Basic Instinct [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

This cold, stylish erotic-thriller grossed over $100 million at the box-office despite vigorous protests at its depiction of gays and women. The shocking opening sequence features a graphic sexual encounter involving a rock-star bound with a white Hermes scarf by an unidentified blond woman. Despite the fact that the scene ends with a bloody icepick murder (horrifyingly realized by makeup artist Rob Bottin), Hermes scarves quickly sold out at stores nationwide. This seeming paradox is at the heart of the film's appeal, as it mixes perverse sexuality and erotic bloodshed in a manner common to European thrillers (director Paul Verhoeven had done it himself in 1979's marvelous De Vierde Man) but mostly taboo in America. The plot concerns Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a successful bisexual mystery writer who may also be a ruthless murderer. Everyone close to Catherine dies, and troubled policeman Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) must find out why. In the process, Nick becomes sexually involved with both Catherine and police psychiatrist Beth Gardner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), while the bodies begin piling up and Catherine turns the cat-and-mouse game around on Nick. Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas -- who was paid $3 million for the script -- keep the tension ratcheted up throughout, even during the frequent sex scenes, which carry a violent edge reminiscent of the Italian thrillers of Dario Argento. The film's most notorious scene, a police interrogation in which Catherine makes drooling idiots out of her captors by revealing that she is not wearing underwear, became a cultural touchstone and was widely imitated and parodied. Sharon Stone, meanwhile, was embarrassed to the point that she claimed Verhoeven had aimed lights on strategic locations without her knowledge. George Dzundza and Dorothy Malone co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Features:
  • 1080p high definition
  • Newly remastered 16x9 widescreen
  • DTS HD audio
  • 5.1 dolby(r) digital surround EX audio
  • English and Spanish subtitles
  • "Blonde Poison" documentary on the making of the film*
  • Audio commentary with director paul verhoeven and director of photography Jan De Bont*
  • Audio commentary with Feminist Critic and noted author Camille Paglia*
  • "Cleaning Up Basic Instinct" a montage comparing the TV version to the theatrical version*
  • Storyboard comparisons*
  • Theatrical trailer*
  • Original screen tests*
  • System requirements:
  • Blu-Ray optical disc player and HD TV
  • *Special features are not rated and may be in standard edition

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Editing - 1992 (Frank J. Urioste)
•     Nominated Best Score - 1992 (Jerry Goldsmith)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Original Score - 1992 (Jerry Goldsmith)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - 1992 (Sharon Stone)

• MTV Movie Awards

•     Won Best Actress - 1992 (Sharon Stone)
•     Won Most Desirable Female - 1992 (Sharon Stone)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Michael Douglas - Detective Nick Curran
       Sharon Stone - Catherine Tramell
       George Dzundza - Gus
       Jeanne Tripplehorn - Dr. Beth Gardner
       Denis Arndt - Lieutenant Walker
       Leilani Sarelle - Roxy
       Bruce A. Young - Andrews
       Chelcie Ross - Captain Talcott
       Dorothy Malone - Hazel Dobkins
       Wayne Knight - John Correli
       Daniel Von Bargen - Lieutenant Nilsen
       Stephen Tobolowsky - Dr. Lamott
       Benjamin Mouton - Harrigan
       Adilah Barnes - Nurse

• Director:

  Paul Verhoeven

• Producer:

  Alan Marshall

• Screenwriter:

  Joe Eszterhas, Gary Goldman

• Cinematographer:

  Jan de Bont

• Composer (Music Score):

  Jerry Goldsmith

• Editor:

  Frank J. Urioste

• Production Designer:

  Terence Marsh

• Art Director:

  Mark Billerman

• Associate Producer:

  Louis D'Esposito, William S. Beasley

• Executive Producer:

  Mario Kassar

• Set Designer:

  Anne Kuljian

• Costume Designer:

  Ellen Mirojnick, Michael Dennison

• Makeup:

  David Forrest

• First Assistant Director:

  Louis D'Esposito

• Stunts:

  Seth Arnett

• Casting:

  Howard Feuer

• Makeup Special Effects:

  Rob Bottin

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Charlie Picerni

• Pilot:

  Robert "Bobby Z" Zajonc

• Storyboard Artist:

  David Lowery

REVIEW:

• Yes, Sharon Stone uncrosses her legs and shows the world. . .well, metaphors aren't really appropriate here. If you don't know about the 1990s' most scandalous single second of film, then you probably might want to watch Basic Instinct just to stay up on your cultural knowledge. The film is indeed scandalous: It's hard to argue that it doesn't toe the line on soft-porn, and it's easy to see why the film sat so uneasily with many lesbian- and gay-rights supporters. What's more, Basic Instinct's mix of graphic sex with violence raised the ire of the few film and social critics who hadn't already weighed in on the matter. Assuming a morally neutral stance on the controversy, however, this is a darn good thriller. Director Paul Verhoeven and writer Joe Esterhas, the team who would later give birth to the monstrous Showgirls, demonstrate many of the skills they displayed in their more acclaimed films. And it would be unfair to remember Stone's career-making performance as merely minutes of flesh. It's hard to imagine anyone who could play her calculating, stark, and stunning character better. In a thematic sense, she fulfills the oft-paraphrased, debatably sexist notion that men may control the world, but a capable woman can control any man. The ending is a bit of a cheat, and may leave the viewer feeling manipulated. However, a thriller's job is to engross its viewers with an engaging mystery, and in this respect, Basic Instinct is very successful. Assuming you're not easily shocked, you will most certainly enjoy it -- and depending on what you're, um, looking for, keep in mind that the unrated version has even more scandalous shots. ~ Matthew Doberman, Rovi