by Izzy Woods
This movie was meant to shock you and wasn’t
for the faint hearted. From the opening scene where a woman murders her lover
with planned precision, you know you’re going on a roller coaster ride that
will be more than a little uncomfortable.
Behind the Scenes of 'That Scene'
Looking back over history now, the one scene
that has taken up 99% of the talk over this movie isn’t even agreed upon by the
two people involved. Director Paul Verhoeven said that actress Sharon Stone was
ready for the scene where she would cross her legs, giving her interviewers and
the audience of millions opportunity to wonder if she was wearing any
underwear. She wasn’t, but this must be the most replayed frame by frame scene.
Some still aren’t sure after a dozen viewings.
Though there’s no doubt that it has placed her
in the vaults of must-see movies, Sharon Stone tells a different story. She
said she didn’t know anything about the director’s choice of how to play the
scene until it was too late. Ms Stone said she didn’t mind the nude scenes in
the movie, but was disturbed by the murders, not just because of the numbers of
murders, but the way people were killed, as though voyeurs were watching.
The crew confirmed that body doubles not used
for the many nude scenes. That didn't ruin Ms Stone’s reputation as she
appeared to lose her clothing regularly throughout the movie, a fact not lost
on her new found male and female fans.
Interestingly, Michael Douglas and Sharon
Stone were nowhere near the top of the list to play the leads for the movie,
but after seeing the screenplay, most well known names of the day refused to
sign on.
Lesbian Controversy
This brings us to the argument over whether
the movie portrayed lesbians as evil killers or just killers who happened to be
lesbian. Lesbian and gay activists tried to disrupt during shooting of the film
in San Francisco and enthusiastically demonstrated wherever the film opened in
theaters.
Paul Verhoeven had to back down and revert to
the original screenplay as he tried to make the portrayal of the actresses ever
darker. Writer Joe Eszterhas had a collection of
hits under his belt when he was contracted to write Basic Instinct. The
writer was paid $3 million. The director removed him but then didn’t agree with
the second writer (over the explicitness) so they went back to the original
Eszterhas version.
The Story
To center on the controversy is wrong. The
movie is quite brilliant. The writer slaved over every word and none are out of
place. The movie may require a second viewing just to check who did commit the
murders. It’s easy to miss the clues and though it appears to show the audience
who was guilty, it isn’t actually confirmed, so it could be open to
interpretation.
The movie tells the story of a writer and a
killer. The killer acts out the murders from the writer’s back catalogue. The
writer is so manipulative that the detective investigating her falls for her
not knowing if she is in fact, the murderer. Not only does she keep the
detectives on a leash, but the audience too.
The sex scenes are quite graphic, erotic for
many, leaving nothing to the imagination. Writers are taught to show and not
tell their story. It feels as though the audience is in there with the
copulating couple.
Box Office Success
The movie was an outstanding success. It took
almost $400 million at the box office (this is around twenty years ago) and
became one of the top DVD sellers of the decade. Interestingly, as Sharon Stone
was new to top salaries, her half a million dollar check was just a small part
of the $50 million budget, but this movie alone quadrupled her salary
overnight, giving her plenty of capital for going on World Cruises on vacation.
A Disappointing Sequel
You had to wait 14 years for Basic Instinct 2, which
really wasn’t worth the wait. Only Sharon Stone returned from the first movie
and she hadn’t lost anything in the intervening years. The movie didn’t get
good reviews, although if you can get through to a third viewing, it will grow
on you. However, there is no doubt that it cannot match the heights gained by
the original, which stands in
history as one of the great movies to see.
