Follow up: sometimes one has to turn it off.... Or not....

A few months ago I reviewed Dangerous Liaisons, the film that starred Glenn Close and John Malkovich.  I chose to turn it off after 20 minutes or so because I couldn't stand John Malkovich's character.  I found his portrayal to be flat.

The other night I watched Valmont, another film based on the novel Les Liaisons Dangerous.  This time Colin Firth played the Valmont, and he did so in a much more convincing and fun matter.  It was a joy to watch.

Another actor who redeemed a role was Sian Phillips, who is always great in whatever she does.  Swoosie Kurtz was terribly miscast in the other film.  Sian was perfect and portrayed herself with a sense of esteem and nobility, which is what the part called for.

And Henry Thomas as Chevalier was perfect, surpassing Keanu Reeve's performance in the other film.

Annette Benning was fantastic as Isabelle.  I've always liked her performances, and she doesn't disappoint here.

As with Uma Thurmann's portrayal of Cecile in the other film, I was really pleasantly surprised at Meg Tilly's portrayal of Madame de Tourvel in this one.  I never cared for her work in the 1980's and '90's (this film was released in 1989), since she always played a soft-spoken shy, type.  I never saw her range until now.  I haven't seen much of her work in recent years, but her portrayal in this film is the best I've seen from that decade.

If given a choice between Dangerous Liaisons and Valmont, I would hands-down vote for Valmont.  Don't waste your time with the other film.

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