Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct (released March 20, 1992) is an American mystery film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. It stars Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jeanne Tripplehorn and George Dzundza.

Controversy

Portrayal of homosexuals

The film was controversial due to its overt sexuality and graphic violence -- a characteristic found in many of Verhoeven's movies -- and was protested by gay rights activists who felt that the film followed a pattern of negative depiction of gay and lesbian people in the film industry.

Related Topics:
Gay rights - Negative depiction

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NC-17 rating

The film nearly was assigned an NC-17 rating by the MPAA, this was again because of the overt sexuality and graphic violence. One scene in particular was cited as the reason for the rating. At one point in the film, Sharon Stone's character is interrogated by a panel of police officers, all of them male. During the scene, Stone uncrosses and then re-crosses her legs. The camera angle allowed the audience to briefly get a glimpse up Stone's skirt, which showed that she was not wearing any panties.

Related Topics:
NC-17 - MPAA

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Stone has often stated that she did not know that the camera would be able to see up her dress and claims to have slapped Paul Verhoeven and insisted that he remove the shot from the film. Verhoeven has denied that the confrontation ever took place.

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