Les Liaisons dangereuses, also known as, Dangerous Liaisons, is a French novel written by Choderlos de Laclos and originally published in 1782. The novel is one of the widely regarded classic French literature. The story is about a nobleman trying to seduce a noble lady to spite and make his former lover jealous. The Vicomte de Valmont is the hedonistic nobleman, who sets out to seduce the virtuous and upright Madame de Tourvel, for his own amusement and to spite his former lover, the Marquise de Merteuil.
Being a sophisticated tale of seduction and treachery set in 18th-century French society, the novel has been adapted into a number of movies, stage performances, and operas due to the complex story’s ideas and characters.
Here is a list of TV and movie adaptations of the French classic Les Liaisons dangereuses in their release order:
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
This 1988 adaptation, starred John Malkovich as Vicomte de Valmont, Glenn Close as Marquise de Merteuil, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Madame de Tourvel.
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Country: United States, United Kingdom
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release Date: 11 December 1988
Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes
Director: Stephen Frears
Production: Lorimar Film Entertainment, NFH Productions, Warner Bros.
Valmont (1989)
This 1989 adaptation, starred Colin Firth as Vicomte de Valmont, Annette Bening as Marquise de Merteuil, and Meg Tilly as Madame de Tourvel.
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Country: France, United Kingdom
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release Date: 13 November 1989
Duration: 2 hours 17 minutes
Director: Milos Forman
Production: Renn Productions, Timothy Burrill Productions
Watch Valmont (1989) on Apple TV!
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Cruel Intentions (1999)
The most popular adaptation of the novel, the 1999 adaptation, starred Ryan Phillippe as Sebastian Valmont, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kathryn Merteuil, and Reese Witherspoon as Annette Hargrove.
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Country: United States
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release Date: 5 March 1999
Duration: 1 hour 37 minutes
Director: Roger Kumble
Production: Columbia Pictures (presents), Original Film, Newmarket Capital Group, Cruel Productions LLC
Watch Cruel Intentions (1999) on Apple TV!
Les liaisons dangereuses (2003)
This Les liaisons dangereuses (2003), a French television mini-series adaptation, starred Rupert Everett as Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont, Catherine Deneuve as Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil, and Nastassja Kinski as Madame Maria de Tourvel.
IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
Country: United Kingdom, France, Canada
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release Date: 23 August 2003
Duration: 4 hours 12 minutes | 2 episodes
Director: Josée Dayan
Production: JLA Productions, Remstar Productions (co-production), Future Film Production (co-production), TF1 (participation), Sofica Valor 6 (participation), Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) (participation)
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Untold Scandal (2003)
In this 2003 adaptation, a South Korean romantic drama film stars Bae Yong-joon as Jo-won (Valmont), Lee Mi-sook as Madam Jo (Merteuil), and Jeon Do-yeon as Lady Jeong (Tourvel).
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Country: South Korea
Genre: Drama
Release Date: 2 October 2003
Duration: 2 hours 4 minutes
Director: Lee Je-yong
Production: B.O.M. Film Productions Co.
Watch Untold Scandal (2003) on Apple TV!
Dangerous Liaisons (2012)
This 2012 adaptation, a Chinese period romance drama film, stars Jang Dong-gun as Xie Yifan, Cecilia Cheung as Mo Jieyu, and Zhang Ziyi as Du Fenyu (Yifan’s uncle’s granddaughter).
IMDb Rating: 6.0/10
Country: China, South Korea, Singapore
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Release Date: 24 May 2012
Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes
Director: Hur Jin-ho
Production: Zonbo Media
Watch Dangerous Liaisons (2012) on iQIYI!
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Les Liaisons dangereuses (2016)
In this 2016 adaptation, National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Dominic West plays Vicomte de Valmont, Janet McTeer plays Marquise de Merteuil, and Elaine Cassidy plays Madame de Tourvel.
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 28 January 2016
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
Director: Josie Rourke, Tony Grech-Smith (co-director)
Production: National Theatre Live
Tempted (2018)
Tempted (2018), a South Korean romantic drama adaptation, stars Woo Do-hwan as Kwon Shi-Hyun (Valmont), Moon Ga-young as Choi Soo-Ji (Merteuil), and Joy as Eun Tae-hee (Tourvel).
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Country: South Korea
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Release Date: 12 March 2018 to 1 May 2018
Duration: 35 minutes per episode | Total 32 episodes
Director: Kang In, Lee Dong Hyun
Production: Bon Factory Worldwide
Watch Tempted (2018) on Netflix!
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Dangerous Liaisons (2022)
This 2022 modern film adaptation, stars Simon Rérolle as Tristan, Ella Pellegrini as Vanessa, and Paola Locatelli as Célène.
IMDb Rating: 4.0/10
Country: France
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release Date: 8 July 2022
Duration: 1 hour 49 minutes
Director: Rachel Suissa
Production: Autopilot Entertainment
Watch Dangerous Liaisons (2022) on Netflix!
Dangerous Liaisons (2022)
This 2022 8-part prelude to the classic 18th-century novel, stars Nicholas Denton as Valmont, and Alice Englert as Camille.
IMDb Rating: 5.7/10
Country: United States
Genre: Drama, History
Release Date: 6 November 2022
Duration: 54-59 minutes per episode | Total 8 episodes
Director: Olly Blackburn, Leonora Lonsdale
Production: Playground Entertainment, Flame Ventures, Lionsgate Television, Lola Post Production
Watch Dangerous Liaisons (2022) on LIONSGATE+!
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