, but I do find her ability to embody roles works spectacularly well when she plays a well-written, complex character, and she has a smouldering intensity very few of her contemporaries are able to match. Dangerous Liaisons has Close at her very best, playing the delightfully wicked Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil, a bitter and manipulative noblewoman who decides to entertain herself through the exploitation of others. Close is absolutely astonishing, playing the character with sardonic humor and unabashed malice, which makes her a complex and larger-than-life figure. The film could’ve arguably utilized Close a bit more, because she had some terrific moments brought on by this winning character, and it is clear that when Close hits the high notes, she hits them hard, and she has never been better than she was here. The other main role was portrayed by the brilliant John Malkovich, who relishes in playing the malicious and scheming Vicomte de Valmont, one of the most despicably charming characters ever commited to literature. Malkovich is terrific, and he finds the true nastiness in this character who is as insecure as he is flamboyant and a tremendous showman, gallavanting between manor homes on his conquest to spread his masculine agenda, which perhaps shields a much bigger anxiety that he may possibly not be particularly noteworthy, and that he is a victim to his own vices, and the subject of playful taunting from others, especially his nemesis Merteuil. Malkovich, who has somehow retreated into villainous supporting roles as of late, is a terrfic performer, and a lot of what makes Dangerous Liaisons a success is his chameleonic ability to adapt to every situation, as well as his wonderful chemistry with the rest of the cast. However, the best moments in Dangerous Liaisons come in the moments shared between Malkovich and Close, as these are moments with palpable tension, as well as deligthfully witty banter between the performers, both of which have never been better than they were here.

However, as delightful as Close and Malkovich are, Dangerous Liaisons has an ensemble that is nothing short of brilliant. The radiant Michelle Pfeiffer is wonderful as the virtuos but insecure Madame Marie de Tourvel, who struggles to avoid falling for the deceitful charms of Valmont, who is only courting her to prove to his rival that he can. Pfeiffer has always been an actress capable of dinstinctive nuance, and while many of the performances in this film dare to be elaborate and extravagent, she opts for a more subtle approach to the character, embodying her anxiety and sensitivity with remarkable restraint. Uma Thurman, who was in the formative early years of her career, is splendid, playing a character who is the subject of both desire and deception, and as a character, Cécile de Volanges grows the most, moving from innocence to experience, with Thurman being as terrific as she always is, and it is wonderful to see her astounding talents were visible right from the beginning of her career. For some reason, Keanu Reeves is in Dangerous Liaisons, and while he is not particularly bad, he does well with what he is given, playing the obliviously adorable music teacher who accidentally infiltrates the nobility through inadvertently being involved in the central deception. If anything, his performance in Dangerous Liaisons reminds us about how much Reeves has grown as an actor. Finally, Swoosie Kurtz and Mildred Natwick are delightful in their small but memorable roles in the film, and contribute splendidly to the overall story with their tremendous performances. The entire ensemble of Dangerous Liaisons is terrific, and they work exceptionally well alongside each other, harnessing their palpable chemistry, resulting in a film with performances just as good as the film they appear in.

Dangerous Liaisons is an astonishingly beautiful film. Stephen Frears, who is certainly not a stranger to period films, has crafted one of the most gorgeous films of its ilk, a rich, sumptuous film with the most exquisite design. The extent to which meticulous detail was put into every aspect of this film is extraordinarily clear, with everything from the costume design to the set pieces being beautifully-constructed and punctiliously seductive. Dangerous Liaisons looks to be an honest representation of the period in which it takes, with most creative and technical aspects of this film being precise and a benchmark to which many subsequent period films have attempted to reach. On a purely creative level, Dangerous Liaisons is seductive, based entirely on its visual aesthetic and the detail put into conveying the excess of the nobility in eighteenth-century Europe. Dangerous Liaisons was Frears’ first attempt at such a period film (all of his previous films were more contemporary), and considering he has returned to this kind of setting several times since, he clearly has a knack for detail-driven, delightfully-lavish periods. Frears is a filmmaker who may have some distinctive flaws, but he is ultimately an endearing spirit when it comes to films such as Dangerous Liaisons, with his precision in executing a story through such visual splendor being one of his most unequivocally strong abilities, and exactly what makes Dangerous Liaisons such a terrific film.

However, Dangerous Liaisons is more than just superficially beautiful, and there are other films that have been made that equally as gorgeous. What sets Dangerous Liaisons apart from other films is its execution of the story. There is a clear and fascinating juxtaposition between the classy, elegant appearance of the film, and the scandalous, outrageous and seductive nature of the story, and the interplay between these two elements is central to the film as a whole. Dangerous Liaisons is a film that could probably be described as a romp through pre-revolution France, and while it does touch on some serious issues, it doesn’t take itself to seriously, and rather focuses more on the thrillingly deceptive nature of these characters and how their actions are delightfully twisted and morbidly-entertaining in creating an uneasy but entertaining representation of the nobility, who would relish in spending their time engaging in superficial sexual conquests and shallow deception. Moreover, it isn’t even if these actions are necessary – they are borne out of boredom, with these characters, particularly the two central characters of Valmont and Merteuil, engaging in these actions as a twisted game of taunting and daring the other to sacrifice their non-existent morals purely for pleasure. Dangerous Liaisons is a fabulously fun frolic through Old France, and while it does briefly look at social tensions, but only temporarily, as the focus is on representing the sordid lives of the upper-class, and considering the period in which this film takes place, the idea that the threat of the French Revolution is looming, it only makes the wretched and despicable pastimes of the bourgeoisie that much more satisfying, as there is a particularly violent storm brewing that puts such contemptible actions into perspective. On a separate note, I never thought I’d be praising the French Revolution as a particularly good thing, yet here we are.

Dangerous Liaisons is a very good film, and one of the most entertaining period films I have seen. It is a maliciously-fun romp through the lives and loves of the bourgeoisie, and there are seldom any films of this kind that are more amusing or captivating. There was not a single unnecessary moment, and Frears is exceptionally economical with this story, making the most out of every moment and eliding what was not relevant or consequential to the story. Dangerous Liaisons is the perfect intermingling of style and substance, with a delightfully twisted story perched at the core of this story, which is elevated by the gorgeous filmmaking, with the cinematography, music and design all working towards creating a memorable film. The performances are astonishing, with Glenn Close and John Malkovich being at the very top of their game with this film, giving their finest performances to date as the scheming rivals who will do anything to prove the other wrong. Dangerous Liaisons is one of the few period films that truly lives up to its reputation as being a truly entertaining, and strangely very currently-relevant, look at social graces and the way individuals can be truly manipulative and self-entitled. I thought Dangerous Liaisons was a great film, one that is both parts comedic and tragic, and leaves an indelible impression on the viewer, especially in the climactic scenes, which linger on in the memory long after the film has ended. Stephen Frears made something wonderful here, a deliciously-complex, wonderfully-thrilling period drama that has a sense of humor and a bona fide attention to detail in representing the time period in which it takes place through a twisted, seductive lens. Dangerous Liaisons is a special film, and one I won’t soon be forgetting.