Do sex/naked scenes really add anything to film? (1 Viewer)

[Jason Seaver]

Unlikely; an R rating cuts down your potential audience, and the movies where a PG-13 would be a deterrant are generally movies where the audience is at least partially coming for the promise of sex and violence.

 

[dany]

Yes,thats the we we would think but its not the way they think.

 

[Nathan V]

The Jet Li analogy workes very well. When John Co said , the first thing I thought was that the same thing applies to action scenes. Some directors shoot bad action and sex, while others do it very well. Some writers throw in sex and violence to increase their audience. Others don't. It's as simple as that. The two sex scenes in Cronenberg's History of Violence are excellent examples of scenes that convey new content, in this case, the progression of that couple's relationship.

Dany,
studios are constantly pressuring directors to keep their films at PG-13. Look at the top-grossing films. R-rated films don't bring in as large of an audience.

 

[dany]

I dont think thats true all the time. They are also affraid that they wont get the adults for a pg rating even if it has the 13.

 

[TravisR]

Considering a good number of the highest grossing movies (including the highest) of all time are rated PG-13 and that nearly every blockbuster of the last decade is rated PG-13, I don't think that's the case.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I've spent a lot of time in movie theaters as both an employee and a patron, and I have seen people refuse to see a movie because it was rated PG-13 rather than R exactly once (and I have no idea what they were expecting from Mission: Impossible). In general, today's attitude seems to be that PG-13 is a baseline, pretty much acceptable to anybody except parents with small children (and a few too many of them for my taste).

And, truthfully, "meaningful to the plot" isn't a great big issue to me. If you strip away everything from a movie that isn't absolutely necesary to tell the story, you get Greek Theater. Or, worse, Dogville. I like elaborate sets, well-chereographed action scenes, nifty visual effects, interesting cinematography and snazzy costumes. I also like naked girls. None of the above are necessary to make a good movie, and when inserted haphazardly can make they can feel distracting or a waste of time. But they can all also illustrate a story beautifully or be entertaining/enjoyable in their own right.

 

[JeremyErwin]

I do not think Angels and Insects was an entirely successful film, but if it was shorn of the sex and the nudity, there would be very little left. I do not mean to imply that the film is one nude scene after another, but so much of the film depends on symbolism.

 

[Scott Simonian]

Just watched Top Gun last night.

That scene didnt need to be in a PG movie. But they had to make things like less ghey, am I right?

 

[JediFonger]

if they cut that scene, i wonder where they could've used the take my breath away song...

i got it, in the showers . lol.

 

[saarmi]

Ya it's true. Most of the films are like that.for example in websites also added sizzelers in their catagories.

 

[Kevin M]

If the film is indented for adults to see and the director is not a hack then I don't require hand holding as far as sex scenes in a film are concerned, I don't see the necessity of going back to the good old days of I Love Lucy when they had to have one foot on the ground to be a couple in bed in order to protect us (adults mind you).

On the other hand if you are in the middle of a light romantic PG comedy and all of a sudden it turns into Deep Throat without any indication whatsoever of it going in that direction....well that's different. But we in general are talking about R rated films and in my opinion "it is rated R folks...don't expect Disney". That however doesn't mean it is necessary just because it is rated R, but if the story is going in that direction....take Looking For Mr. Goodbar, now in that film I would say that the sex scenes were an integral part of the story, same with Last Tango..etc. etc.
It depends on the story and the director, sex can be an important part of the story or it can be sex for sex's sake and completely unnecessary...it depends on the director and the story.

 

[Ryan L. Bisasky]

One movie I thought that didn't need the sex was "the Jacket" with Adrian Brody and Kiera Knightly. It almost felt like it was thrown in there with no real point.

 

[JeremyErwin]

But that's the editor's job: to seamlessly weave together scenes. Maybe I'm being hypocritical here: using film theory to justify a little T&A. I just don't think that sex and violence deserve the editor's special attention. Boring, slow, pointless scenes should be cut. If the sex scene happens to be boring slow, and pointless, by all means, cut it. But if it is superior to cutting room floor material, it should be left in.

Many have argued that I should instead visit Tower's "Adult Film" corner for my little fix. But in many porn films, the nonsexual scenes are pointless, repetitive, and boring. I want a film that provides both narrative and sex. Both plot and violence. Both meaning and sensuality. Is that so hard to understand?

 

[Johnny Angell]

Well, I can think of one film where farting is important to the general attitude of the film...Blazing Saddles.

Something that always takes me out of a film momentarily is the post-sex scene where, usually the woman, a character keeps a sheet strategically placed so as not to reveal any naughty bits. This will occur even to the extent of keeping the sheet bundled about the character as she leaves the bed.

When this occurs, I'm always reminded that I'm watching a movie and that is is not realistic behavior. Yes, I'm sure some people's modesty would cause them to act in this way, but the movie characters don't usally fit that bill.

I wish nudity in situations like this was used more.

 

[Seth=L]

Yea, Barney the movie, but still questionable. Barney represents a dinosaur without apparel.

Seth=L

 

[Nathan V]

Just got back from Miami Vice, and it occured to me that the Jamie Foxx love scene is an excellent example of a sex scene that conveys a lot of information about the intimacy of the characters' relationship, but doesn't feel restrained (i.e. people kissing and then fading to black or something, as described above).

While I'm thinking about Mann, there's the very first scene with Al Pacino, where he makes love to Diane Venora in the morning, is done in a great way that illustrates the disconnect between the two people. Interestingly, we don't see DeNiro and his girlfriend making love at all, later on in the same film, because it's really isn't necessary that we see it to understand their relationship, which is explained well enough by their conversation on the balcony. (and, of course, nobody wants to see a 55+ year old man naked)

Regards,
Nathan

 

[Kevin M]

Now I assume you are talking about HEAT because of the actors involved but you never mentioned the name of the film you were referencing...only Miami Vice and I don't think Al & Rob are in that film.

 

[MarkHastings]

As for nude scenes, the one thing that has always bugged me is when they avoid nude scenes due to either keeping a PG rating or when I see 'after sex' scenes on TV shows.

I hate that freaky bed sheet shot that reveals the mans bare chest, but covers the woman up to her neck. Or when the woman gets out of bed and pulls the sheet around her. I mean, they just had sex, so what's with the 'all-of-a-sudden' shyness?

I realize why they do it, but as much as some nudity seems to be gratuitous, when they avoid it, it also seems too unrealistic.

 

[Brandon_T]

Nudity has never really bothered me that much in movies, but when the wife and I watched Cold Mountain the other day, it totally took me by surprise. Up to that point I was really wanting to show that movie to my parents when they are in town, but now its something I just don't feel comfortable with. A great movie still, but did it really need that at the end?

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

Explain to me how the film Crash (the Cronenberg one) could be made without the sex. We're not talking about some sub-basement softcore erotic thriller, but a magnificent psychological study by an accomplished artist. Even the R-rated "Blockbuster Cut", which still contains much of the sex, is a neutered, weaker film. It's also a lot less funny.

Where do you put that dialogue? Where do you put the subtle recognition of the changing relationships? How do you convey the changing nature of a purely sexual relationship other than through depiction of the sex?

Crash is honestly one of the best films I've ever seen. I do not find the sex scenes to be erotic, and I don't think that any of the leads are particularly attractive. And apparently a sex scene was cut from the film because it had too much chemistry and sensuality -- it unbalanced the picture and sent it off in the wrong direction.

An opposite example -- the sex in Jane Campion's The Piano is very sensual and still very important to the film. And while I still don't think Holly Hunter is all that attractive (and I really had no wish to see that much of Harvey Keitel), I wouldn't want those scenes cut from the film.