Cecile (Fairuza Balk) is a 15 year old who has been living in a convent for 6 years. She's happy that her mother Madame de Volanges (Siân Phillips) has arranged a marriage for her to Gercourt (Jeffrey Jones). Volanges trusts her cousin Marquise de Merteuil (Annette Bening) to guide Cecile but she doesn't know that Gercourt discarded Merteuil as his lover. For revenge, Merteuil intends to spoil Cecile's virginity and thereby her pending marriage to Gercourt. She asks her former lover, the Vicomte de Valmont (Colin Firth),to do the seducing but he refuses. He is more interested in bedding the married Madame de Tourvel (Meg Tilly). Merteuil makes an indecent bet with Valmont. Meanwhile Cecile falls for her music teacher Danceny (Henry Thomas).

Director Miloš Forman brings a lascivious feeling to the material. The romance is drained out of this which is replaced with something darker. Fairuza Balk is shockingly young which only adds to its forbidden realism. Whereas the great Dangerous Liaisons feels luscious and beautiful, this version feels dirtier and uglier. Annette Bening is wonderful. This is an interesting second look at the same story.

There were two films based on the book "Dangerous Liaisons". The first to come was a great 1988 version. This came out about a year later. It's not as good as the 1988 version but, in its own terms, it's not bad. Valmont (Colin Firth) and Merteuil (Annette Bening) have a deal. He is to seduce a young girl (Fairuza Balk) who is about to marry a much older man (Jeffrey Jones) a former boyfriend of Merteuil. Valmont also sleeps around with every woman he meets but ends up falling for Madame deTourvel (Meg Tilly). There's more going on but it gets complicated.

The original book and 1988 movie show Valmont and Merteuil as vicious evil people who will ruin people just because they can. This movie tones or cuts out all the viciousness, makes sweeping changes in the story and even changes the fate of three different characters. However I didn't hate it. We have a faithful version already so I have no problem with revisions. As it is this is a fun and very playful version of the story. The tone is light and no one seems to be taking it seriously for one moment. It looks great, is never boring (even at 137 minutes) and moves quickly.

However the debits are numerous. Bening and Firth are great actors are totally miscast. Firth is tall, handsome and young and totally unable to show the evil in his character. The same with Bening. She is gorgeous and a terrific actress but she's always smiling and so playful here that you have no idea that she's supposed to be evil. Still it does work if you ignore the original story. Balk is excellent in her role and even Henry Thomas (a VERY limited actor) is good--especially when he faces off against Merteuil at the end. So I liked it a lot. It was fun and cheerful. I know that sounds strange but it's true. Recommended.

Valmont and Dangerous Liaisons differ so much in story line it makes me wonder which of the two comes closest to the original story. At any rate, I found Valmont, although well made, a bit boring and not something I'll remember for long. Dangerous Liaisons is a true classic with much spectacle. I have seen DL twice. I rate Valmont a 5 and DL a 10.