Basic Instinct
Rerelease (in a restored 4K version) of Paul Verhoeven's classic erotic thriller. Screening on the occasion of the upcoming premiere of Benedetta.
Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone are evenly matched in this erotic thriller about the murder of a pop star in Los Angeles. The main suspect is the girlfriend of the singer, thriller writer Catherine Tramell. She seems barely affected by the death of her lover.
Paul Verhoeven’s fourth American production sent a shock wave through puritan America. The carefree, explicit portrayal of sex, the alleged misogyny and the LGBTIQ-hostile undertone caused a lot of fuss. Despite this, or thanks to the controversy, it became a great commercial success. For Verhoeven, BASIC INSTINCT was a continuation of the themes of THE FOURTH MAN, in which Renée Soutendijk played the lead role of the dangerous blond temptress.