Reading for Discords and Fissures: A Comparative Reading of Dangerous Liaisons and Untold Scandal

Abstract

This essay reads two different filmic versions of the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The Hollywood version Dangerous Liaisons (Stephen Frears, 1988) and the Korean version Untold Scandal (J-yong E, 2003) both closely follow the original story, even though the latter is set in 18th century Korea instead of France. Despite the difference in spatial setting, the two films share many similarities, encouraging a superimposition of interpretations. But this transcendence of spatial boundaries have also produced several significant differences - some intentional, others not. These disparities prompt the viewer to reflect on the production of unforeseen changes in the process of adaptation and the implications of these transformations. This essay sets out to examine the similarities and differences of the two films while focusing on the three main protagonists in the context of the social, historical background of the period; this focus, in particular, enables us to compare the depiction of the restricted female position in patriarchal society in the two films.