9½ Weeks (1986)

A woman gets involved in an impersonal affair with a man. She barely knows about his life, only about the sex games they play, so the relationship begins to get complicated.

Director:

Adrian Lyne

Writers:

Sarah Kernochan, Zalman King

Stars:

Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Margaret Whitton

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Basinger	...	Elizabeth
Mickey Rourke	...	John
Margaret Whitton	...	Molly
David Margulies	...	Harvey
Christine Baranski	...	Thea
Karen Young	...	Sue
William De Acutis	...	Ted (as William DeAcutis)
Dwight Weist	...	Farnsworth
Roderick Cook	...	Sinclair - the Critic
Victor Truro	...	Gallery Client
Justine Johnston	...	Bedding Saleswoman
Cintia Cruz	...	Whore
Kim Chan	...	Chinatown Butcher
Lee Lai Sing	...	Angry Chinese Customer
Rudolph Willrich	...	Chinatown Shopper

Storyline

An erotic story about a woman, the assistant of an art gallery, who gets involved in an impersonal affair with a man. She barely knows about his life, only about the sex games they play, so the relationship begins to get complicated.

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Plot Keywords:

sex game | sex in public | male dominance | control | blindfolded woman | 

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Taglines:

Desire. Infatuation. Obsession.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

21 February 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

9 1/2 Weeks

Filming Locations:

Delancey Street South, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$6,734,844 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producers Sales Organization (PSO), Jonesfilm, Galactic Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 112 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kathleen Turner was originally offered the female lead role, but turned it down.

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Goofs

Before John unbuttons Elizabeth's blouse, she puts her arms behind her head. But as he's unbuttoning, her arms are at her side. When the camera pans back to her face, her arms are behind her head again.

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Quotes

John: Every time I see you, you're buying a chicken.
Elizabeth: Every time I see you, you're smiling at me.

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Connections

Referenced in My Boys: The NTO (2010)

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Soundtracks

Cannes
Performed and Written by Stewart Copeland
Courtesy of A&M Records, Inc.

User Reviews

An ignored and Marginalized Film

Except perhaps in Paris where, until recently, it played in a cinema just off the Champs Elysee. This film has been condemned from just about every possible, so I will not try and defend it blow by blow. There is much to appreciate here, particularly when the film is looked at in the context of it being the '80's "Last Tango In Paris" - perhaps even self consciously so. The opening shot of "Nine 1/2 Weeks" echoes the famous opening of "Last Tango In Paris" and there are many parallels, but never to the point of it becoming overt.

If one accepts that form is to mirror content and apply that here it becomes clear that efforts were made to do so. The visual 'look' of both films not only mirror their content (for 'Tango': a muted color pallette, yet somehow lush, there is a layer over everything) but also their era. Both films deal with similar subject matter, in the context of the time in which they were made.

"Nine 1/2 Weeks" IS the '80's in much the way that "Last Tango..." is the '70's - the obsessions of an era are embodied in the struggle of two human bodies. Motions, touches are imbued with something beyond what is happening in the here and now. Very much in question here is the internal landscape of the characters involved - something one, as a filmmaker, would rather expose in a visual way as opposed to having characters pontificate about it (though Brando TALKS in "Last Tango..." it is very often what he doesn't say, the silence between two lines of dialogue, that SAY more) - in "Nine 1/2 Weeks" there are many visual cues/pointers as to the characters' states of mind, i.e. their apartments, the manner in which they are decorated stark, all straight lines (John) vs. cluttered and dusty (Liz). Elements like that make a film work.

The only moments of relief that Liz experiences in the film are when she is away from the city, away from John, amidst nature with the painter - in fact, one almost never sees John outside, just like Paul in "Last Tango..."

• all these little cues about character should raise the questions in the

viewer's mind - what sort of person would?...