Body of Evidence (1992 film)
| Body of Evidence | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Uli Edel |
| Produced by | Dino De Laurentiis |
| Written by | Brad Mirman |
| Starring | Madonna Willem Dafoe Joe Mantegna Anne Archer |
| Music by | Graeme Revell |
| Cinematography | Douglas Milsome |
| Editing by | Thom Noble |
| Studio | Dino De Laurentiis Communications Neue Constantin Films |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (USA Release) Guild Film Distribution (UK Release) |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | Germany United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[1] |
| Box office | $13,275,426[1] |
Body of Evidence is a 1993 erotic thriller produced by Dino De Laurentiis and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and has the rare NC-17 rating.[2] It was directed by Uli Edel and stars Madonna and Willem Dafoe,[3] with Joe Mantegna, Anne Archer, Julianne Moore and Jürgen Prochnow in supporting roles.
The first theatrical release was censored for the purpose of obtaining an R rating, reducing the film's running time from 101 to 99 minutes.[4] The video première, however, restored the deleted material. Madonna's performance in the film was universally derided by film critics and it marked her fourth film acting performance to be widely panned, following Shanghai Surprise, Who's That Girl and Bloodhounds of Broadway.[5]
In France and Japan, the film was released under the name Body. In Japan Madonna's other 1993 film Dangerous Game was released there as Body II even though both films have nothing in common nor are related to each other in narrative.
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Plot [edit]
In Portland, Oregon a wealthy man, Andrew Marsh, has died, while apparently viewing a homemade pornographic tape. The police suspect that the woman having sex with Marsh in the film, Rebecca Carlson (Madonna), may have murdered her older lover for personal gain. Her lawyer is Frank Dulaney (Willem Dafoe), a happlily married man.
Rebecca claims to have been unaware either that March had a heart condition or that he had altered his will, leaving her a large sum of money. District attorney Robert Garrett (Joe Mantegna) believes that she was aware of both facts, and had deliberately induced a heart attack in the victim with vigourous sexual activity.
Rebecca is arrested and charged with the crime. Released on bail, she justifies her sex life with Marsh to Frank. Inspired by Rebecca, Frank has passionate sex with his wife (Julianne Moore).
As the trial begins, DA Garrett tells the jury that it is of no consequence if it was Rebecca's sexual prowess which killed Marsh, what is important is whether she intended to murder him. Frank argues that the state's case is ludicrous, and that "it is not a crime to be a beautiful woman who falls in love with a wealthy older man".
Frank is clearly lusting after Rebecca, and Rebecca leads him on, allowing him to see her naked while she is receiving acupuncture, and flirting with him, before spurning his advances. Eventually the two embark on a sadomasochistic affair.
During their first sexual encounter, Frank, overcome by lust, notices too late that Rebecca is tying his arms behind his back using his own belt, before telling Frank that they will have sex "my way". Rebecca then pushes him onto the bed, removes his underwear, and while he is restrained, she teases and torments him by pouring hot candle wax on his chest, stomach, and penis, amused by the humiliation she is causing him, and by Frank's increasingly desperate reactions. The two then have rough sex with Rebecca in complete control, an obvious counterpoint to their relationship in the courtoom, where Frank is the one in control. The next morning, while showering, Frank is shocked by how obvious the burn marks from the wax are on his skin, and rushes to cover them before his wife notices.
A key witness for the prosecution, Marsh's doctor, Alan Paley (Jürgen Prochnow) is revealed in court by Frank to be an extremely unreliable witness, as he was (apparently) trying to blackmail Rebecca into having a sexual relationship with him. Pleased with Frank's performance in court, Rebecca allows him to perform oral sex on her in an underground carpark.
The testimony of Marsh's private secretary, Joanne Braslow (Anne Archer), reveals that she also had a sexual relationship with Marsh that could have contributed to his death, casting a reasonable doubt as to Carlson's guilt.
A new witness, unexpected by Frank, proves extremely damaging to the defence. Jeffery Roston (Frank Langella), a wealthy older man with a bad heart just like Marsh, testifies that he had a relationship with Rebecca in which he made her the primary beneficiary in his will. When asked to describe their sex life, Roston states that Rebecca would always force him to have sex "her way", and on one occasion she had tied him to the bed with his own belt, and then had not allowed him to orgasm during sex, despite him begging her. Roston's testimony clearly resonates with Frank after his own sexual experiences with Rebecca. Roston claims that after he had heart surgery and was well again, Rebecca abruptly left, with no explanation. Frank and Rebecca clash angrily after the day in court over this key witness.
Frank goes to meet his wife at the restaurant she runs, only to discover that she is aware of his affair with Rebecca. He tries to lie to her, but she tells him that Rebecca called her, and reveals that she has noticed the marks on his body as a result of his sexual activity with Rebecca.
Frank rushes to confront Rebecca at her house. Initially she claims that she called because she wanted to know if Frank still intended to represent her, but when Frank pursues her, Rebecca taunts him with things she could have told his wife, or that perhaps she had given her advice on her sex life. Frank angrily shoves Rebecca to the ground. Knowing that he will be unable to resist even now, Rebecca opens her robe, revealing her half naked body, and begins to masturbate. Frank cannot stop himself, and joins Rebecca on the floor, where they kiss. Rebecca tries surreptiously to put a pair of handcuffs on Frank, but he notices, and, furious at having been manipulated by her again, he wrestles the cuffs from Rebecca, manacles her wrists to the bedpost, yanks down her briefs, and sodomizes her.
Having found key evidence which indicates that Joanne Braslow might possibly have murdered Marsh because of jealousy over his relationship with Rebecca, Rebecca insists that Frank allow her to testify on her own behalf. Frank relents.
Rebecca's testimony convinces the jury, who acquit her. Before leaving court, she mockingly thanks her attorney for getting a guilty client off, fully aware that he cannot repeat what she said.
Frank goes that night to Rebecca's home, where he finds her with Alan Paley, discussing the manner in which they conspired to kill Marsh, with Paley as a "reverse character witness" (he makes her look guilty, only to have his testimony completely undermined). Rebecca bluntly tells Frank and Paley that she used her sexual prowess to get whatever she wanted from both of them, as well as Marsh. Rebecca is free and clear because she cannot be tried for the same crime twice, but she taunts Paley by telling him to lie low as he could be convicted of perjury) and to leave because "I've forgotten you already."
An enraged Paley lashes out at Carlson physically and, after Dulaney pulls him off, Paley shoots her twice. She plunges from a window to her death.
Main cast [edit]
- Madonna as Rebecca Carlson[6]
- Willem Dafoe as Frank Dulaney
- Joe Mantegna as Robert Garrett
- Anne Archer as Joanne Braslow
- Julianne Moore as Sharon Dulaney
- Stan Shaw as Charles Briggs
- Charles Hallahan as Dr. McCurdy
- Lillian Lehman as Judge Burnham
- Mark Rolston as Detective Reese
- Jeff Perry as Gabe
- Richard Riehle as Detective Griffin
- Jürgen Prochnow as Dr. Alan Payley
- Frank Langella as Jeffrey Roston
Reception and controversy [edit]
The film was almost universally panned by critics and was nominated for six Golden Raspberries, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Willem Dafoe), Worst Director, Worst Supporting Actress (Anne Archer) and Worst Screenplay, with Madonna winning Worst Actress.[7] It also appeared on the 2005 list of Roger Ebert's most hated films. The screenplay and performances were especially disparaged.[8] Body of Evidence has a 7% rating over at Rotten Tomatoes.
Body of Evidence also exacerbated an already burgeoning controversy about Madonna's frequent association with pornography.[9] Before its release she had already published her softcore coffee table book Sex, and the film features her and Dafoe's characters in graphic scenes of simulated rape, cunnilingus, anal and public intercourse.[citation needed] Madonna re-created her look from the film for the music video of her song "Bad Girl", released at the same time.
Box office [edit]
Body of Evidence performed poorly at the box office.[10] In its second week it experienced a 60% drop.[11]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Body of Evidence (1993)". Imdb Business. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
- ^ David J. Fox (1992-08-31). "Madonna Set to Push Limits Once More With NC-17 Movie". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- ^ McKenna, Kristine (1992-04-19). "Willem Dafoe is making the leap from incendiary character actor to romantic leading roles opposite Susan Sarandon and Madonna". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ Fox, David J. (1992-10-30). "Madonna's Movie Will Be Edited for 'R'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ Rainer, Peter (1993-01-23). "Madonna as Actress? The 'Evidence' Is In". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ Galbraith, Jane (1992-04-23). "Politician Doesn't Want Madonna's 'Body'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ James, Caryn (1993-01-17). "FILM VIEW; Madonna's Best Role Remains Madonna". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1993-01-15). "Body Of Evidence". Chicago Sun-Times (RogerEbert.com). Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (1993-01-15). "Madonna's `Body' Is More Laughable Than Her Book". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
- ^ Fox, David J. (1993-01-19). "Weekend Box Office `Body' Struggles to Make the Top 5". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- ^ Fox, David J. (1993-01-26). "Weekend Box Office `Aladdin's' Magic Carpet Ride". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
External links [edit]
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