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Paul Verhoeven, director of the first "Basic Instinct" (which scored $353 million worldwide) as well as the widely ridiculed "Showgirls" (now regarded as something of a camp classic), attributes the genre's demise to the current American political climate.
"Anything that is erotic has been banned in the United States," said the Dutch native. "Look at the people at the top (of the government). We are living under a government that is constantly hammering out Christian values. And Christianity and sex have never been good friends."
Scribe Nicholas Meyer, who was an uncredited writer on 1987's seminal sex-fueled cautionary tale "Fatal Attraction," agrees, noting that the genre's downfall coincides with the ascent of the conservative political movement.
"We're in a big puritanical mode," he said. "Now, it's like the McCarthy era, except it's not 'Are you a communist?' but 'Have you ever put sex in a movie?"'
Well, sure. It's easy to see that Basic Instinct 2 would have done better if it hadn't been "banned." I mean, it's disconcerting to have those FBI agents come bursting into the theater, kick out the customers, seize the film and arrest the theater owners. Right?
You do wonder, though: how does Verhoeven explain his own Showgirls (1995)?
Apart from the obvious humor value, here are two more or less serious observations: One, what gives with people who say American culture is "Puritanical"? Are they writing from prisons in Albania where they've been confined since 1956? Do they not own computers with internet connections? Do they avert their eyes when they go past magazine racks in airports? Don't they have cable TV?
Here's another theory: maybe Hollywood is indeed so depraved that the normal American culture, sex-drenched though it may be, looks Puritanical by contrast. Scary, if true.
Two: the film directors quoted in this story are presumably not idiots, yet they say things--it's the Bush adminstration's fault when sexy movies fail, since sex has been "banned"--that are obviously stupid. Why? Perhaps because in their world, equally stupid attacks on President Bush are not unusual. Several prominent Hollywood figures have recently suggested that Bush orchestrated the September 11 attacks. Blaming the President for everything from global warming to terrorism is, I think, commonplace in film-industry circles. So maybe it made sense for them to think that they could blame President Bush for the fact that people aren't flocking to see Basic Instinct 2 without getting laughed at.
Avatar4321 said:...if sex and Christianity is so incompatible explain the Bibles clear commandment to procreate
Within the proper boundaries... OOOOOHHHH YEAH!musicman said:Not to mention Christians' enthusiastic compliance!
mom4 said:Within the proper boundaries... OOOOOHHHH YEAH!
Pale Rider said:Hollywierd is simply getting further and further out of touch with main stream America. I don't think they have the common sense God gave a brick, or they'd figure it out.
musicman said:Not to mention Christians' enthusiastic compliance!
Hobbit...And if sex and Christianity aren't compatible, please explain the classic stereotype of a Catholic family with about 12,000 children. What they really mean to say is that Christianity and fornication don't mix, which is true.
Bonnie said:Exactly and add to that Gay sex, & beastiality. disclaimer (Gonna get gross here for a second, not for childrens ears or eyes)
What they are really saying here is... the fact that no one is interested in seeing Sharon Stone's crotch means we all have the problem.
End of grossness
Bonnie said:Sour grapes anyone???
Several readers pointed out this comical Hollywood
Reporter story, in which film industry insiders blame the apparently poor box office performance of Basic Instinct 2 on you-know-who:
http://powerlineblog.com/
