Basic Instinct - Special Edition [1992] (1992)
IMDb Rating 6.7
Front Cover Actor
Michael Douglas Det. Nick Curran
Sharon Stone Catherine Tramell
George Dzundza Gus Moran
Jeanne Tripplehorn Dr. Beth Garner
Denis Arndt Lt. Philip Walker
Leilani Sarelle Roxy
Bruce A. Young Andrews
Chelcie Ross Capt. Talcott
Dorothy Malone Hazel Dobkins
Wayne Knight John Correli
Plot
With more than a decade of cinema in Basic Instinct's wake it's fascinating to look back at just how influential Paul Verhoeven's "erotic thriller" has been. The director's endless fight with censorship and unwillingness to kowtow to social mores meant his movies became notorious for graphically depicting sex and violence while pushing contemporary boundaries of taste. This whodunit about a bisexual femme fatale (Sharon Stone in a career-best performance) caused an enormous furore on its release; but after years of generally inferior imitations there's not much in it that seems quite so shocking now. It's perhaps best appreciated in retrospect more for its Hitchcockian style than the steamy sex.

On the DVD: one of the most welcome elements of the disc is an acknowledgement of the film's own influences--from Hitchcock's Vertigo to Verhoeven's own The Fourth Man. The print is far superior to the previous release, looking magnificent in 1:78.1. Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-nominated score sounds terrific in either 5.1 or DTS, as does Verhoeven's thick accent on the first commentary track alongside then Director of Photography Jan De Bont (Speed), who together reminisce on locations and manipulating their actors' performances. A second commentary from feminist critic Camille Paglia is a brave way of putting paid to the gay/feminist community uproar. There are some standard inclusions (trailer, production notes, photo gallery etc) but far more interesting are two mini-documentaries; "Cleaning Up Basic Instinct" shows how and why the TV version was so dull, while "Blonde Poison" focuses on the film's making and marketing. Finally, there are three storyboard comparisons and nine minutes of screen tests for Stone and Tripplehorn. This is the definitive release of an oft-cited modern classic. --Paul Tonks

Movie Details
Genre Crime; Drama; Mystery; Thriller
Director Paul Verhoeven
Producer Alan Marshall
Writer Joe Eszterhas
Country USA
Language English
Audience Rating Suitable for 18 years and over
Running Time 120 mins
Movie Release Date 20/03/1992
Color Color
Personal Details
Format DVD
Seen It Yes
Index 194
Collection Status In Collection
Product Details
Region 2
UPC (Barcode) 5060021171061
Release Date 20/05/2002
Subtitles Dutch; English; German; Portuguese; Spanish; Turkish
Nr of Disks/Tapes 2
Links
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