Malkovich revisits French classic 'Dangerous Liaisons'

More than two decades after John Malkovich starred in "Dangerous Liaisons" as the film's arch seducer, the American actor is revisiting the classic French work, this time directing a stage version in Paris. For Malkovich, the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos published in 1782 highlights the centuries-old struggle between men and women. "I'm not saying war between men and women, but the struggle between them. I don't think that's changed since the time of Choderlos de Laclos," Malkovich said during a recent interview about the play at the Theatre de l'Atelier. "Deep emotions are often violent, and emotions, I think, are more or less the same," he said in fluent French, having lived in France for several years before quitting the country over a tax dispute. It is the struggle of the sexes that Malkovich has put at the heart of what he calls a timeless work. The play is British playwright Christopher Hampton's adaptation of the epistolary novel with a new French translation by Fanette Barraya. The actors were picked at an audition of 300 young hopefuls for the roles of the main characters who are aged between 15 and 30. Malkovich's staging is stripped down with minimalist sets in contrast to the elaborate splendour of the Hollywood movie. The cast wear 18th-century garb but communicate with each other via mobile phones. "It's just a method," said Malkovich. As a director he says the key tension remains between the Vicomte of Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil, who were first lovers and then rivals. Malkovich, now 58, played the role of Valmont in the 1988 film by Stephen Frears, starring alongside Glenn Close as the Marquise. "I haven't seen the film in more than 20 years," he said. For Malkovich, it is impossible to compare theatre and cinema. The stage was his first passion before acting in about 70 films. It's "an ephemeral experience, alive and different each night," he said of the allure of the theatre. "In my view, Laclos's intention was to express truths, ancient and deep truths, unforgettable and inevitable." Malkovich sees Valmont as already lost at the start of the play, when the vicomte is challenged to seduce the beautiful and seemingly unattainable Madame de Tourvelle. He thinks he's going to seduce Madame de Tourvelle for glory and to enhance his reputation as a seducer, while he's already in love with her," Malkovich said. "But he's so stupid he doesn't know it." "That's what's most interesting in the play, the fact that they don't know their own feelings," he said, then adds: "Like everyone."