Dangerous Liaisons (M) PRESENTED IN 35MM FILM

Dangerous Liaisons (M, 1988) Presented in 35mm Film by The Revival House Perth

In pre-revolutionary France, the Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) and Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich), former lovers turned expert manipulators, engage in a wickedly sophisticated game of seduction and revenge among the French aristocracy. Merteuil enlists Valmont in a scheme to corrupt the virtuous, convent-raised Cécile de Volanges before her upcoming marriage, while Valmont pursues a separate, more personal challenge: the seduction of the devoutly married Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer), a woman renowned for her fidelity and moral virtue. As Valmont's calculated pursuit of Tourvel unexpectedly develops into genuine feeling, the elaborate web of manipulation, deceit, and cruelty that Merteuil and Valmont have constructed begins to collapse around them, exposing the devastating human cost of their aristocratic games.

Director Stephen Frears crafts an exquisitely cruel period drama that uses the trappings of romantic costume drama to explore genuinely dark themes of manipulation, cruelty, and emotional warfare. Glenn Close delivers a masterfully icy, calculating performance as Merteuil, a woman who wields social convention as a weapon against the very system that constrains her, while John Malkovich brings unsettling charisma to Valmont's seductive cruelty. Michelle Pfeiffer's performance as the tragically sincere Tourvel provides devastating emotional counterpoint to her co-stars' calculated games, earning her an Academy Award nomination. Frears's elegant direction and the film's lavish period detail create a seductive surface beneath which genuine malice operates, while the screenplay's sharp, cutting dialogue reveals the emotional violence lurking beneath the aristocracy's polished manners, resulting in a period drama of remarkable psychological depth and cruelty.

Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film unless noted otherwise.

When: Sunday, September 20th at 4:00PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: M (The content is moderate in impact)