9½ Weeks
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''9½ Weeks'' is a 1986 American
erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...
romantic drama film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...
directed by
Adrian Lyne Adrian Lyne (born 4 March 1941) is an English film director, writer and producer. Having begun his career directing 1970s television commercials, Lyne made well-received short films which were entries in the London Film Festival. He started mak ...
, and starring
Kim Basinger Kimila Ann Basinger ( ; born December 8, 1953) is an American actress and former fashion model. She has garnered acclaim for her work in film and television, for which she has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Glo ...
and
Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. During the star of the 1980s, Rourke played supporting roles i ...
. Basinger portrays a New York City art gallery employee who has a brief yet intense affair with a mysterious Wall Street broker, played by Rourke. The screenplay by
Sarah Kernochan Sarah Marshall Kernochan (; born December 30, 1947) is an American documentarian, film director, screenwriter and novelist. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards ( Documentary Feature for '' Marjoe'' in 1 ...
,
Zalman King Zalman King (born Zalman King Lefkowitz; May 23, 1941 – February 3, 2012) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His films are known for incorporating sexuality, and are often categorized as erotica. Early life Zalman Kin ...
and
Patricia Louisianna Knop Patricia Louisianna Knop (October 23, 1940 – August 7, 2019) was an American screenwriter, television producer, art collector, and sculptor. Early life and education Knop was born in Muskegon, Michigan, the daughter of Albert Ernest Knop and ...
is adapted from the 1978 memoir of the same name by Austrian-American author Ingeborg Day, under the pseudonym "Elizabeth McNeill". The film was completed in 1984, but did not get released until February 1986. Considered too explicit by its American distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
, the film was heavily edited for release in the United States, where it was a
box office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
, grossing $6.7 million on a $17 million budget. It also received mixed reviews at the time of its release. However, its
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
sold well and the film itself became a huge success internationally in its unedited version, particularly in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, making $100 million worldwide. It has also acquired a large fanbase on video and DVD and has developed a
cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
.


Plot

The title of the film refers to the duration of a relationship between
Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
arbitrage In economics and finance, arbitrage (, ) is the practice of taking advantage of a difference in prices in two or more markets; striking a combination of matching deals to capitalise on the difference, the profit being the difference between the ...
ur John Gray and
SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...
art gallery employee Elizabeth McGraw. John initiates and controls the various experimental sexual practices of this abusive relationship to push Elizabeth's boundaries. In doing so, Elizabeth experiences a gradual downward spiral toward an emotional breakdown. Elizabeth first sees John in New York City at a Chinese grocer, and later at a street fair where she decides against buying an expensive scarf. John finds her and produces the scarf and the two go on a date. They start dating and Elizabeth is increasingly subjected to John's behavioral peculiarities; as he increases the sense of danger and pushes her normal boundaries. He gives her an expensive gold watch, and instructs her to use it to think about him touching her every day at noon. She takes this imperative even further by
masturbating Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinati ...
at her workplace at the designated time. Elizabeth wants to include John in her life and have him meet her friends, but he makes it clear he only wishes to see her in the evenings and instructs her to see her friends in the daytime. Elizabeth is then left alone at his apartment in the evening. She examines his closet until she discovers a photograph of him with another woman, April Tover. John calls her and asks her if she went through his things, declaring that he will punish her. She admits that she has. When he returns home he tells her to face the wall and receive a spanking. Elizabeth attempts to leave but finds the door locked, she shouts at him and he slaps her, she slaps him back. He then rapes her. John begins to control all aspects of Elizabeth's life, such as picking out what she should wear and choosing what she will eat, brushing her hair and feeding her. Elizabeth becomes increasingly dependent on John for mental and emotional stability as she loses her sense of self. She follows him to work one day and brings him lunch. She mentions to him that she would like to "be one of the guys". As a surprise, John contrives for her to
crossdress Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...
for a rendezvous at a bar. On leaving the establishment, two men hurl an insult when they mistake John and Elizabeth for a
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
couple. The men chase them and a fight ensues. The two men begin assaulting John and drop a knife. Elizabeth picks up the knife and stabs one of the attackers in the buttocks and both attackers flee. Elated from her triumph, Elizabeth exclaims she loves John. They strip and she reveals a wet tank-top and the two have passionate sex at the site of the crime. Following this encounter John begins to make the
BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...
-style relationship dynamic more obvious in public. During a visit to a bed store, he asks Elizabeth to "spread your legs for daddy" in front of the sales woman. They visit a store for equestrian accessories and John whips Elizabeth on the leg with a riding crop before telling the salesman, "I'll take this one". At his apartment, John asks Elizabeth to crawl on the floor and pick up money as he throws it on the ground. Elizabeth reluctantly obliges before stopping and saying "This is stupid, John". John insists that she crawl and pick up the money and takes off his belt, whipping items in the apartment. Elizabeth says, "John, don't play with me like that", but John continues to insist that she crawl. Elizabeth protests that "It's only a game" before John unexpectedly begins whipping the ground directly next to Elizabeth demanding that she crawl. Scared, she screams, "No! Don't touch me!" and begins to cry. John continues to tell her to crawl and pick up the money, grabbing her. Elizabeth shouts "I don't want to pick up the money!" John continues to tell her to pick up the money. She eventually grabs the money around her, crying, before John declares, "Elizabeth you love this game, don't you?" and sits beside her with grin on his face. Elizabeth says, "I hate it" and throws the money in his face. Elizabeth is shown as confident and sexy at home with John, but increasingly withdrawn at work and ruminates over her previous lover. She goes to the countryside to visit an artist named Farnsworth and secure an exhibit. Elizabeth is asked to meet John at a hotel room. There he phones her and asks her to wear what is in the drawers. She opens the drawer to discover a scarf to be used as a blindfold. Elizabeth removes her dress and waits for John. He arrives and says "It was a simple thing that I asked you to do, now do it" referring to the blindfold. Elizabeth reluctantly puts on the blindfold with his help. John touches her briefly before a woman enters the room speaking Spanish and starts caressing Elizabeth as John observes them. Elizabeth shows signs of anxiety and the woman tries to reassure Elizabeth and removes her blindfold. John then takes the woman into the next room, in sight of Elizabeth and begins to remove her clothes. As he attempts to kiss her neck, Elizabeth violently intervenes and then flees the hotel, with John in pursuit. They run until they find themselves in an adult entertainment venue. Elizabeth enters a room where a group of men are watching a couple have sex on the ground. Elizabeth, visibly upset, notices John watching her and she starts kissing the man next to her. John moves towards her and they embrace. During a successful opening night, Elizabeth's gallery exhibits Farnsworth's work. The humanity and reclusivity of Farnsworth is a clear contrast with the frenzy of the partying crowd. Farnsworth, clearly uncomfortable at the party, sees Elizabeth as she retreats to a corner in tears. Dependent on John for her emotional stability, Elizabeth phones him. She wears a large cuff-like, metal bracelet. The following morning, we see Elizabeth has spent the night at John's. She gets up and opens his closet, clinging to the suits she finds there for a moment and cries as she looks over at him asleep. She begins to collect her things and John awakes. Realizing she is leaving, he attempts to bring her back by sharing some details of his family before saying "I want you to know there's been lots of other girls, lots of women, but I never felt anything like this before". Elizabeth tells him that it is too late as she leaves the apartment. John begins a mental countdown from 50, hoping she will come back by the time he is finished. As in the beginning of the movie, Elizabeth is shown walking among the crowd, although this time she is crying.


Cast


Production


Casting

Kim Basinger Kimila Ann Basinger ( ; born December 8, 1953) is an American actress and former fashion model. She has garnered acclaim for her work in film and television, for which she has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Glo ...
said the audition was grueling - she was called upon to act like a prostitute groveling for money in an elaborate sexual game devised by the male protagonist. Basinger said she left the audition crying and feeling humiliated. She told her agent that she never wanted to hear about the film again and would definitely not do it even if she were chosen. When she returned home, she found two dozen roses with a card from Adrian Lyne and Mickey Rourke. Lyne continued to pursue her for the part and eventually she changed her mind and decided to take it on.


Source material for the film

The film was a significant departure from the much darker tone of the novel it was based upon. In ''9½ Weeks: A Memoir of a Love Affair'', John engages in criminal behavior and coerces Elizabeth into committing a violent mugging in an elevator. The book culminates in a quasi-rape scenario that leaves an increasingly permissive Elizabeth in mental anguish, and he takes her to a mental hospital–never to return to her again. The film ends on a somber tone, and there is no mention of the psychiatric breakdown that John inflicted upon her, though her mental anguish is frequently implied, especially near the end of the film.


Music

The main
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
released from the '' Weeks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' was "I Do What I Do", performed by
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...
bass guitarist John Taylor, giving his first solo singing performance during a hiatus in Duran Duran's career. The song reached No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #42 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. Music for the score was composed by Taylor and
Jonathan Elias Jonathan Elias (born 1956) is an American composer best known for his film soundtracks. Background Elias was born in New York City in 1956. He is of Jewish-Hungarian background. Elias started playing piano at the age of six, and was composin ...
. Original music for the movie was also written by
Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...
, but his compositions are not included on the soundtrack. The soundtrack also included tracks from
Luba Luba may refer to: Geography *Kingdom of Luba, a pre-colonial Central African empire * Ľubá, a village and municipality in the Nitra region of south-west Slovakia *Luba, Abra, a municipality in the Philippines *Luba, Equatorial Guinea, a town ...
,
Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ' ...
,
Dalbello Lisa Dal Bello (born 22 May 1959), also known as Dalbello, is a Canadian musician. She released three albums in the pop and pop/rock genre in her late teens, from 1977 through 1981 under her full name. In 1984, she re-emerged as Dalbello, wit ...
, Corey Hart,
Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...
(''"
You Can Leave Your Hat On "You Can Leave Your Hat On" is a song written by Randy Newman and appearing on his 1972 album '' Sail Away''. According to a retrospective AllMusic review by Mark Deming, the song is a "potent mid-tempo rock tune" and a "witty and willfully perve ...
"''),
Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...
,
Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...
and
Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...
.
Winston Grennan Winston Grennan (16 September 1944 – 27 October 2000) was a Jamaican drummer, famous for session work from 1962 to 1973 in Jamaica as well as later in New York City through the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Career Grennan's career spanne ...
's reggae "Savior" as well as
Jean Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanie ...
's "Arpegiateur", played during the sex scene on the stairs in the rain, were not included on the record.


Release


Home media

In 1998,
MGM Home Entertainment Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC (d/b/a MGM Home Entertainment and formerly known as MGM Home Video, MGM/CBS Home Video and MGM/UA Home Video) is the home video division of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. History 1 ...
released an "uncut, uncensored version" on DVD that was 117 minutes. The film was released by
Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...
on Blu-ray in the United States on March 6, 2012.


Reception


Critical response

'' Weeks'' has a 58% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 24 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "''9 1/2 Weeks famously steamy sex scenes titillate though the drama unfolding between the beddings is relatively standard for the genre." Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "C−" on an A+ to F scale. The film was championed by some critics.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
praised the film, giving it three and a half stars out of four, stating: "A lot of the success of '' Weeks'' is because Rourke and Basinger make the characters and their relationship convincing." He further elaborated by saying that their relationship was believable, and unlike many other characters in other erotic films at that time, the characters in this movie are much more real and human. Over time, some critics have warmed to the film and audiences gave it somewhat of a legacy thanks to its success in the rental market. It performed very well in Europe, particularly in Italy, France and also in Latin America. Its success in France was so strong that it played for five years at a Paris cinema, earning approximately $100 million. In
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, Brazil, it played for 30 months in the cult movie house Cine Belas Artes from 1986 to 1989.


Accolades

The film was nominated for three categories at the 1986 Golden Raspberry Awards, Worst Actress (
Kim Basinger Kimila Ann Basinger ( ; born December 8, 1953) is an American actress and former fashion model. She has garnered acclaim for her work in film and television, for which she has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Glo ...
, who lost to
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
for ''
Shanghai Surprise ''Shanghai Surprise'' is a 1986 adventure comedy film directed by Jim Goddard and starring then-newlyweds Sean Penn and Madonna. The screenplay was adapted by John Kohn and Robert Bentley from Tony Kenrick's 1978 novel ''Faraday's Flowers''. ...
''), Worst Original Song ("I Do What I Do" by
Jonathan Elias Jonathan Elias (born 1956) is an American composer best known for his film soundtracks. Background Elias was born in New York City in 1956. He is of Jewish-Hungarian background. Elias started playing piano at the age of six, and was composin ...
, John Taylor,
Michael Des Barres Michael Philip Des Barres (born 24 January 1948), the 26th Marquis Des Barres, is an English actor and rock singer. He appeared as Murdoc in the original ''MacGyver'', Nicholas Helman, Murdoc's mentor, on the new reboot of ''MacGyver'' (2016) ...
, which lost to "Love or Money" from ''
Under the Cherry Moon ''Under the Cherry Moon'' is a 1986 romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Prince and marking his directorial debut. The film also stars former The Time member Jerome Benton, Steven Berkoff, Kristin Scott Thomas (in her feature film debut) ...
''), and Worst Screenplay (Patricia Louisianna Knop,
Zalman King Zalman King (born Zalman King Lefkowitz; May 23, 1941 – February 3, 2012) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His films are known for incorporating sexuality, and are often categorized as erotica. Early life Zalman Kin ...
,
Sarah Kernochan Sarah Marshall Kernochan (; born December 30, 1947) is an American documentarian, film director, screenwriter and novelist. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards ( Documentary Feature for '' Marjoe'' in 1 ...
, which lost to ''
Howard the Duck Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...
''). The film gained a huge following on home video, and in spite of its reception, both Basinger and Rourke became huge stars.


Year-end lists

The film is recognized by
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated


Cultural impact

* The film was the inspiration behind the band
Soda Stereo Soda Stereo is an Argentine rock band formed in Buenos Aires in 1982 by Gustavo Cerati (lead vocals, guitar), Héctor "Zeta" Bosio (bass) and Carlos Alberto Ficicchia "Charly Alberti" (drums). As the first Hispanic group to achieve mainstream ...
’s 1986 song "Persiana Americana". * The film was the inspiration behind
J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...
singer
Akina Nakamori is a Japanese Singing, singer and Actor, actress. She is one of the most popular and best-selling artists in Japan. Akina achieved national recognition after winning the 1981 season of the talent show ''Star Tanjō!''. Her debut single "Slow M ...
's 1986 album '' Cross My Palm'' and
K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
singer
Sunmi Lee Sun-mi (born Sun Mi on May 2, 1992), known mononymously as Sunmi (stylized as SUNMI), is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the gr ...
’s 2018 release "
Heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero' ...
". * The film was mentioned in
Joaquín Sabina Joaquín Ramón Martínez Sabina (born 12 February 1949) is a Spanish musician, singer, composer, and poet. His songs usually treat about love, heartbreaks and society with a large usage of literary figures similarly to the baroque-literature st ...
’s song “Y si amanece por fin” from his 1990 album '' Mentiras Piadosas''.


Related films

In 1997, a sequel titled ''
Love in Paris ''Love in Paris'' (released as ''Another Weeks'' in the United States) is a 1997 American erotic romantic drama film. It is a sequel to the 1986 film '' Weeks''. Mickey Rourke stars, reprising his original role as John Gray. Angie Everhart co-st ...
'' was released direct-to-video. It stars Rourke and Angie Everhart and was directed by Anne Goursaud. In 1998, a prequel titled ''
The First 9½ Weeks ''The First Weeks'' is a 1998 American erotic romantic drama film written and directed by Alex Wright and starring Paul Mercurio, Clara Bellar and Malcolm McDowell. It is a prequel to the films '' Weeks'' and ''Love in Paris''. Plot A banker g ...
'' starred
Paul Mercurio Paul Joseph Mercurio (born 31 March 1963) is an Australian actor, dancer, TV presenter and politician. Mercurio is best known for his lead role in '' Strictly Ballroom'' 1992 and his role as a judge on TV series ''Dancing with the Stars''. H ...
and Clara Bellar. It was a straight-to-video film. A parody of the original film, '' Ninjas!'', was released in 1991.


See also

*
Sex in film Sex in film, the presentation of aspects of sexuality in film, specially human sexuality, has been controversial since the development of the medium. Films which display or suggest sexual behavior have been criticized by religious groups or hav ...


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:9 Weeks 1986 films 1980s English-language films 1980s Spanish-language films 1980s erotic drama films 1986 romantic drama films American erotic drama films American erotic romance films American romantic drama films BDSM in films Films scored by Jack Nitzsche Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Adrian Lyne Films produced by Sidney Kimmel Films set in Brooklyn Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1980s American films