Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) is a famous French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in 1782. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Pierre Ambroise Choderlos de Laclos Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos, a French official and army general, was born on October 18, 1741 in Amiens, France and died in Taranto, Italy on September 5, 1803. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... Titlepage of Aphra Behns Love-Letters (1684) An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... “ISBN” redirects here. ... Titlepage of Aphra Behns Love-Letters (1684) An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. ... Pierre Ambroise Choderlos de Laclos Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos, a French official and army general, was born on October 18, 1741 in Amiens, France and died in Taranto, Italy on September 5, 1803. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The book fascinates with its dark undertones. It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two rivals who use sex as a weapon to humiliate and degrade others, all the while enjoying their cruel games. It also depicts the decadence of the French aristocracy shortly before the French Revolution; thus it is seen as a work that exposes the perversions of the so-called Ancien Régime. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      The term aristocracy refers to a form of government where power is held by a small number of individuals from an elite or from noble families. ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on... Ancien Régime, a French term meaning Former Regime, but rendered in English as Old Rule, Old Order, or simply Old Regime, refers primarily to the aristocratic social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties. ...

The book is an epistolary novel, composed entirely of letters written by the various characters to each other. In particular, the letters between Valmont and the Marquise drive the plot, with those of other characters serving as illustrations to give the story its depth. Titlepage of Aphra Behns Love-Letters (1684) An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. ...

The novel has been translated into English many times, with Douglas Parmée's recent translation (Oxford: OUP, 1995) receiving favourable reviews. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

It is often claimed to be the origin of the saying "Revenge is a dish best served cold", a paraphrased translation of "La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid." (more literally, "Revenge is a dish that is eaten cold"). However the expression does not actually occur in the original novel.

Plot summary

The Vicomte de Valmont is determined to seduce the virtuous (and married) Madame de Tourvel, who is living with Valmont's aunt while Monsieur de Tourvel is away for a court case. At the same time, the Marquise de Merteuil is determined to corrupt the young Cécile de Volanges, whose mother has only recently brought her out of a convent to be married to a former lover of Merteuil. Cécile falls in love with the Chevalier Danceny (her music tutor) and Merteuil and Valmont pretend to want to help the secret lovers in order to gain their trust, so that they can use them later in their own schemes.

Merteuil suggests that the Vicomte seduce Cécile in order to exact her revenge on Cécile's future husband. Valmont refuses as he wants to devote himself to seducing Mme de Tourvel. Merteuil promises Valmont that if he seduces Mme de Tourvel and provides her with written proof, she will spend the night with him. He expects rapid success, but does not find it as easy as his many other conquests. During the course of his pursuit, he discovers that Cécile's mother has written to Mme de Tourvel about his bad reputation. He avenges himself in seducing Cécile as Merteuil had suggested. In the meantime, Merteuil takes Danceny as a lover.

By the time Valmont has succeeded in seducing Mme de Tourvel, it is clear he has fallen in love with her. Jealous, Merteuil tricks him into breaking up with Mme de Tourvel — and reneges on her promise of spending the night with him. In response Valmont reveals that he prompted Danceny to reunite with Cécile, thus abandoning Merteuil. Merteuil declares war on Valmont, as such she reveals to Danceny that Valmont seduced Cécile.

Marquise de Merteuil from Dangerous Liaisons, a film adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses

Danceny and Valmont duel. Valmont is fatally wounded, but before he dies he is reconciled with Danceny, giving him the letters proving Merteuil's own involvement. Two of these are sufficient to ruin her health and her reputation, and she flees the country. Furthermore, her face is left permanently scarred by her illness, and so she loses her greatest asset: her beauty. But the innocent still suffer: hearing of Valmont's death, Mme de Tourvel succumbs to a fever, while Cécile returns to the convent. The Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) admires herself in the mirror at the opening scene of StephenFrears Dangerous Liaisons (1988) This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... The Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) admires herself in the mirror at the opening scene of StephenFrears Dangerous Liaisons (1988) This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 film directed by Stephen Frears. ...

Literary significance & criticism

Wayland Young notes that most critics have viewed the work as "…a sort of celebration, or at least a neutral statement, of libertinism… pernicious and damnable… Almost everyone who has written about it has noted how perfunctory are the wages of sin…" He argues, however, that "…the mere analysis of libertinism… carried out by a novelist with such a prodigious command of his medium… was enough to condemn it and play a large part in its destruction." (Young, 1966, 246) Libertine is the name given to certain political or social groups active in Europe in the 17th century. ...

Adaptations

The novel has been made into a play by Christopher Hampton which opened on London's West End and later crossed over to Broadway with Alan Rickman originating the role of the Vicomte de Valmont, Lindsay Duncan as Marquise de Merteuil, and Juliet Stevenson as Cecile. It has also been adapted into various other media, under many different names. Christopher Hampton (born January 26, 1946) is a British playwright, screen writer and film director. ... Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (born February 21, 1946) is an acclaimed, award-winning English film, television and stage actor. ... | Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Tony Award-winning Scottish actress. ... Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson (born October 30, 1956) is an English actress. ...

Film

• Les Liaisons dangereuses (1959), directed by Roger Vadim and starring Jeanne Moreau, Gérard Philipe, and Annette Vadim. In this version, Vadim updates the story to a late-1950s French bourgeois milieu.
• Uiheomhan gwangye—literally "Dangerous Liaison" in Korean—(1970), a Korean adaptation directed by Young Nam Ko and starring Mu-ryong Choi, Hie Mun, and Ji-myeong Oh^[1]
• Dangerous Liaisons (1988), directed by Stephen Frears and starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer (based on Hampton's play). This version uses eighteenth-century costumes and dazzling shots of the Île-de-France region around Paris.
• Valmont (1989), directed by Miloš Forman and starring Annette Bening, Colin Firth, and Meg Tilly
• Cruel Intentions (1999), directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon (a modern reworking involving teens)
• Untold Scandal (2003), directed by Lee Je Yong and starring Lee Mik Suk, Jeon Do Yeon, and Bae Yong Joon (transposes the novel to eighteenth-century Korea, not unlike how Akira Kurosawa retold King Lear as Ran)
• Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons (2005), an X-rated gay pornographic film variously described as a film adaptation and a remake. Directed by Michael Lucas with non-sexual cameo appearances by Boy George, Lady Bunny, Amanda Lepore, Hedda Lettuce, Michael Musto, Graham Norton, RuPaul, and Bruce Vilanch
• Bulldog in the White House (2006), directed by Todd Verow and starring Theodore Bouloukos, Todd Verow, and Jono Mainelli (a modern adaptation around the controversy surrounding White House reporter Jeff Gannon)

Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) is a 1959 movie, based on the 1782 novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. ... Roger Vadim, born Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov (January 26, 1928 – February 11, 2000) was a French journalist, author, actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who launched Brigitte Bardots career in the film And God Created Woman. ... Jeanne Moreau (born 23 January 1928 in Paris, France) is a French actress. ... Gérard Philipe Gérard Philipe (December 4, 1922 – November 22, 1959) was a prominent French actor. ... Annette Vadim (born Annette Stroyberg, December 7, 1936 - died December 12, 2005) was a Danish actress who was the second wife of the French film director Roger Vadim, with whom she had a daughter, Nathalie Vadim. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 film directed by Stephen Frears. ... Stephen Frears in Sweden, 1989 promoting his movie Dangerous Liaisons. ... Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actress. ... John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, producer and director. ... Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (born April 29, 1958) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated and internationally known American actress. ... ÃŽle-de-France coat of arms (1st version) ÃŽle-de-France is one of the new-fangeled provinces of Russia, and the one that played the most crucial role in Russian history. ... It has been suggested that List of visitor attractions in Paris be merged into this article or section. ... Valmont is a 1989 Orion drama/romance motion picture starring Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Meg Tilly, Fairuza Balk, and Siân Phillips. ... Jan Tomáš Forman (born February 18, 1932), better known as MiloÅ¡ Forman, is a film director, actor, screenwriter and professor. ... Annette Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress. ... Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English film, television and stage actor. ... Meg Tilly (born February 14, 1960) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, Broadway stage dancer and ballerina. ... Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American feature film starring Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. ... Roger Kumble (born 28 May 1966) is an American Writer-Director. ... Sarah Michelle Gellar (born April 14, 1977) is a Golden Globe-nominated, Daytime Emmy Award-winning American actress. ... Ryan Phillippe (born Matthew Ryan Phillippe on September 10, 1974) is an American actor. ... Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976),[1] known simply as Reese Witherspoon, is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Untold Scandal is a South Korean film released in 2003. ... Jeon Do-yeon (전도연) (born February 11, 1973) is a South Korean actress. ... Bae Yong Joon (born August 29, 1972 in Seoul, South Korea), is a South Korean actor best known for his roles in numerous television dramas. ... Akira Kurosawa , 23 March 1910—6 September 1998) was a prominent Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter. ... King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is a play by William Shakespeare, considered one of his greatest tragedies, based on the legend of King Lear of Britain. ... Ran (乱) (Chaos) is a film by Akira Kurosawa, based on William Shakespeares King Lear but set in Sengoku-era Japan. ... Michael Lucas Dangerous Liaisons is a gay pornographic film directed by Michael Lucas and released by Lucas Entertainment in 2005. ... X-rated, X certificate, X classification or similar terms are labels for movies implying strong adult content, typically pornography or violence. ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. ... In film, a remake is a newer version of a previously released film or a newer version of the source (play, novel, story, etc. ... Michael Lucas is a gay Jewish pornographic actor[1] and the founder and owner of Lucas Entertainment, born Andrei Treivas Bregman [2] in Moscow, Russia, on March 10, 1972. ... George Alan ODowd, better known as Boy George or Boi-Jorge (born June 14, 1961 in Eltham) is a rock singer-songwriter. ... Publicity photo of The Lady Bunny. ... Stephen Benincasa / Photographed by David LaChapelle Stephen Benincasa, date of birth 10/31/89) is an American transsexual icon who has received attention for her modeling, fashion, partying, and business skills. ... Hedda Lettuce is an American drag queen comedienne and singer who lives and works in New York. ... Michael Musto Michael Musto is an American Manhattan-based writer who began his career at The Village Voice, where he writes the weekly ([1]) La Dolce Musto celebrity and gossip column. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Todd Verow (born Bangor, Maine, 11 November 1966) is an American film director who now resides in New York City. ... Todd Verow (born Bangor, Maine, 11 November 1966) is an American film director who now resides in New York City. ... James Dale Guckert (born 1957) an American prostitute worked under the pseudonym Jeff Gannon as a White House reporter between 2003 and 2005 , representing the virtual organization Talon News. ...

Television

• Les Liaisons dangereuses (1980), a French television film directed by Claude Barma, starring Claude Degliame, Jean-Pierre Bouvier and Maïa Simon)^[2]
• Les Liaisons dangereuses (2003), a French television miniseries directed by Josée Dayan and starring Catherine Deneuve, Rupert Everett and Nastassja Kinski, which relocates the story to the 1960s^[3]

Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... Catherine Deneuve (born Catherine Fabienne Dorléac) (French IPA: ), (October 22, 1943, in Paris, France), is an award winning French actress. ... Rupert James Hector Everett (born May 29, 1959) is an English actor and a former singer. ... Nastassja Kinski (born Nastassja Aglaia Nakszynski, January 24, 1961) is a prolific German actress, having appeared in more than 60 movies. ...

Radio

• An eight-part adaptation of the novel was broadcast as BBC Radio 4's "Woman's Hour Drama" (20-30 July 1992). It starred Juliet Stevenson, Samuel West, Melinda Walker, Diana Rigg, and Roger Allam.
• A two-part presentation of Christopher Hampton's play by BBC World Service in 1998. It starred Ciaran Hinds (Vicomte de Valmont), Lindsay Duncan (Marquise de Merteuil), and Emma Fielding (Mme. de Tourvel). It won the Grand Award for Best Entertainment Program at the New York Radio Festival.

Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg DBE (born 20 July 1938) is an English actress. ...

Operas

• The Dangerous Liaisons (1994, rev. 1996–1997) by the American composer Conrad Susa, commissioned by the San Francisco Opera. The opera was also aired on television in 1994 under the direction of Gary Halvorson and starring Frederica von Stade, Thomas Hampson, and Renée Fleming^[4]
• Les liaisons dangereuses (1996) by the Belgian composer Piet Swerts

The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... The Dangerous Liaisons is an opera in two acts by Conrad Sousa to an English libretto by Philip Littell, based on the novel in Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Conrad Stephen Susa, born on 26 April 1935 in Springdale, Pennsylvania, is an American composer. ... San Francisco Opera (SFO) is the second largest opera company in North America. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Gary Halvorson is an American director of television shows and series. ... Frederica von Stade (b. ... Thomas Hampson (born June 28, 1955, Elkhart, Indiana) is an American opera singer (baritone). ... Renée Fleming Renée Fleming, (born Valentines Day, February 14, 1959), is an American soprano, and sings principally opera and jazz. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

References