A Critical Essay Comparing the Novel Dangerous Liaisons and the Film Cruel Intentions

The similarities and differences of the movie and the novel can be explored through consideration of their nature and various literary elements.

Comparison of the genres

To begin with, the two are not of the same genre; one being an epistolary novel and the other one a movie. At large, the two works' differences rely on the fact that they are different modes of presentation. The medium used in the novel is written words in which the reader has to imagine what is happening based on the encoded words of the author; suffice it to say that it is in the form of letters so that the form of narration is coupled with the personal beliefs, emotions, and manner of expression of the letter’s writer. Since the media used in the film are a combination among others of scenes, dialogues, and acting, the viewer may have a more direct, sensual experience.

Comparison of the settings

The setting of the movie Cruel Intentions is in America sometime in the late twentieth century. The movie depicts a post - modern Manhattan in New York where high rises, car models and even fashion are consistent with this period of time. In light of the technical aspect of the movie, it is known that it was produced in the year 1999. The setting of the novel Dangerous Liaisons on the other hand is in the l8tl1 century, France - a period which as depicted in the novel flourished with a monarchial system of society. It focused on the aristocratic level of society; exposing some of the perversions and decadent lifestyles of the group.

Comparison of the plots

Comparison of the characters and characterization

The characters' names have been altered to fit in the setting of the movie but the characterizations are mostly consistent to that of the novel's. In the movie, the major characters, Sebastian and Kathryn Merteuil were depicted as step-siblings because their wealthy parents got married. Sebastian was a handsome, ruthless, womanizing teen-ager and Kathryn was a deceitful, impudent, cocaine addict about the same age as Sebastian. They were portrayed as young people trying to maintain a reputation which forces them to do deceitful actions. Just like in the novel, the motivations of both characters are almost just the same - to get what they want at the expense of other people. In the movie, Sebastian wanted to be more popular or so make his reputation boosted if he could be able to deceive Annette and destroy her impeccable reputation. Kathryn on the other hand was motivated by her desire to get revenge on her former lover named Court Reynolds who broke up with her and in a way wounded her big ego. As other events in the story took place, the motivations of the two main characters became stronger and they tried to get what they wanted even if they violated ethical and social standards.

In the novel, the main characters, Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont were depicted as former lovers, they were members of the aristocratic (wealthy) families. They were in no way related by blood but were portrayed to have similarities in personality. They both succumbed to their vain desires of destroying other people for pleasure or satisfaction. Similar to the motivations of the main characters in the movie, the Vicomte wanted a boost in his reputation by defiling a former nun and bride of a Parliament member; the Marquise wanted revenge towards her former lover by the name of Comte de Gercourt.

The movie characters Annette Hardgrove (Reese Witherspoon) and Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair) were used to embody one character in the novel: the Presidente de Tourvel Cecile Volanges. The movie shows Annette as a virgin teen ager who has disclosed her thoughts on a magazine about waiting for the right time and the right person instead of being aggressive and wasting your chastity on just anyone. Cecile Caldwell on the other hand is the girl to whom Kathryn's former lover has fallen in love with. In the novel, Cecile Volanges was a former nun. She just came out from the convent and thus is characterized as a prayerful and religious woman and the bride of Comte de Gercourt who is the former lover of Marquise de Merteuil.

A closer look into the two movie characters would give us fuller idea about their similarities to the novel's Cecile Volanges. Annete's resolve not to easily fall into the sweet talks of Sebastian shows that she was strong in holding on to her principle about waiting for the right time and the right person. Meanwhile, Cecile Caldwell's innocence, specially to sex, has a strong attribution to Cecile Volange's righteousness and faithfulness to the man she is betrothed to. Both characters in the end, however succumbs to having sex with Sebastian and so was Cecile Volanges to Vicomte de Valmont. The only difference is that Annette and Sebastian fell in love while Cecile considered her sexual experience, a practice for his future boyfriend.  In the novel, it can also be seen that Cecile Volanges and Vicomte de Valmonte fell in love to each other.