Comments on: Winterbottom’s “9 Songs” http://www.comstockfilms.com/blog/tony/2006/05/07/winterbottoms-nine-songs/ Real Talk About Making Real Sex Erotic Documentaries Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:28:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: tony http://www.comstockfilms.com/blog/tony/2006/05/07/winterbottoms-nine-songs/#comment-2439 tony Wed, 10 May 2006 13:33:16 +0000 http://www.comstockfilms.com/blog/tony/2006/05/07/winterbottoms-nine-songs/#comment-2439 Hello Cody! I'm a yankee doodle dandy too! ;-) I haven't seen "In the Realm of the Senses", so I guess I'm back to Amazon for another purchase. We'll talk more about it once I've actually seen it. As to the making sex meaningful, we'll that's the $160,000 question, isn't it? Our documentary-style approach is our best guess as to how to create character and context on budgets that are not too far away from what it cost to produce 9 Songs. It works, but as I said in my The Dreamers write up, it's terribly limited, and hard to imagine it would hold the attention of a director like Bertolucci for very long (or Winterbottom for that matter). The approach in 9 Songs is also very contrained, and while I think it's more ambitious than what we do, I find it less entertaining, and certainly less arousing. Whether or not 9 Songs is intended to titalate or arrouse I don't know. Apparently in the BTS footage the female lead asserts that no one will leave the theater turned on, and I can't help but feel like she thinks that this somehow justifies, excuses or renders more respectable what she's done for the sake of Winterbottom's little etude. This is a common theme in movie sex, it's okay to show/see sex -- just as long as it doesn't make you want to fuck. I guess I'll have to watch the BTS now and hear what she has to say for myself. Our films are absolutely intended to make people feel sexy, and to make them feel good about feeling sexy. That's no small ambition, and I'm pleased with what success we've had so far! :-) Hello Cody! I’m a yankee doodle dandy too! ;-)

I haven’t seen “In the Realm of the Senses”, so I guess I’m back to Amazon for another purchase. We’ll talk more about it once I’ve actually seen it.

As to the making sex meaningful, we’ll that’s the $160,000 question, isn’t it?

Our documentary-style approach is our best guess as to how to create character and context on budgets that are not too far away from what it cost to produce 9 Songs. It works, but as I said in my The Dreamers write up, it’s terribly limited, and hard to imagine it would hold the attention of a director like Bertolucci for very long (or Winterbottom for that matter).

The approach in 9 Songs is also very contrained, and while I think it’s more ambitious than what we do, I find it less entertaining, and certainly less arousing.

Whether or not 9 Songs is intended to titalate or arrouse I don’t know. Apparently in the BTS footage the female lead asserts that no one will leave the theater turned on, and I can’t help but feel like she thinks that this somehow justifies, excuses or renders more respectable what she’s done for the sake of Winterbottom’s little etude. This is a common theme in movie sex, it’s okay to show/see sex — just as long as it doesn’t make you want to fuck. I guess I’ll have to watch the BTS now and hear what she has to say for myself.

Our films are absolutely intended to make people feel sexy, and to make them feel good about feeling sexy. That’s no small ambition, and I’m pleased with what success we’ve had so far! :-)

]]> By: Cody Jarrett http://www.comstockfilms.com/blog/tony/2006/05/07/winterbottoms-nine-songs/#comment-2330 Cody Jarrett Tue, 09 May 2006 15:04:02 +0000 http://www.comstockfilms.com/blog/tony/2006/05/07/winterbottoms-nine-songs/#comment-2330 Tony: I've always been kind of interested in how to show the real human sexual experience in a film, without tipping over into theworld of "porn" (as if that's a bad thing). I believe, as I think you do, that the problem with porn isn't that it shows people having sex, but that more often than not it tends to debase the sexual experience instead of celebrate it. My personal experience with sex is that it usually is a damn good time, I've even been known to smile and laugh at various points during the experience. While I'm no porn expert, I don't think I've ever seen a smut movie where it seemed the performers were actually having a good time. After seeing your review of 9 Songs, I went to check it out on IMDB and saw that there is a very lively discussion on the Boards regarding the place of sex in a "legitimate" film. I find most of the comments tend to be beside the point. I don't feel the issue is to show it or not to show it. I think what's more important is how to show it, and make it meaningful. All of this is a long lead in to my question for you. How do you think "In the Realm of the Senses" fits into the argument? I believe this is a movie which treats sex in a real, adult, explicit manner. It is also successful as a film telling a great story. I'm interested in your thoughts. As an aside, I saw this movie the first time as a young man before I had any concept of porn beyond Playboy and Penthouse. The scene where Eiko Matsuda fellates Tatsuya Fuji, was a real eye-opener. Tony:
I’ve always been kind of interested in how to show the real human sexual experience in a film, without tipping over into theworld of “porn” (as if that’s a bad thing). I believe, as I think you do, that the problem with porn isn’t that it shows people having sex, but that more often than not it tends to debase the sexual experience instead of celebrate it. My personal experience with sex is that it usually is a damn good time, I’ve even been known to smile and laugh at various points during the experience. While I’m no porn expert, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smut movie where it seemed the performers were actually having a good time.

After seeing your review of 9 Songs, I went to check it out on IMDB and saw that there is a very lively discussion on the Boards regarding the place of sex in a “legitimate” film. I find most of the comments tend to be beside the point. I don’t feel the issue is to show it or not to show it. I think what’s more important is how to show it, and make it meaningful.

All of this is a long lead in to my question for you. How do you think “In the Realm of the Senses” fits into the argument? I believe this is a movie which treats sex in a real, adult, explicit manner. It is also successful as a film telling a great story. I’m interested in your thoughts.

As an aside, I saw this movie the first time as a young man before I had any concept of porn beyond Playboy and Penthouse. The scene where Eiko Matsuda fellates Tatsuya Fuji, was a real eye-opener.

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