While channel hopping with the remote control last night, I happened on an exciting scene from the American version of Shall We Dance? (2004), a remake of a wonderful Japanese film of the same title (1996). It was broadcast on a Spanish channel, Telefutura, which I visit regularly to see how further my command of the language I studied in college has deteriorated. In the scene, Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere engage in a steamy spin in a dimly lit loft. I’m always impressed when film-makers get the art of sexuality right, especially when the characters are fully clothed. I find most film sex lame, gratuitous. I can think of only one scene among thousands that really worked, between Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland in Don’t Look Now (1973), a thriller based on a novel by Daphne Du Maurier, wherein the latent clairvoyance of Sutherland’s character is exhibited during intercourse. I’m sure there must be others, but I find sex in legitimate films to be little more than soft core porn. The Lopez-Gere scene is up there with the smoldering Gene Kelly-Cyd Charisse segment of the Broadway Melody suite in Singin’ in the Rain (1954), and the can you top this moves between the Sharks and the Jets in the dance at the gym in West Side Story (1961). And JLO is so damn beautiful. The Japanese version is rated 7.6 at IMDb, the remake 6.0. Perhaps I caught the movie’s best scene, which is less than three minutes long and is driven by the pulsating Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre) by The Gotan Project. Here’s a link to the clip. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bibtqDxXv1o
It was a quiet day at the floating book shop. I sold only four books. My thanks to the buyers and to Dave, who donated two David Baldacci thrillers in excellent condition.
Visit Vic's sites:
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
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