When I reviewed IFC’s uber-fabulous Indie Sex series, I mentioned their list of 50 Greatest Sex Scenes in Cinema, a list that IFC co-presented with Nerve. As I mentioned, your mileage may vary with their picks, but Josh Spero over at Guardian UK’s blogs has a really fantastic opinion post about the list, the sex scenes in it, and some interesting observations about what makes a sex scene truly erotic — or not. I love his post; and I’m hoping it’ll add to the discussion about all our hopes and dreams of someone with money and resources finally making truly hot, erotic porn (because porn valley can do nothing but fail). And the comments are well worth reading. Here’s a snip:
My computer screen was getting all steamed up as I was doing my research into a new list of the 50 greatest sex scenes in cinema, when my mother texted me the words: “In or out?” Either she’s disturbingly psychic or we were at cross-purposes.
Either way, she was asking the right question – for more than the smutty reason. Which scenes were in this list, as determined by the Independent Film Channel and nerve.com, a sex, art and culture website?
Although Premiere Magazine put it top of its poll in 2003, the scene in Antonioni’s Blow-Up where David Hemmings shoots Veruschka, who writhes around on the floor in bored ecstasy, doesn’t feature. Evidently it must have been too coy for the IFC, or perhaps it has been ruined by Austin Powers. Is it too soon to say the exclusion would have Antonioni turning in his grave?
But back to the list. Many of the scenes are marked out by the disturbing nature of the sex. Take No 1 – Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland having grief-stricken sex in Nicholas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. It’s profoundly out of place given the rest of the film, yet it is tender, erotic and tells us about the characters, as meaningful sex scenes should.
The disturbances continue through the top 10: Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello pound away at each other on the stairs in A History of Violence (2), with all the layers of deceit and mistrust involved; Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring have surreal sapphic sex in Mulholland Drive (3); while Secretary (8) and Betty Blue (6) are chock-full of odd, unhinged sex. Perhaps most disturbing is The Night Porter (12), where Nazi guard Dirk Bogarde and concentration camp survivor Charlotte Rampling reconnect.
It seems that what makes a good sex scene – according to this list – is relevance. Most of the top 50 scenes are not bolted-on attempts to sexualise some of Hollywood’s mannequins but vital expressions of character and advancements of plot.
Link.
