Since 1986 Adrian Lyne`s film has managed to turn from tabloid erotica into a terrible psychological drama about two loneliness.
Today I share my 9 1/2 Weeks movie analysis with you. And I hope you will find valuable information in my article.
So, in short, this erotic romance drama is an example of unbridled impulses, themes of sadomasochism, and sexual taboos. This film clearly shows how addiction kills love. Yet, 9 1/2 weeks is also about human boundaries. How far will you push the limits?
What was the movie 9 1/2 weeks about?
The young girl Elizabeth meets John quite by chance, and her poise disappears.
Together with him, the girl is freed from the shackles of shyness and fear. Like a caring mentor, he gently leads her by the hand along an unbeaten path of thrills, along the way, dragging her into a new world of vivid and unforgettable experiences.
This world appears in her eyes as a place unlike anything else on earth, with light colors of joy and shades of sadness.
With John, Elizabeth learned the forbidden fruit of unearthly pleasures and felt like a woman for the first time. Every time they made love, she gave freedom to the body, forgetting about the soul.
Excessive emancipation, obsession, and ardent desire gave her a feeling of pleasant looseness. Together they felt like one.
As a sophisticated seducer, John draws the girl into a love game, making her give up many life principles.
Few people know, but 9 ½ Weeks grew out of the novel of the same name based on actual events by Elizabeth McNeil.
The film was released in the United States on Valentine’s Day in a censored version, where many erotic moments were cut or significantly reduced. The uncut version is available for viewing and purchase on Amazon Prime Videos, HBO Max, and Vudu.
9 1/2 is known as an erotic drama, but bed scenes look polished and unrealistic to me. However, critics and audiences alike loved the food scene. This fetish is interesting, but eating raw eggs, cough syrup, Mexican green chili, and honey and then riding around in all this is an absolute tactile nightmare.
The real sex in the film is so-so, but the eroticism is off the charts. Gorgeous close-ups of black silk stockings, removable clothes, goosebumps, actress Kim Basinger’s breasts under a translucent shirt, white silk eye patches, a house cat that runs out of the bedroom because something strange is about to begin, Mickey Rourke’s lips, like he eats soup or whispers “Does that scare you?” or “What do you feel?” And that scene of seduction with ice cubes? It was just incredible.
I’m happy that I watched this film after my twenties. Because for a fragile mind, what was shown in this film and called love could become a role model.
The musical accompaniment, for me, was a very different meaning from the picture on the screen. I think the music gave a more romantic mood, and many took it all for a fascinating romance.
If the music were more disturbing, it would be like a psychological thriller.
9 1/2 weeks movie analysis.
9 ½ Weeks is, first and foremost, an accurate film about uncontrolled passion and separation, toxic relationships, and only then – a bold, erotic melodrama.
The main themes here are not sex or all-consuming passion but questions that people usually try to find answers to in a therapist’s office. How not to go crazy and survive a midlife crisis? Where do erotic play end and real relationships begin? Can the heroes be together? How to stop when lust is crowding everything else out of your life? What turn would the relationship take if Elizabeth had not ended it in time so as not to break down?
What’s this? Sexual slavery? Masochism? Erotica with meaning?
John and Elizabeth’s relationship.
Screen Elizabeth and John are crazy beautiful Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Mickey Rourke’s character, John. He is rich and hot-headed, buying Elizabeth fancy gifts. But he is also emotionally tight, control freaked and impatient, and hates parties.
John is not only crazy about his new girlfriend, but he also idolizes her while ultimately managing her life.
To do this, John successfully uses three techniques for seduction:
1 Emotional dates.
In other words, surprises from which emotions are over the edge. The main feature of such dates: various bright feelings, positive and negative, from joint actions bring us very close to our partner.
This experience was not the first for John, and he controlled the situation.
2 Associations.
For example, John gives Elizabeth a watch and says, “Elizabeth, every afternoon at noon, look at this watch and remember how I touch you. Will you do it for me?” The association is enabled. The clock is John’s touch. Remember what a dreamy heroine was sitting at work?
Although Elizabeth left John, I am sure she looked at her watch for a long time and remembered him.
3 Psychological abuse.
John and Elizabeth’s relationship is marked by devaluation, manipulation, and abuse.
An alarm bell rang even when he indicated when she should communicate with friends. He did not want to get acquainted with her surroundings and did not introduce her to his own.
Throughout the film, John treats Elizabeth like a living toy: he caresses, cherishes, combs, and feeds her.
He says: “I realized that you are me,” and “The only thing that keeps me in this world is my girlfriend.” Such phrases are either a manipulator or a co-dependent person.
And remember, when he forced her to crawl on the floor and collect money, she said, “I hate this game,” and he replied: “No, you like it.”
For John, Elizabeth is not so much passion or love as a victory. He approaches their relationship like playing a video game or solving a puzzle. But as is often the case with men, John sees no boundaries, cannot switch the behavior register, and finish the game on time. He wants to be in his comfort zone for as long as possible.
But up to a certain point, Elizabeth does not seem to be against such a relationship. So each new meeting with John – whether it’s dressing up as a man, running from street gangsters through doorways, or having sex in front of the refrigerator – is another chapter in their love adventures.
And she, a middle-aged divorced gallery owner in a noisy and crowded New York, is exactly what she needs.
It made her want to give herself into the hands of a powerful man. So she goes to him time after time, not knowing what he has prepared for her for this meeting.
And these are strong emotions with different polarities: fear, shame, anger, interest, and glee. The degree is turned to the maximum.
John, for Elizabeth, is not only a patron or mentor – he is her antidote from herself. With an endless game of passion, he slowly pulls the girl out of the psychological hole.
But at the same time, losing her head, Elizabeth remains sane. After several weeks of dates, she still doubts: is her relationship with John so bright and reckless? Is it love or not?
We can see how the heroine fades before our eyes throughout the film from the consequences of Elizabeth’s emotional dependence.
Life is not limited to one sex. The world is much bigger than a bed. Therefore, spiritual and spiritual intimacy is crucial, and these relationships have not developed into anything more.
And in the illustration to this, we see a good metaphor – a wilted flower on the window, and Elizabeth sadly looks out the window at the frolicking children.
But in a couple, everything was relatively fine until John introduced a third person into the relationship – a prostitute, a spectator. Thus, he destroyed their secret world.
9 1/2 weeks ending explained. It is too late…
In the breakup scene, Mickey Rourke plays not so much a wounded man as an upset boy who has his favorite toy taken away.
She throws in his face: “You knew that everything would end when we stopped playing,” and he only mumbles: “I love you” – at the already closed door. He does not rush after Elizabeth because the new toy he finds will always be better than the old one.
In the final, Elizabeth looks like a frustrated, crying, a free woman who still has everything ahead of her. So, these nine and a half weeks were sparkling and magical, but their beauty lies precisely in the fact that they are finally over for Elizabeth.
She loved John. She hoped that everything would finally turn around the other way and he would stop, say ‘Stop.’ She waited patiently, crawling on the floor, collecting money, dancing a striptease, and smearing in honey.
But he didn’t. And Elizabeth burned out.
Then she only turns around once to finally see that he did not follow her down the street.
Is there a sequel to Nine and a half weeks?
Yes, this film is called Love in Paris (1997).
Ten years later. In Paris, at an art auction, John meets the beautiful, very sexy Lee and sees her wearing a handkerchief he once gave Elizabeth.
John persistently asks Lee how to find the former owner of the handkerchief. At the same time, he tries to forget about Elizabeth in the arms of Lee herself and her friend Claire. But the memories of his former lover attract him more than the most sophisticated sexual games.
The picture Love in Paris doesn’t have its flair and is only 2.9 on IMDb.
If you want to read more love stories analysis – check out The Thorn Birds as the best tragic romance and When Harry Met Sally relationship analysis.
Final words.
It’s probably no exaggeration to say that the original ‘9 1/2 Weeks’ was a truly sensational film. Not only providing Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, and director Adrian Lyne with star status. But even after so many years holding the laurels of perhaps one of its most popular erotic films.
9 1/2 Weeks film for 37 years has not only not become worse. But it has also gained new facets and has become more accurate and scarier.
It is a picture of passion that leads nowhere, about two loneliness who met not to be together until death but just to make everyone’s life a little better, brighter, and more enjoyable for a while.
Did you watch 9 1/2 weeks? Tell me down below in the comments.
Share this blog post if you enjoyed it. I would appreciate it!
Well, everyone could have their own opinion about anything. I can’t say I disagree with you. I only remember that I did like it many many years ago.
I have heard of it but I’ve never seen it. Kim Bassinger has been a favorite since Batman. I haven’t seen her in a long time though. I wonder if she’s still acting.
Not my type of movie, but I’m thinking of give it a try in the Valentine Day. Hopefully it’s good.
That sounds like an interesting show and thanks for the detailed review. Though it’s not my kind of genre, I enjoyed reading this post.
I watched this movie years ago on VHS, (yes, dating myself), I really enjoyed it back then. I was about 18 when I saw it. I’d say it was the 80s version of 50 Shades of Grey.
Thanks for your honest review. I went expecting erotic brinksmanship but came away surprised by how thoughtful the movie is, and how clearly it sees what really happens between its characters.
There is something in this movie that is convincing, complicated, and sensual. But I loved it!
I have never seen this movie before but warner bros is my favorite company. They always make good movies. I will suggest this to my partner.
I haven’t watched this before nor have I heard about it! But it’s certainly a movie I’d love to see.
Ive never hear of 9 1/2 weeks but it definitely looks like a very intense movie. Your post has me curious about it and I might have to watch it and see for myself.
This is a new suggestion for me. I had never heard of 9 1/2 weeks. But, the movie analysis has inspired me to add it to my must watch list!
No, I haven’t watched this film. It is right up my alley. I am so watching it’s trailer in a few. Thanks for sharing about it.
The film “9 1/2 Weeks” appears to be quite intriguing, tackling numerous challenges that women may continue to encounter even in our contemporary society. I will certainly make a point to watch it and explore its themes further.