Dutch bad boy Paul Verhoeven could get away with subversive films about power, capitalism and technology in violent action movies like Robocop and Total Recall. But when he turned his attention to sex — first with Basic Instinct and then Showgirls (1995) — he had a rougher ride.
Basic Instinct (1992) was a commercial hit, the apogee of the erotic thriller cycle which started with Fatal Attraction in the 80s. But critics were growing skeptical of million dollar screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (who wrote both films) and the queer community protested the film’s politically incorrect portrait of a bisexual psychopath. (Eszterhas actually apologized.) Nevertheless, the film had persuasive champions, including academic Camille Paglia, who heralded a transgressive feminist text and extolled the way Sharon Stone’s murder suspect Catherine Trammell controlled a roomful of cops by uncrossing her legs. Verhoeven cited Hitchcock’s Vertigo as his inspiration though Dario Argento might be nearest the mark. You be the judge.
Content Considerations: Sexual violence
Sharon Stone’s ice-cold temptress proved that not only were lesbians smarter than straight men, they could drive faster and fuck harder. For some reason, gay rights groups thought this was homophobic, and protested the film’s release. Curious.
Gay Times (2011)
If ever there was a Hollywood film that celebrated a genuine spirit of not giving a fuck what people think, this is it.
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Senses of Cinema
Media Partner
Paul Verhoeven
Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas
USA
1992
English
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Credits
Producer
Alan Marshal
Screenwriter
Joe Eszterhas
Cinematography
Jan de Bont
Editor
Frank J. Urioste
Original Music
Jerry Goldsmith
Production Design
Terence Marsh
90s, Baby!
Ten years. 11 weeks. 90 films from the 1990s. This summer, 90’s Baby! takes a deep dive into a defining decade of cinema.
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
A bona fide classic and arguably the greatest Canadian film of the 90s, Girard's dazzling deconstruction of the biopic gives us the mercurial pianist Glenn Gould as Picasso might have rendered him, a cubist portrait combining multimedia vignettes.
Dazed and Confused
The last day of high school in May, 1976: seniors debate party politics while next term's freshmen run the gauntlet of brutal initiation rites, barely comforted by the knowledge that they'll wield the stick one day.
Short Cuts
Altman's adaptation of Raymond Carver short stories, Short Cuts weaves between 8 or 9 overlapping storylines and 22 characters. it's a teeming, caustic and compassionate human comedy; a singularly astringent, often cynical view of America and Americana.
Three Colours: Blue
The first of Kieslowski's acclaimed Three Colours Trilogy, inspired by the French Revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity and the French flag, the Tricolour. Blue stars Juliette Binoche as a young woman grieving her husband and child.
Schindler's List
One of the most acclaimed films of the 90s, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Thomas Keneally's Schindler's Ark is the story of a German industrialist whose conscience is stirred to save his Jewish workers from the camps.
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Three Colours: Red
Irène Jacob plays Valentine, a runway model living in Geneva, who crosses paths with a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who's a bit of an eavesdropper. Initially repelled, she becomes intrigued by this man, as do we... Kieslowski's sublime adieu.
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings begins with an onslaught of fucks. It's the first signal that this rom-com will break from tradition, despite the ritualized structural conceit described in the title. The witty screenplay is by Richard Curtis — it's still his best.
The Lion King
With its beautifully drawn East African setting, its humour, pathos, and engaging characters, as well as its stirring songs, The Lion King stands as the pinnacle of traditional Disney family entertainment.
Image: © Disney, 1994
To Die For
Buck Henry (The Graduate) wrote this acidic black comedy about a ruthless weather girl on the make (Nicole Kidman in her breakout role). A young Joaquin Phoenix is the dim teen she seduces on her way to achieving stardom.
Casino
Revisiting the wise guy milieu for the third (but not the final) time, Scorsese tells the story of Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro (Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci), two New York hoodlums who become major players in the history of Las Vegas.
Andrea Superstein Sings Burt Bacharach + Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Film Screening
Local hero and Anglophile Mike Myers scored a massive comedy hit with this spot-on spoof of James Bond and his many imitators. Before the yucks, Andrea Superstein treats us to a set of timeless Burt Bacharach tunes.