Some people are confused and alarmed by movies that contain a lot of sex but also have a plot. I'm not talking about something like Original Sin (2001) which we all just watched to get a glimpse of Angelina Jolie's and (if you're into that kind of thing) Antonio Banderas' bare asses. That, we are comfortable with. We're even comfortable with Russ Meyer, because it's supposed to be about sex, and it's playful. I'm talking specifically about Masaru Konuma's flick, 'Beautiful Hunter,' which I will use as a prototypical example of the kind of movie I'm talking about. There is a plot,albeit a relatively simple one (professional assasin falls for her mark, is torn between duty and love, gets hunted down by the mob, you know the drill) And it's a relatively long movie, with a running time of 85 minutes. Some of the shots are even pretty beautiful, and I really felt for the protagonist when she cried beside the pool of her lover's blood. But it's a softcore. And some of the sex was pretty hot. So how do we react to this? Most folks I know (and some I don't, who posted on IMDB) would deem it mindless drivel. But if it was only softcore, or only a b-movie about a hot female assassin, these same viewers might have seen the same things I did: a decent B-flick with some action, some romance, some skin, and competent editing and cinematography. So what is it about this ambiguous space, somewhere between narrative and softcore, that freaks us out? Are we uncomfortable when a narrative film is too sexy, or when the characters in a softcore are too developed, too close to us? Are we just ashamed of enjoying porn, and want to keep that experience separate and solitary, distinct from our experience of enjoying cinema? I don't have the answers to these questions, but it's food for thought.
p.s-In a real review of this movie there are a few criticisms that I would bring up, but I'm just using it as an example here.
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I don't know the answer, either, but I wonder if it's an American culture thing, versus a European thing. I think Philip Kaufmann, who directed HENRY AND JUNE (NC-17)was the one who said something about how the MPAA whould rather see violence than sex. (Wasn't his remark something to the effect of: "They'd rather see a stabbed breast than a caressed breast.")
Also, for whatever reason, it seems that sex is expected to be only one thing: dirty. Our culture would rather not discuss sexual themes in a serious way. So, with that in mind, it seems logical to want to remove all depth from the subject matter in order to demonize it.
Meanwhile, coming from the other end of the spectrum: instead of introducing more sex into a movie's storytelling and production values, how about introducing story and production values into hardcore porn?
I just recently bought one of the biggest sellers in recent adult film history, PIRATES. I guess it's already #6 in revenues in adult film history, and it features surprisingly impressive production values like period costumes and sets. I haven't had a chance to watch it, so I don't know how the acting, directing and storytelling are, but here's part of an ongoing effort to legitimize the sexual film narrative, and we're talking hardcore sex.
Meanwhile, I just watched my copy of SEX AND FURY again, after reading your post on TERRIFYING GIRLS SCHOOL.
Man what a great movie!
Damn right it is. And in terms of hardcore sex being introduced into legitimate films, there is a version of Lars von Trier's 'The Idiots' which very succesfully incorporates hard-core sex into a legitimate film as a legitimate object in the film...although to a completely different end. Films that have sexy real sex are harder to swallow (Baise Moi etc...)
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