Dangerous Liaisons

(Stephen Frears, US/UK 1988, 119 min., 35mm)

Period Dramas. French general Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s immensely popular epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses was adapted for the big screen no less than six times, by filmmakers all over the world, but this, the first English-language adaptation, remains the most prestigious and critically acclaimed. Glenn Close stars as a Machiavellian widow who makes a deal with her no less conniving lover John Malkovich to corrupt the heart of innocent Michelle Pfeiffer in this late 18th-century tale of aristocratic decadence, corruption, and revenge. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won those for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Art Direction.