Search - Valmont [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Brief Nudity, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children Movie Release: 1989 DVD Release: 09/17/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 17 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Drama, Period Film See Also: Valmont [Fullscreen]

The third adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' classic novel -Les Liasons Dangereuses, Milos Forman's Valmont was released one year after Stephen Frears' more famous version of the de Laclos original, Dangerous Liaisons. The plot remains the same: two debauched, depraved 18th century French aristocrats, the Vicomte de Valmont (Colin Firth) and the Marquise de Merteuil (Annette Bening), conspire to destroy several innocent lives, just for the fun of it. But whereas Stephen Frears concentrated on the machinations of the marquise, Forman, per his film's title, devotes most of his screen space to Valmont (played in the Frears version by John Malkovich). In fact, Forman's film concludes with Valmont's conscience-stricken renunciation of his past sins, and his duel to the death, rather than de Meurteil's well-deserved comeuppance. Forman has chosen to set the story back some 50 years, de-emphasizing the opulence that was vital to Frears' vision; he has also utilized a younger cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Colin Firth - Vicomte de Valmont
Annette Bening - Marquise de Merteuil
Meg Tilly - Mme. de Tourvel
Fairuza Balk - Cecile de Volanges
Sian Phillips - Mme. De Volanges

Annette Bening stars in director Milos Forman's Valmont. MGM has done an only mediocre job on this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Unfortunately, the picture is not always as sharp as one might hope with colors and black levels usually even though sometimes a tad off. With a fair amount of grain in the image, this transfer could have used a bit more attention while being transferred to DVD. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround in English and French and is about on par with the video transfer -- mediocre at best. While the bulk of this track is free of any excessive hiss or distortion, overall it lacks any true directional effects or dynamic range. Also included on this disc are English, French, and Spanish subtitles. Fans of this period piece will be disappointed to see that the only extra feature included on this disc is a theatrical trailer for the film. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide