The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema

Description

A bold and original study, this is the first book to examine in detail a new genre which evolved since the 1980s in tandem with shifts in the culture of sexuality and the rise of video - the erotic thriller. The book traces the erotic thriller's exploitation of pornography and noir, discusses mainstream stars (such as Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone) alongside genre-branded direct-to-video stars, charts the work of key producers and directors, and reads home-viewing as a distinct form of spectatorial pleasure. It maps the history of 'suspense in suspenders' films, analysing hundreds of movies from blockbusters such as Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction and In the Cut to straight-to-video film titles such as Carnal Crimes, Sins of Desire and Night Eyes. The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema reads genre as laying bare the poetics of the cinematic marketplace. The erotic thriller plays out the sexual fantasies of contemporary America, which are marketed globally. Williams's witty and illuminating readings not only tell the story of this sensational genre, but contribute to the analysis of mainstream screen sex - and its censorship - at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Features * The first study of an important new film genre. * Of interest to general film-goers and fans of the genre, the book also fills a major gap in the academic market. * Includes interviews with important industry personnel such as Paul Verhoeven, William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, Gregory Dark, Katt Shea and Jag Mundhra. CONTENTS Acknowledgements and thanks Preface 1 Introduction Carnal Crimes: The Erotic Thriller from Noir to the 1990s 1. Cheap thrills and expensive exploitation 2. Genres and definitions 3. Pornography – the forgotten genre 4. Sexing the audience Interview: Producers Andrew Garroni and Walter Gernet PART I Blockbuster Thrills: Erotic Noir in the Mainstream Definitions and Precursors Brian De Palma: ‘Sex is terrifying’ 2 Femmes Fetales, Fall-Guys and Paranoid Women: Sexual and Narrative Blueprints 1. Neo-porno femmes fatales 2. Hung like a horse and not too smart: the sexualised fall-guy 3. Gilda’s daughters: the erotic thriller’s good-bad girls 4. Female point of view and the homme fatal Interviews: Director William Friedkin Director Brian De Palma 3 'Meisters of Porno-Noir' - Key Players in the Cinematic Erotic Thriller 1. Written by Joe Eszterhas 2. Directed by Paul Verhoeven 3. Starring Michael Douglas 4. The bitch, the devil and lesbianism for men Interview: Director Paul Verhoeven Part II Suspense in Suspenders: The Direct-to Video Erotic Thriller Introduction 4 Soctcore on the Sofa 1. Video viewing 2. Women and other audiences 3. Softcore: ‘Where adult meets mainstream’ Interview: Director Gregory Dark 5. The Bad and the Beautiful: Key Players in the Direct-to-Video Erotic Thriller 1. B for Bad 2. The Producers 3. Video stars and moving centrefolds 4. Genre Auteurs: Gregory Hippolyte and Jag Mundhra Interview: Director JaG Mundhra 6 Uncovered and Undercover: Issues in the Direct-to-Video Erotic Thriller 1. Sexual surveillance and female voyeurism 2. Women’s stories and lousy husbands 3. The undercover heroine 4. The strip-flick 5. Sequels and repetitions Interview: Director Katt Shea Conclusion: The Erotic Thriller's Hybrid Children 1. Sex, Zen and videotape: Hong Kong Category III films 2. Sexual melodrama 3: The erotic thriller and the auteur Interview: Director and Editor Anne Goursand Afterword on In the Cut: New Century, Old Sex? Bibliography Films Cited Index