![]() ![]() Media megastars with a wattage such as Madge’s will always have the vultures circling. Body of Evidence was positioned as the Madonna movie, and when the criticism came, it came for her. READ MORE: DmC: Devil May Cry – Throwback 10 Madonna has been hyper-critical of Body of Evidence since the film’s failure, highlighting dissatisfaction at its ending, suggesting that misogyny had a hand in altering its original ending, and pondering why she got the blame for everything when she wasn’t the only one involved. More frustrating than anything is that Madonna, a regular agent provocateur, particularly at that time, doesn’t have the same zest that Sharon Stone managed to harbour to make Catherine Tramell come alive. However, only one of the films grasps how to operate within the silliness. Make no mistake: both Body of Evidence and Basic Instinct are trash thrillers. Just one instance of how similar scenes can play out differently. But the scene is merely an infodump of exposition, lacking the gleeful characterisation instilled by Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. Much like in Basic Instinct, the detectives crack wise with the District Attorney (Joe Mantegna) over the “stiff” and the sex games he may or may not have played. But it’s clear from the dialogue and blocking that Edel just doesn’t have the same flair that makes Basic Instinct tick. Both films open similarly with Body of Evidence coincidently aping Basic Instinct’s initial crime scene sequence. Paul Verhoeven’s grip on the sensationalised nonsense is far stronger than Body’s director Uli Edel. It excels in detail, performance, and direction. Basic Instinct doesn’t just have the jump on Body of Evidence by being completed and released first. This an unfortunate occurrence, as the coincidental similarities found in both features only help to highlight how Body of Evidence pales in comparison. It doesn’t help, however, that he’s beginning to fall for her, complicating matters.īody of Evidence began shooting two weeks after Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct (1992) was released. Rebecca appears unaware of these facts, much to Dulaney’s confusion. It’s also discovered that Marsh had a dicky ticker. That his will was changed to leave Rebecca with $8 Million after he dies. As the trail begins to loom, more details are revealed about Rebecca’s relationship with Marsh. Lawyer Frank Dulaney (Willem Defoe) is hired to defend Rebecca, and from first impressions duly believes her innocence. When the elderly and wealthy Andrew Marsh dies from a heart attack after some sexual activity, his lover Rebecca Carlson (Madonna) is framed as the lead suspect. READ MORE: Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors – All Hail The King #4 – Comic Review But it doesn’t help that Body of Evidence, even 30 years on, is a stinker. Maybe the OTT sexuality was too much for folk in general. Madonna, ever the reinventor, shed the aggressive sexual image and moved on to the more introspective Bedtime Stories album in 1994. Quite simply: some people saw it, disliked it, and informed their friends to stay clear. However, the film’s 60% drop during its second week suggests that word of mouth had some sway in public opinion. De Laurentiis pointed to the sexual saturation as the reason why Body of Evidence flopped at the box office. The overload of a sexually suggestive book, an album and a film had many critics question Madonna’s antics. But seriously, who’s going tell the Material Girl what to do? De Laurentiis allegedly pleaded with Madonna to delay the box release to give Body of Evidence a chance to breathe. ![]() Negative reaction to the book hampered Erotica‘s commercial prospects, with the album being her lowest selling at the time. Late in 1992, Madonna simultaneously released the erotic coffee table book Sex, and her fifth studio album Erotica. The widely dubbed “queen of pop” was going through one of her most polarising eras. At the time, he looked to be holding a not-so-covert secret weapon: Madonna. However, Dino De Laurentiis, a producer not afraid of the odd lurid feature, looked to wade into the waters of the sexy thriller business. A spate of illicit noirs and/or yuppies in peril features littered the box office with varying results. ![]() The Erotic Thriller sub-genre was reaching its peak. You can see why, at first glance, Body of Evidence seemed like a good idea. ![]()
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