When you’re making a podcast about sex in film, there’s no way to go on for very long without addressing the topic of ‘erotic thrillers’. It’s the genre to end all genres if you want to talk sex in mainstream movies. And there sure is a fuck-ton to choose from. I have an entire book on the subject, The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema by Linda Ruth Williams. She did a pretty complete look at the genre from the origin of the term to circa 2003… and still managed to miss Beyond Desire (1995). For shame, Mz. Williams, for shame. How could you have overlooked such a gem?! It has a sex scene… with William Forsythe! And Kari “I’m-Not-Ashley-Judd” Wuhrer! Pure gold.

But we decided our best bet for broaching the subject would be to start with a couple of classics. So we chose the Hollywood megastar, Basic Instinct (1992) and the bizarre-to-the-point-of-madness, Color of Night (1994).

And if that doesn’t have you erotically thrilled already… you’re dead inside.

You can find the Pinterest album for this episode here.

You’ll have noticed that we’ve mention Adrian Lyne before, both in passing and when we discussed his 2002 film, Unfaithful, back in episode 001. You’ll probably also have noticed that we previously said his name wrong. Yes, well, I doubt that’s the only time we’ll end up misplacing the right way to say someone’s name. But now, thanks to a behind-the-scenes piece I watched in preparation for this episode, we at least have his name going in the right direction this time around.

But obviously there’s a whole lot more our discussion has to offer than a well-pronounced name.

Adrian Lyne is a very important topic for any discussion about sex in film, since he has single-handedly provided it with some of it’s most iconic entries. And it’s hard, as a sexy-film buff, not to have missed his presence these past few years. So, in an effort to rekindle the appreciation for this man’s work, and his detailed (if sometimes unavoidably dated) aesthetic, we’re here to revisit some of his most memorably sexy films. We’ll focus mostly on his films Fatal Attraction (1987), 9 1/2 Weeks (1986) and Lolita (1997), with some passing references to Flashdance (1983) and Jacob’s Ladder (1990). His most recent film, Unfaithful (2002) was covered in Episode 001.

 

p.s. The actress whose name I can’t think of when we discuss naturally crazy hair (you’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there)… Alex Kingston. Love her! (And her hair, for that matter.)

You can find the Pinterest album for this episode here.