Corsets, cruelty and the art of emotional warfare
Some films wear elegance like armour – and none do it more lethally than Dangerous Liaisons. Set in 18th century France, this adaptation of the classic novel is a masterclass in manipulation, where desire is currency and reputation is a blade.
Glenn Close’s Marquise de Merteuil and John Malkovich’s Vicomte de Valmont don’t seduce for love, they seduce for sport. Their games unfold in candlelit salons and whispered letters, with Michelle Pfeiffer’s Madame de Tourvel caught in the crossfire of their cruelty.
The costumes are opulent, the dialogue is venomous and beneath every powdered wig lies a war of intimacy and control.
She didn’t play the game, she designed it
Why It Still Cuts Deep
- Performance as precision: Glenn Close delivers one of cinema’s most devastating final shots – no words, just a mirror and a face stripped of power.
- Styling as strategy: Every corset, every fan and flourish is a weapon, fashion becomes emotional armour.
- Themes that linger: Feminine agency, performative virtue, and the cost of reputation in a world ruled by appearance.
Dangerous Liaisons remains a cinematic lesson in elegance as edge – where beauty bruises and power whispers.
It’s a reminder that the most devastating stories are often dressed in silk and silence.
Ronin Cinema 