(1959; French, b/w) Setting his adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel in a late-1950s bourgeois milieu, with a jazzy score by Thelonious Monk, director Roger Vadim cast his wife Annette Vadim as the unfortunate, sincere and righteous, Marianne. Hosting a party in their home, husband and wife for eleven years - Valmont de Merteuil (Gérard Philipe) and Juliette (Jeanne Moreau) - plot their next depravity as their guests gossip about them among themselves.

Losing control over her most recent victim - an American, Jerry Court (Nicolas Vogel) - who has committed an unforgivable slight of getting engaged to an innocent 17-year-old, Cecile Volanges (Jean Valerie), before Juliette ("No liaison is too dangerous for me") has released him, Madame Valmont plans her revenge. The Volangeses, Cecile and her mother, are going to Megeve, Switzerland, for a skiing holiday where Valmont will also play in the snow and seduce the girl, spoiling Court's virginal bride.

However, Cecile is in love with young, priggish Danceny (Jean Louis Trintignant), a mathematics student in college who expects her to wait four years for him to graduate and complete his military service before they can wed.

While pursuing his wife's request, keeping her posted in Paris on his progress by letter, Valmont meets a more enticing challenge, Marianne, who is married (husband Henri absent but accompanied by her aunt Madame Rosemund) with a child and is the embodiment of faithfulness, modesty, and purity - in short, she is virtue waiting to be ruined. "I've never wanted any woman more than her," he admits to himself: "Virtue is best conquered with truth."

Successful with Cecile, Valmont (a cold-blooded predator wary of getting trapped by love and its sentiments) turns his affectionate attentions on Marianne (who though half drunk and vulnerable becomes hysterical) after Juliette arrives for New Year's Eve celebrations. Not jealous, she tells her husband - her confidant and accomplice - just calculating, but stipulates to prove he's not falling in love he must ravish Marianne and then drop her by the time she returns from New York in ten days.

Having escaped the temptation in Megeve, Marianne returns to her home, refusing to answer Valmont's phone calls; he (recalling Juliette's insight that women feel sublime before surrender) defeats her by coming to her door when alone, saying he will abandon his wife and career as a diplomat if she continues to refuse him. Incapable of allowing Valmont to be unhappy, Marianne (fantasizing of becoming Valmont's wife) willingly sacrifices everything - her reputation, her husband, her child, her God - for him: "I should let you leave, but I can't."

When Juliette returns to Paris, she's piqued that her husband isn't home to greet her with a triumphant description of operation breakup; Cecile comes to her with a crisis to which Juliette responds by instructing Danceny to ignore Cecile and focus on his mathematics. Taking matters further into her own hands, Juliette sends Marianne a telegram in Valmont's name; ridiculing her madly-in-love spouse, she declares war, pitting getting even against his charming wit.

Morality and good humor have no chance against such evil intentions, even though Valmont and Juliette get their comeuppance. Of all the cinematic versions of this story I've seen, I much prefer Valmont.

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Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
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