Triumph of treachery

A new Eastern version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses is stunning - the best yet.

There have been many adaptations of Choederlos de Laclos's Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a couple of them excellent. But there have been none better than Je-yong Lee's new South Korean version for sheer luxury and subtle decadence.

Set in 18th-century Korea at the decaying end of the Chosen dynasty, it remains faithful to the novel, while adding an Eastern edge that seems wholly appropriate.

This is a period of Korean history that looks stable enough on the surface, with the upper classes moving around each other with a sense of propriety akin to the Victorian-era in Britain, but underneaththe decorous exterior lies simmering lust, treachery and almost pathological ambition.

The lothario is played by Bae Yong-Jun, who pines for Lee Mi-Sook's unattainable Lady Cho and wagers with her that he will deflower her husband's new concubine (Lee So-Yeon) as well as the Catholic and virginal widow who also tempts him. His prize is a night with Lady Cho, but if he doesn't succeed, he must become a monk. In the end, tragedy ensues, but not before the blackest of comedy rears its head.

Both photography and production design take the breath away as the participants circle around each other, unnervingly unhurried but gradually reaching the story's inevitable conclusion after a series of stunning set-pieces. There's an icy perfection to it all that seems exactly right.

But why Untold Scandal has been given an 18 Certificate is beyond me, since the admittedly abundant eroticism seldom degenerates into obviousness. What we get is a tale of human perfidy that is also a critique of the society of the day - and a gorgeous approximation of it, too.

If you thought Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring was a beautiful film, take a look at this addition to the new Korean cinema.

Untold Scandal
Cert: 18