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A Korean filmmaker, an 18th century French
novelist and the intrigue of Shanghai all come together in Well Go U.S.A.’s
Feb. 12 DVD and Blu-ray release of Dangerous Liaisons.
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos 1782 work, Les Liaisons Dangereuses,
has been brought to the screen several times, including director Stephen Frears
lavish 1988 film interpretation with Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle
Pfeiffer.
Then there was Milos Forman’s Valmont
(1999) and who could forget Roger Vadim’s 1959 Les Liaisons Dangereuses
and its vision of post-war France as the battleground for the infamous games of
sexual intrigues (starring Jeanne Moreau, Gérard Philipe and Annette Vadim).
For director Jin-Ho Hur (April Snow, Happiness,
Christmas
in August, etc.) the setting is — and in many ways very appropriate —
1931 Shanghai. A corrupt China, the
storm clouds of war with Japan rumbling in the distance and the “Paris of the
East” filled with the tensions of money, sex and power. Perfect!
This magnificently mounted production showcases the extraordinary
talents of Cecilia Cheung (Lost in Time, Fly Me to Polaris, etc.),
Jang Dong-gun (My Way, Friend, The Promise) and Zhang Ziyi
(Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, etc.) in the
pivotal roles made famous over 200 years ago.
Some new twists and adapted for the period, but the game is the same!
Presented Mandarin, with English subtitles, bonus features
include two featurettes — “The Making of Dangerous Liaisons” and “Behind the
Scenes.”