9½ Weeks
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| 9½ Weeks | |
|---|---|
 original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Adrian Lyne |
| Produced by | Mark Damon Sidney Kimmel Zalman King |
| Written by | Sarah Kernochan Zalman King |
| Starring | Kim Basinger Mickey Rourke |
| Music by | Jack Nitzsche |
| Cinematography | Peter Biziou |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| Release date(s) | 1986 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| IMDb profile | |
9½ Weeks is a 1986 erotic drama film starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger.
It was directed by English filmmaker Adrian Lyne and based on the novella of the same title by Elizabeth McNeill (pseudonym). The film took $7m in USA box office reciepts alone, but was very badly received by critics.[1] [2] Video sales and rentals, as well as international viewings, were extremely strong, and the film has been repeatedly screened on US cable.
9½ Weeks is known for its erotic sadomasochistic content.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The title of the film refers to the duration of a sadomasochistic relationship between Wall Street investor John Grey (played by Mickey Rourke) and divorced art gallery owner Elizabeth McGraw (Kim Basinger). The two meet while in New York City, and lead a (sometimes violent) sex life.
They often try out a variety of diverse sexual and erotic acts, including: a scene in which John spoon feeds Elizabeth various kinds of sweet foods, while she is blindfolded; a scene in which the couple has sex in a rainy brick alley stairway; and Basinger's now iconic striptease to Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On".
The film details a sexual downward spiral as John pushes Elizabeth's boundaries towards her eventual emotional breakdown. He often manipulates her into getting what he wants during sex, and sometimes abuses her, knowing she cannot resist it. Symbolism and metaphors run through the movie. For example, a fish that is caught, killed and eaten is used throughout the film as a symbol of Elizabeth's emotional state.
[edit] Controversy
Many scenes were supposedly cut before the movie's release because they were deemed "psychologically damaging" by the studio, and many often believed the sex scenes may have been real. The most famous scene cut allegedly involved John and Elizabeth in a pact to overdose on sleeping pills together, only to find out that John had replaced the pills with placebos. This scene is not reflected in the novella, but can be found in the final draft of the script. Adrian Lyne has promised repeatedly to release a director's version of the movie, which would include many of the cut scenes, but that project has not surfaced.
This film was Kim Basinger's first starring role in a major motion picture. Director Adrian Lyne used emotionally manipulative tactics on Basinger during the shooting in order to elicit the performance he wanted from the somewhat green actress, which Basinger later criticized harshly. For example, Lyne did not allow Rourke and Basinger to talk to each other off-set. The two were kept isolated from each other and Lyne would tell Basinger rumors about Rourke intended to make her like or dislike him so that she would carry that attitude into the scene.
Lyne would also offer Rourke performance notes, but Basinger none, in order to unnerve her. In a very unusual and expensive move along these lines, Lyne chose to shoot the film sequentially, so that Basinger's actual emotional breakdown over time would be effectively translated to the screen.
[edit] Soundtrack and score
The main single released from the 9½ Weeks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was "I Do What I Do", performed by Duran Duran bassist John Taylor, giving his first solo singing performance during a hiatus in Duran Duran's career. The song reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #42 on the UK Singles Chart.
The soundtrack also included tracks from Luba, Bryan Ferry, Dalbello, Corey Hart, Joe Cocker, Devo, Eurythmics, Stewart Copeland, and Jean Michel Jarre.
Music for the score was composed by John Taylor and Jonathan Elias.
[edit] Awards
The movie was nominated for three categories in the 1986 Golden Raspberry Awards.
[edit] Sequels
A tentative sequel was written called Four Days in February by Zalman King, and Mickey Rourke was said to have agreed to the project, however Kim Basinger declined and the sequel was abandoned. In 1997, the actual sequel appeared direct to video called Another 9½ Weeks, starring Mickey Rourke and Angie Everhart and directed by Anne Goursaud. In 1998 a straight to video prequel was made called The First 9½ Weeks but it did not contain any of the original actors.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Briggs, Joe Bob (2005). Profoundly Erotic: Sexy Movies that Changed History. New York: Rizzoli.
