Limelight: Baser instinct By Lubna Abdel-Aziz There is something mournful, almost lamentable in the chorus of approbation for film sequels. Every film success breeds sequel after sequel; even failures produce sequels. It is a stagnant state that is distasteful and deplorable, but there it is. Barring a few exceptions, most movie sequels are senseless and rudderless, leaving us to hum and haw for 90 minutes. Our only defence is to avoid them, and punish the producers where it hurts most, at the box-office. Fifteen years ago, a raging wildfire burst on the screen, scorching our hearts with its flaming blaze. Was it the sun, was it the moon? No, it was an unknown beauty by the name of ... and the film was Basic Instinct (1992). A hypnotic sense of intoxication passed over audiences everywhere at the sight of this exciting new vision. Her painfully penetrating physical attraction made men yearn, and women swoon. Few could forget the mystery, suspense, eroticism and controversy surrounding the smoldering vampy campy Stone and her Basic Instinct. Her overnight success was l2 years in the making since Woody Allen cast her in a non- speaking role as "a pretty girl on a train", in Stardust Memories (1980). She was a beautiful young model of 22, and the future was burning bright. She worked diligently and regularly, appearing in 32 films and TV shows, but after 12 years in the business she was making no headway. Her appearances in B films were insignificant and forgettable. Following a failed marriage, she was ready to make a career change, when Playboy magazine came calling. Out of desperation, she went through with a seething nude layout. On the pages of Playboy director Paul Verhoeven found his Catherine Trammel, heroine of his new erotic thriller, opposite superstar Michael Douglas. The film grossed $353 million worldwide, and the police interrogation scene of Stone as she crosses her legs, became a classic in film history. At 34 Stone became the sex goddess of the 1990s. She was showered with attention, adoration, awards and honours and, naturally, endless film offers. With bated breath the world awaited her next screen appearance. It was a dud. Film after film failed to score. Even a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination for her role as a drug- loving prostitute in Martin Scorsese's Casino (1995), failed to make a dent in her sagging popularity. Fourteen years later, she found herself back in filmdom's purgatory, only now she was pushing 50. There were few offers and no good roles. Some actors have only one role within them. Was that the case with Stone! To resuscitate that lost magic, Catherine Trammel must reappear. It was a risk no one else wished to take, not the director, leading man, or producers. Why mess with perfection? But Stone had a "pay or play" contract with producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, which meant she was to be paid her fee, now $14 million, whether the film was made or not. Stone wanted more; she wanted her career back on track. When production was delayed, she filed a law suit demanding damages of almost $100 million. The genre of the erotic thriller had exhausted itself. Its demise was largely due to the many TV porn channels and the Internet, but the producers were in a bind. Basic Instinct 2 started to become a reality. The action was moved from San Francisco to London to add to its darkness, writers Henry Bean and wife Leora Barish turned out a tightly woven script, and director Michael Caton Jones ( Rob Roy ) was hired. A string of actors were slated to be the next victim of the seductive novelist -- Pierce Brosnan, Kurt Russel, Viggo Mortensen, Benicio del Toro, Robert Downey Jr, even Harrison Ford -- but all turned it down. Unknown David Morrissey became Dr. Michael Glass, the psychiatrist appointed to evaluate the sanity of killer Trammel. Unfortunately, few remembered and fewer cared. Basically the same movie, BI-2 had none of the appeal of the first highly suspenseful, cheesy, sleazy, blockbuster of 1992. Opening weekend box office- take was a meager $3.2 million compared to $15.5 million the first time around which by today's standards would be $20.4 million. The press was merciless -- "Proceed at your own risk," "Michael Douglas stayed away, so should you," "an utterly hilarious piece of trash." The harshest criticisms were reserved for Stone, "the mysteries of are long gone!" Ouch! That must have hurt. She must be inconsolable. She is not. She is out in Paris, among her adoring French fans, publicising her film and demonstrating with the labourers. The film also flopped in Paris. While few expected BI-2 to be good, no one expected it to be that bad. Gone is the credibility of Stone. Whatever happened to that highly intelligent bookworm with a university degree in creative writing and fine arts, and an IQ of l54? Does she regret such a major error in judgement? To the contrary, she wanted "even more wild sex in the sequel, more nudity". At 48, critics are asking why? Is "frontal nudity and kinky sex" really necessary for a stunningly beautiful, highly intelligent actress of 48"? Failure on the second attempt dims the luster of the first. Stone's triumph in her initial tour de force, has turned into a farce. The supreme merit of film is not found in deep thought, profound knowledge of human nature, or a vast prophetic vision. It should simply be entertaining, and never, never boring. What kind of instinct drove Stone to seek her resurrection in a grossly erotic, poorly executed, deadly cocktail of murder and madness? Sorry Stone, better luck next time, and do employ some finer instincts on accepting the next script! And he that strives to touch the stars, Oft stumbles at a straw. -- Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)
