Valmont

Though wobbly in tone and language, Milos Forman’s adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons makes it into my Fragonard-related film series at the Clark next Fall simply on the basis of costume and set design. This is a lovely film to look at, and will look great projected widescreen on the museum wall. Made at the same time as Stephen Frears’ version of the 1782 Laclos novel, Valmont ceded priority and esteem to the bravura ensemble of Glenn Close-John Malkovich-Michelle Pfieffer-Uma Thurman. Here the characters are embodied by Annette Bening-Colin Firth-Meg Tilly-Fairuza Balk -- not bad but no match -- their lines have little flavor of period or place, and there’s more bedroom farce than revelation of malevolence and decadence. But oh those locations, dresses, decor! (1989, dvd, n.) *6*