9½ Weeks
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| 9½ Weeks | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical 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 |
| Editing by | Caroline Biggerstaff Ed Hansen |
| Distributed by | MGM (USA) 20th Century Fox (non-USA) |
| Release date(s) | February 21, 1986 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
9½ Weeks is a 1986 erotic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. The film is based on the novella of the same title by Elizabeth McNeill.
The film was not a major success commercially in the United States, grossing USD $7 million in box office receipts alone, and was very badly received by critics. Despite its moderate success in North America, the film acquired a large fanbase on video and was a huge success internationally.[citation needed] The film is now well known for its erotic sadomasochistic content.
The film spawned two direct-to-video sequels, Another 9½ Weeks in 1997 and The First 9½ Weeks in 1998.
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[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 SoHo art gallery employee 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 teases her body with ice while she's blindfolded; a scene in which John spoon feeds Elizabeth various kinds of foods while her eyes are closed; a scene in which Elizabeth takes off a tuxedo and has sex with her partner in a rainy brick alley stairway; and Basinger's now iconic striptease to Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On," as performed by Joe Cocker.
The film details a sexual downward spiral as John pushes Elizabeth's boundaries toward her eventual emotional breakdown. He often manipulates her into getting what he wants during sex and sometimes abuses her, knowing she cannot resist it.
[edit] Controversy
Many scenes were supposedly cut before the movie's release because they were deemed "psychologically damaging" by the studio. 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, although many of the erotic scenes featured a body double. Director Adrian Lyne used emotionally manipulative tactics on Basinger during the shooting to elicit the performance he wanted from the somewhat new 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 shot the film sequentially, so that Basinger's actual emotional breakdown over time would be effectively translated to the screen.
[edit] Reception
9½ Weeks currently has a 62% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
[edit] Awards
The movie was nominated for three categories in the 1986 Golden Raspberry Awards.
[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. Music for the score was composed by Taylor and Jonathan Elias. Original music for the movie was also written by Jack Nitzsche, but his compositions are not included on the soundtrack.
The soundtrack also included tracks from Luba, Bryan Ferry, Dalbello, Corey Hart, Joe Cocker, Devo, Eurythmics and Stewart Copeland. Jean Michel Jarre's "Arpegiator", played during the sex scene on the stairs in the rain, was not included on the record.
[edit] Sequels
A tentative sequel was written called Four Days in February by Zalman King. 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] References
- Briggs, Joe Bob (2005). Profoundly Erotic: Sexy Movies that Changed History. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 0-7893-1314-6.
