Michael Douglas Says ‘Basic Instinct’ Sex Scenes Scandalized Cannes: ‘It Was a Little Overwhelming’
variety.comMatt Donnelly Senior Film Writer By modern standards, Paul Verhoeven’s 1992 sex noir “Basic Instinct” might not seem that scandalous.
It was a much different story when the film first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, star Michael Douglas said. Considered genre-defining or high camp depending on who you ask, Douglas said the project was “unique, even for France,” during a conversation in Cannes on Wednesday. “Seeing a lot of those sex scenes on the Grand Palais’ huge screen, it was a little overwhelming for a lot of people.
We had a very quiet dinner afterwards, everyone was sort of digesting it,” he remembered (the cast included Sharon Stone and Jeanne Tripplehorn). “Basic Instinct” followed a weary homicide detective (Douglas) investigating a successful crime writer (Stone).
The film was initially given an NC-17 rating, but was downgraded to an R after studio lobbying. A scene where Stone flashes detectives in a police interview is one of the contemporary film’s most memorable scenes and is still referenced and parodied.
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