Latest 'Liaisons' a grand guilty pleasure

By G. Allen Johnson
San Francisco Chronicle

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 16, 2012

~~<p>The new Chinese adaptation of "Dangerous Liaisons" takes Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 18th-century source material to its most sumptuous silliness — I mean that as a compliment.</p>
<p>A gorgeous, big-scale film, set in 1931 Shanghai, it provides juicy roles for China's Zhang Ziyi and Hong Kong's Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi — two stars who have weathered big sex scandals in real life, and you wonder if that led to their casting here. It certainly adds an extra layer of fun as the cruel sexual gamesmanship we're familiar with (through the many film and stage versions) plays out.</p>
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<td><strong>‘DANGEROUS LIAISONS'</strong><br />
Not rated<br />
<img src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/bullet_bluestar.gif" alt="*" /><img src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/bullet_bluestar.gif" alt="*" /><img src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/bullet_bluestar.gif" alt="*" /><img src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/bullet_bluestar.gif" alt="*" /><br />
<em>Opening today at Consolidated Kahala </em></td>
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The new Chinese adaptation of "Dangerous Liaisons" takes Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 18th-century source material to its most sumptuous silliness — I mean that as a compliment.

A gorgeous, big-scale film, set in 1931 Shanghai, it provides juicy roles for China's Zhang Ziyi and Hong Kong's Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi — two stars who have weathered big sex scandals in real life, and you wonder if that led to their casting here. It certainly adds an extra layer of fun as the cruel sexual gamesmanship we're familiar with (through the many film and stage versions) plays out. ‘DANGEROUS LIAISONS' Not rated Opening today at Consolidated Kahala Login for more...