Legendary filmmaker Miloš Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, Man on the Moon) takes on the classic novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses in this delectable thriller starring Colin Firth (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Annette Bening (American Beauty) and Meg Tilly (Masquerade). In 18th-century France, a cold and calculating playboy, Valmont (Firth), makes a malicious wager with the equally wicked Madame de Merteuil (Bening): Valmont must dishonor the married Madame de Tourvel (Tilly) by sleeping with her. If Valmont succeeds, he gets the privilege of Merteuil’s bed as well. But when Valmont sets out on his task, the unexpected happens…he falls in love with Tourvel. And now Merteuil will stop at nothing to destroy Valmont’s newfound passion. Co-written by Jean-Claude Carrière (Belle de Jour) and co-starring Fairuza Balk (The Craft), Siân Phillips (Dune), Jeffrey Jones (Ed Wood), Henry Thomas (E.T.) and Vincent Schiavelli (Man on the Moon), the sumptuous Valmont spins an exquisitely entertaining tale of cruel intentions and savage seductions.

For thoughts on Valmont, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/ZKxNTPdeCv4?si=7inX6hFnuNSDcO6D&t=3577]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Valmont with a very pleasant upgrade in the form of a new 1080p transfer in 2.35:1 that is derived from a 2K scan of the 35mm Interpositive. The transfer has cleaned up nearly all instances of dirt and debris for a crisp and consistent viewing experience. The overall color palette is natural and bright with vibrant colors within the environments that are striking with grand saturation. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation delivers some deep black levels that only begin to strain a bit in the darkest moments. There is a noticeable uptick in fine detail that should please anyone who has been longing for an upgrade. There does not appear to have been any digital manipulation of the source. The transfer provides sumptuous natural film grain absent of any compression artifacts or other such digital anomalies. Kino Classics has given this one a respectable presentation.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a strong DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that represents the film well throughout. One of the first things you will notice is the vibrancy and clarity of the score that aid the tone consistently. Despite the resonance of this score, nothing ever overshadows the dialogue or other important information. This track shows no major instances of age-related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. The dialogue and background noises are represented in pleasing harmony with all competing elements. All of the sound effects and music appear to be faithful to the intent of the original sound. This disc maintains a favorable sense of fidelity that is appreciated throughout. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer provides a formidable commentary track in which he delves into how this film tackles the literary tale, the work of Miloš Forman, the themes of the story, how this film suffered in the wake of Dangerous Liaisons, how it compares to other adaptations, the background of the performers, the legacy of the feature, and more.

The Art of Seduction – Director Milos Forman on Valmont: A 16-minute interview from 2000 is provided here which finds the filmmaker discussing his background, working on Valmont, his famous friendships and influences, why he never moved to Los Angeles, the challenges of working in America, why he wanted to tackle this material, and more.

Trailers: There is a two-minute trailer provided for Valmont. There are also trailers provided for Man on the Moon, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, Masquerade, and Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Final Thoughts

Valmont is a surprisingly engaging steamy period drama that thrives under the direction of Miloš Forman. Even as someone who did not much care for Dangerous Liaisons from the year prior, this telling of the story made slight adjustments that made it sing. The performers all do a really nice job, especially Fairuza Balk in a very different type of role than we are used to. The hefty runtime does not prove to be a detriment, instead allowing more time for character development. Kino Classics has provided a new Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and some decent special features. If you are a fan of the film, you will love this release. Recommended

Valmont is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.