The popular 1980s film Dangerous Liaisons revolves around the social machinations of nobles in 1700s France, prior to the French Revolution. In the film, the Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close), seeking revenge against a former lover, convinces the Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich) to seduce and spurn two women (Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman).

The original source material for the story is the 1782 epistolary novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The tale of Valmont and Mertueil is told via a series of letters. The book was published around the time of the French Revolution, and part of its purpose was to show the decay in morals of the nobility.

Playwright Christopher Hampton adapted the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1985. The play was immensely popular, ran for years on the West End, and also ran on Broadway. Its success led to the film adaptation, also scripted by Hampton.

Several other films have used de Laclos' novel as their basis. These include:

1. 1959: Les Liaisons Dangereuses, French, directed by Roger Vadim; modern France setting
2. 1989: Valmont, directed by Milos Forman, starring Colin Firth, Annette Benning, Henry Thomas, Fairuza Balk, Meg Tilly; 1700s setting
3. 1999: Cruel Intentions, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair; modern United States setting
4. 2003: Untold Scandal, 1700s Korean setting