Valmont

Name: Valmont
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: November 17, 1989
Duration: 137 min
Rating: 55
Cast: Annette Bening, Colin Firth

1989

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Ratings

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7.7

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7.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Ratings

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Valmont

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Movie Details & Credits

Orion Pictures Corporation | Release Date: November 17, 1989 | R

Starring: Annette Bening, Colin Firth

Summary: Based on the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Valmont (Firth) seduces a young lady on a bet from his former lover.

Director: Milos Forman

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 137 min

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Critic Reviews

Liam Lacey

Forman's treatment is another matter entirely - infinitely more subtle and, using the intrinsic bias of film, far more naturalistic. [18 Nov 1989]

Peter Travers

The film is rapturously beautiful, enticing us into a lush, aristocratic world. Read full review

Roger Ebert

The Frears version is cerebral and claustrophobic, an exercise in sexual mindplay. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Milos Forman's meticulously produced Valmont is an extremely well-acted period piece that suffers from stately pacing and lack of dramatic high points. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

The results are too pretty and well acted to be a total washout, but the fascination with evil and power that gives the novel intensity is virtually absent; what remains is mainly petty malice and mild cynicism. Read full review

David Sterritt

Livelier, more absorbing, and generally better acted than "Dangerous Liaisons," which arrived a year ago. But it runs out of inspiration long before it runs out of plot twists, and we've seen the twists too many times before. Read full review

Richard Schickel

Valmont arrives stiffened by the elegant, inert formalism of Forman's direction, and chilled by Carriere's all too sober respect for his source and by their mutual determination to apply modern psychological understanding to the behavior of the principal figures. Read full review

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User Reviews

CitizenCharlie

Mar 22, 2011

Another attempt to film Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Valmont was released just one year after Stephen Frears's Dangerous Liaisons, this time directed by Milos Forman. This was Forman's next film after Amadeus and even brings along Jeffrey Jones, Ian McNiece, and Vicent Schiavelli to youAnother attempt to film Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Valmont was released just one year after Stephen Frears's Dangerous Liaisons, this time directed by Milos Forman. This was Forman's next film after Amadeus and even brings along Jeffrey Jones, Ian McNiece, and Vicent Schiavelli to you remind you just how good Amadeus was. Well, Valmont is no Amadeus. In fact, it is not even Dangerous Liaisons.

The story is very similar. This time, a very young Colin Firth tries Valmont but unfortunately is compared to John Malkovich from the previous year's film. Firth is great, but Malkovich was Valmont. There is also a very young and new Annette Bening as Marquise de Merteuil and she definitely pales in comparison to Glenn Close's Marquise. Valmont is missing the bite and sting of the dialogue which this story is made for. The verbal sparring between Valmont and the Marquise should be dialogue the audience remembers afterwards for its cleverness, but this iteration lacks the tension and the smarts. Milos Forman could have easily used the same costumes and set design he used in Amadeus, but Valmont just seems lazy compared to that effort. For newcomers to this story, watch Dangerous Liaisons instead. Watch Cruel Intentions for a laugh if you want the next generation's attempt at it.… Expand

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Broyax

Oct 20, 2020

Il s’agit -encore- d’une énième version des Liaisons dangereuses, pas moins chiante que les précédentes, hélas… Valmont est donc un jeune con qui veut se mettre sur le noeud toutes les poules qui passent et se retrouve accessoirement utilisé par Madame de Merteuil pour assouvir indirectementIl s’agit -encore- d’une énième version des Liaisons dangereuses, pas moins chiante que les précédentes, hélas… Valmont est donc un jeune con qui veut se mettre sur le noeud toutes les poules qui passent et se retrouve accessoirement utilisé par Madame de Merteuil pour assouvir indirectement sa vengeance sur un amant indélicat…

A chaque fois, je repense au fameux sketch des Inconnus, hilarant, « les liaisons vachement dangereuses » avec « JCVD » dans le rôle-titre… et du coup, je tombe de haut avec ce « Valmont » de Forman, Forman l’endormisseur endormi, sa mise en scène à deux de tension et l’ennui qu’il brasse et dispense à chaque minute de cette purge minable et interminable ! malgré l’intéressante et encore bien jolie Annette Bening, car en ce qui concerne le reste de la distribution, ils ou elles sont vraiment à chier !

Cette bouse à dormir debout avance donc comme un escargot en côte en plein rétrogradage : c’est génial comme remède imparable à l’insomnie (gardez-le de côté juste au cas où) mais comme film, c’est vraiment à chier !… Expand

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