Les liaisons dangereuses | |
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Directed by | Roger Vadim |
Written by | Roger Vailland Claude Brulé |
Based on | novel by Choderlos de Laclos |
Starring | Jeanne Moreau Gérard Philipe Annette Vadim Madeleine Lambert |
Cinematography | Marcel Grignon |
Edited by | Victoria Mercanton |
Music by | Thelonious Monk Duke Jordan (as Jack Marray) |
Distributed by | Ariane Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
Country | France |
Language | French |
Budget | US$4.3 million |
Box office | 4,325,341 admissions (France) [1] |
Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) is a 1959 French drama romance film loosely based on the 1782 novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, set in present-day France.
It was directed by Roger Vadim, and stars Jeanne Moreau, Gerard Phillipe, and Annette Vadim. It was a French/Italian co-production.
In present-day France, Valmont and Juliette de Merteuil are a married couple who help each other have extramarital affairs.
Juliette's latest lover, Court, breaks up with her in order to be free to pursue his plan to marry the 16-year-old Cecile. Seeking revenge, Juliette encourages Valmont to seduce the virginal Cecile while she holidays at the ski resort of Megève. Cecile is in love with a student, Danceny, but he refuses to marry her until he can support her.
While on holiday, Valmont meets the beautiful and virtuous Marianne, originally from Denmark, who has a small child and is happily married to a young civil servant. He decides to pursue her as well, at first by befriending her and being completely honest as to what sort of person he is.
Valmont succeeds in seducing the virginal Cecile by blackmailing her. Cecile confesses the act to Juliette who encourages her to keep seeing Valmont, and Cecile does so.
Valmont then follows Marianne to Paris and succeeds in seducing her as well. Eventually Valmont genuinely falls in love with Marianne, and she prepares to leave her husband for him. Juliette becomes jealous and sends Marianne a telegram supposedly from Valmont, but with Valmont's reluctant consent, breaking it off with her and saying the seduction was all a game.
Cecile tells Juliette that she is pregnant by Valmont and asks for her help in persuading Danceny to marry her. Instead, Juliette tells Danceny that he should not marry and plans to seduce Danceny herself.
Valmont and Cecile tell Danceny about Juliette's duplicity. However, Juliette then tells him that Cecile and Valmont slept together, and Danceny strikes Valmont, accidentally killing him. While Danceny faces murder charges, Marianne loses her reason with the shock of Valmont's rejection of her and subsequent death.
Valmont has written letters to Juliette throughout the film describing both their actions. Juliette burns the letters, but catches fire herself and is disfigured for life doing so.
Fourteen-year-old British school girl Gillian Hills was cast in a lead role, [2] but public outcry meant this was recast, and Hills played a smaller part. [3]
Gerard Philippe reportedly took the role in response to the critical failure of his film The Gambler (1958). [4] Gérard Philipe died almost eight weeks after the film's release. It was the last of his films that was released before his death. [5]
There was concern the film would not be allowed to screen in France at all. Eventually, permission was granted to show it to adults. In September 1959, the film was denied an export license because it was "unrepresentative of French film art", and thus could not be shown outside France. [4] [6]
Two weeks into the film's run in Paris, the film was seized as the result of civil action taken against it by the Society of Men of Letters, who said they were acting to protect the reputation of the original work. They wanted its title changed to Les Liaisons Dangereuses '60. [7] This was done.
The movie was a massive hit at the French box office – the most successful domestic film since 1954. [8]
Eventually, the film was allowed to be exported to Japan, Greece, and the Scandinavian countries. Then, in 1961, a full export licence was granted; US and Canadian distribution rights were bought by Astor Films for a reported record sum. [8]
New York censors only allowed the film to be shown after it had been edited to a "darkened" print of two "objectionable" nude scenes (involving Annette Vadim and Jeanne Valerie). [9]
In February 1962, the film was pulled from a theater in Montclair, New Jersey, at the request of the police commissioner, as authorized by the Town Council. This occurred after a letter writing campaign following the film's condemnation from the pulpit of a local Roman Catholic Church. [10] The film had been running for nearly three weeks at that point. The theater continued its run beginning ten days later, the theater's management citing contractual obligations to its American distributor. [11]
The film's score was performed by Thelonious Monk, drawing on his existing compositions, as time constraints and a health crisis meant he was unable to compose new material. [12] [13] The original recordings by Monk, including music not used in the film, were released for the first time in 2017 as a double album in both vinyl and CD editions. [12]
Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 1960 | |||
Recorded | July 28 & 29, 1959 Nola's Penthouse Sound Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | Film score | |||
Length | 38:54 | |||
Label | Fontana 680 203 TL | |||
Producer | Marcel Romano | |||
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers chronology | ||||
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Additional music for the extended party scene by Jack Marray (a pseudonym for Duke Jordan) was recorded by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers with Barney Wilen. The soundtrack, featuring only those tracks recorded by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers with Barney Wilen, was originally released on the French Fontana label. [14] [15]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [16] |
AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow states of the Blakey album that "In general, the music manages to stand on its own with the ensemble getting to stretch out a bit on the rare material". [16]
All compositions by Duke Jordan
Most tracks on Duke Jordan's record with the same title in 1962 have the same melodies, but with different track titles. "Prelude In Blue" with "Weehawken Mad Pad" was retitled "The Feeling of Love"; "Valmontana" was changed to "Jazz Vendor"; and "Miguel's Party" to "Subway Inn". The title "No Problem" was left intact.
Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 American period romantic drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his 1985 play Les liaisons dangereuses, itself adapted from the 1782 French novel of the same name by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. It stars Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, Peter Capaldi and Keanu Reeves.
Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, set in New York City among rich high schoolers.
Les Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos.
Les Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782.
Annette Susanne Strøyberg was a Danish actress. Her films included Les Liaisons dangereuses (1959), which was directed by her first husband, Roger Vadim.
Gérard Philipe was a prominent French actor who appeared in 32 films between 1944 and 1959. He came to prominence during the later period of the poetic realism movement of French Cinema in the late 1940s. His best known credits include Such a Pretty Little Beach (1949), Beauty and the Devil (1950), Fan Fan the Tulip (1953), Montparnasse 19 (1958) and Les liaisons dangereuses (1959).
And God Created Woman is a 1956 French romantic drama film directed by Roger Vadim in his directorial debut and starring Brigitte Bardot. Though not her first film, it is widely recognized as the vehicle that launched Bardot into the public spotlight and immediately created her "sex kitten" persona, making her an overnight sensation.
Untold Scandal is a 2003 South Korean romantic drama film directed by E J-yong, and starring Bae Yong-joon, Jeon Do-yeon, and Lee Mi-sook. Loosely based on the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, this adaptation takes place in late 18th century Korea, during the Joseon dynasty.
The Dangerous Liaisons is an opera in two acts and eight scenes, with music by Conrad Susa to an English libretto by Philip Littell. It is based on the 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The opera has set numbers with recitative and spoken dialog. It is set in France in the 18th century. The opera received its first performance by the San Francisco Opera on 10 September 1994, with stage direction by Colin Graham and Donald Runnicles as the conductor. The world-premiere cast included Thomas Hampson as Valmont, Frederica von Stade as Merteuil, David Hobson as Chevalier de Danceny, Renée Fleming as Tourvel and Mary Mills as Cécile de Volanges. The opera was performed at Washington Opera in March 1998. It was also aired on the American PBS television network's Great Performances, a video recording of which was also made. Albany Records released an audio recording of a performance by Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater in 2016.
Valmont is a 1989 romantic drama film directed by Miloš Forman and starring Colin Firth, Annette Bening, and Meg Tilly. Based on the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos, and adapted for the screen by Jean-Claude Carrière, the film is about a scheming widow (Merteuil) who bets her ex-lover (Valmont) that he cannot corrupt a recently married honorable woman (Tourvel). During the process of seducing the married woman, Valmont ends up falling in love with her. Earlier, Merteuil learns her secret lover (Gercourt) has discarded her and is about to marry her cousin's daughter- the virginal 15 year old Cécile. As revenge, the jilted Merteuil employs Valmont to seduce Cécile before her marriage to Gercourt.
Charlie Rouse was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years.
Bernard "Barney" Jean Wilen was a French tenor and soprano saxophonist and jazz composer.
Kathryn Merteuil is a fictional character who appears in Cruel Intentions and Cruel Intentions 2, portrayed by actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amy Adams, respectively. Based on the Marquise de Merteuil in Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, Kathryn serves as the primary antagonist of the series.
Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 American film adaptation of a Christopher Hampton play based on Les Liaisons dangereuses, a French novel by Choderlos de Laclos.
Les Liaisons dangereuses is a 1985 play by Christopher Hampton adapted from the 1782 novel of the same title by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The plot focuses on the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, rivals who use sex as a weapon of humiliation and degradation, all the while enjoying their cruel games. Their targets are the virtuous Madame de Tourvel and Cécile de Volanges, a young girl who has fallen in love with her music tutor, the Chevalier Danceny. In order to gain their trust, Merteuil and Valmont pretend to help the secret lovers so they can use them later in their own treacherous schemes.
Les Liaisons dangereuses is a 2003 French television mini-series directed by Josée Dayan starring Catherine Deneuve, Rupert Everett, Nastassja Kinski and Leelee Sobieski. It is based on the classic 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
Dangerous Liaisons is a 2012 Chinese period romance drama film by Hur Jin-ho loosely based on the 1782 novel with the same title by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The novel has been adapted numerous times, including Les Liaisons dangereuses, an adaptation by Roger Vadim (1959), the eponymous Hollywood film (1988), Valmont (1989), Cruel Intentions (1999), and Untold Scandal from South Korea (2003).
The following is the discography of American jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk (1917–1982).
Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical, known during its off-Broadway run as Cruel Intentions: The Musical, is a 2015 American jukebox musical based on the 1999 film Cruel Intentions, with a score made up of hit songs from the 1990s. The musical's book is by Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross; Kumble was the writer and director of the original film. The film Cruel Intentions is itself a modern-day telling of the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.