Directed by Paul Verhoeven, the classic “Basic Instinct” celebrates its 30th anniversary. After a cinema release in 2021, the sulphurous thriller is available on Prime Video. The perfect opportunity to (re)discover it.
It is a film that reinvented the interrogation scenes in the cinema. And the leg crossings. Basic Instinct celebrates its 30th anniversary. The mores in 1992 are perhaps no longer the same as today, nevertheless the thriller of Paul Verhoeven continues to warm the spirits. After a brief release in theaters last summer, this 1990s classic is entering the Amazon Prime Video catalogue.
The story begins with the savage murder of a rock star. An ice pick was found at the scene. Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) investigates the crime and meets the main suspect, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone). Brilliant and mysterious, she is also the author of erotic novels in which she describes homicides that recur in reality. Between his desire to solve his investigation and to succumb to the charm of the writer, the inspector will fall into a downward spiral.
Inspired by the style of Alfred Hitchcock, Basic Instinct – which evokes the primary instinct of every human being in French – was released during the effervescence of erotic thrillers in cinema. In 1992, the femme fatales are everywhere on the screens, but that interpreted by Sharon Stone marks the apogee of this movement. It’s hard to imagine another actress in her place. However, twelve stars had already refused the role. Among them, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Kim Basinger, Michelle Pfeiffer or even Isabelle Adjani.
Canal Studio Leilani Sarelle and Sharon Stone in “Basic Instinct”.
The sulphurous character of Catherine Tramell has made Sharon Stone a world star. From the screening of the film at the Cannes Film Festival, she suffered a sudden and overwhelming popularity. Spectators even enter her hotel on the Croisette to follow her through the corridors. Having become a “sex symbol” in spite of herself, the actress will have to live with this label for the rest of her career.
At the heart of the many discussions around the film, there is a scene. The one where the suspect is questioned by the police officers. As she crosses her legs, the actress surprises onlookers around the world by not wearing any underwear. This sequence, parodied thousands of times since, has become one of the most iconic moments in contemporary Hollywood cinema.
Canal Studio
Michael Douglas and George Dzundza.
Yet Sharon Stone herself was framed. In his memoirs The Beauty of Living Twicepublished in 2021, she explains that Paul Verhoeven had asked her to take off her underwear which was too visible in the light. She discovers the scene and the plan in full test projection in front of the whole team. Furious and feeling betrayed, she slaps the director in the projection booth. Paul Verhoeven refutes this version.
Once Criticized, Now Adored
At its output, Basic Instinct is not unanimous with critics and even less with activists from the LGBT + community. Many criticize the film for conveying an insulting and dangerous portrayal of bisexuality. Petitions are created and demonstrations are organized. Nevertheless, the thriller finds its audience. In France, it collected more than 4 million admissions and in the United States, it garnered as much as a big-budget action film.
The years have passed and Basic Instinct remains anchored in the collective memory as the most sulphurous investigation of this decade. Since then, critics have significantly upgraded the film’s quality. As for Sharon Stoneher character of Catherine Tramell continues to stick to her skin.
Basic Instinct is available on Amazon Prime Video.