Non-Gratuitous Sex Scenes in Movies. (VERY NSFW!)

Foreword: Someone on Threads started this topic, and I was going to make a simple contribution... except that the female actor in the scene is one of my followers. I'm sure every Hollywood celebrity is painfully aware that their fans harbor illicit fantasies about them; I'd prefer not to confirm it in this case.

Anyway, the topic was regarding one's favorite sex scenes; I'd expand that into something slightly more cerebral- scenes that aren't gratuitous. That is, if you take the scene out, does it affect the story in any way?

The first Terminator film is a good example, but I'm starting the thread off with another different sci-fi film: Hardware.

The film belongs to the post-apocalyptic genre, where the world is mostly desert with little to no rain, constant wars and hordes of homeless. A soldier named Mo is coming home for Christmas to his girlfriend Jill, and decides to bring her a present as a peace offering, as he's been away for an extremely long time with no contact.

Since she's a welder and sculptor, he purchases the remains of a robot from a junk collector and hauls it to her high-rise apartment, where she stays in safety since there's a stalker constantly knocking at her door.
As expected, she gives him a chilly reception (it HAS been quite some time) but he wins her over when he presents the disassembled droid to her.

After a shower together, they end up in her bed, engaging in loud, sweaty sex.


You have to admit, that's a really awesome Christmas present.

In the middle of this, the audience sees the robot's head come to life, as it activates and watches Jill & Mo copulate.


Later, the robot will fully reanimate and literally pull itself together to fulfill its purpose: to reduce the population. So, we see this scene actually moves the story forward by introducing the villain. (If they don't have sex, the robot doesn't wake up. Totally different movie.)

However, the scene also introduces a secondary villain: the stalker who's been shadowing Jill is one of her neighbors who also lives in the building. As the couple continues to make love, the audience sees that they are being spied on with an infrared camera. Her neighbor, a man named Lincoln Weinberg is taking photos, recording their moans and offering a disgusting commentary on the action.

Personally, I find the disturbing quality of this scene softened by the fact that the actor is the late William Hootkins, who Star Wars fans readily recognize as Porkins in Episode 4. (Hootkins has appeared in other popular films, such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and the 1989 Batman movie.)

Rumor has it he based the character off of Harvey Weinstein (Hardware WAS released by Miramax.)

Side note: This film served as a bit of inspiration for my own feature years ago, using the technique of a love scene to awaken an evil presence.


Here's a nice shot of the two leads:


Okay, you know you want to see these two naked. Here you go:
Stacey Travis nude – Hardware (1990) Video » Best Sexy Scene » HeroEro Tube

 

If you read any random negative review of the film, the author usually mentions the sex scene and completely misses the point. It's a rare occurrence for a film to be able to do this (again, the first Terminator film manages it perfectly)

I have a soft spot for the film, having run across it as I was entering film school- it's a weird blend of art-house and gory slasher and the first half is interesting for its characters and world-building. The second half is a bit more disappointing, but Ms. Travis holds her own against the robot, and she is as good as Linda Hamilton or Sigourney Weaver in this regard.

 

"Tell me you love me for more than just my hand!"

OR

"I didn't realize how much I missed you hand!"
"My hand? I knew it, but wouldn't let myself believe it."
"No, I mean I missed you!"

^ For those who thought "Is his robotic hand also a sex toy?".


Seriously, great plot assessment.

 

I've read a few reviews that "went there."

I think I remember reading the original script and it had the Jill character sucking on Mo's metal hand in the shower scene.

Another bit of trivia- in the 80's, the director made a 45-minute short film that was basically the first half of Hardware, except with teenagers. The boy playing Mo's equivalent was sporting a giant robotic claw which the director tried to incorporate into the feature, but actor Dylan McDermott took one look at it and declared that he "wasn't wearing that thing!" (which accounts for the simpler glove he wears.)

 

Given that most sex scenes in movies are likely gratuitous, I didn't expect this thread to take off, but I'd like to post something related to Hardware again to make another point.

This is an excerpt from the script regarding the scene I described earlier; it's rife with typos, but ignore those.


The thing I noticed was that the inert robot head doesn't wake up during Jill & Mo's bedroom antics. It occurs later in the script during an unfilmed "pillow-talk" sequence.

It's apparent that the editor made this sequence work better by having the robot activate during sex; it tracks its victims by body heat and you can bet the two of them are putting out a hell of a lot of it!
(This also sets up a scene where Jill hides in her refrigerator from the robot, as it can't detect her with the cold temperatures acting as a smokescreen.)

There's a saying that movies are made or broken in the editing room. While Hardware may not qualify as a huge success, another famous film can be used as an example here:
How One Person Saved Star Wars' Famous Trench Run Scene

 

Not sexual, but related to improvising while sort of staying on script...

Tears in rain monologue - Wikipedia

LATE EDIT:
Comment removed because the Wiki article thoroughly discusses the thought.

 

Just thought I'd add another footnote to this thread- Director Richard Stanley penned a sequel to Hardware years ago, but it never got made. Still, the script is online and this story also included a sex scene. Since a script can differ wildly from a finished film, it's hard to tell if this sequence could be gratuitous. As it does begin the climax of the story, it's a bit of a toss-up.

A small dose of context: Hardware 2: Ground Zero takes place 20 years after the first film, and two survivors from that movie appear here- Jill and Shades (who was a sidekick to Mo, Jill's late boyfriend) Shades comes to visit Jill, who's living in a commune far away from the city after her apartment got trashed. (I doubt she got her security deposit back, but that's neither here nor there.)

It's clear Shades has developed a crush on Jill, but she isn't interested. She does end up falling for Lyle, a rough, unshaven mercenary who probably reminds her of Mo. She gets drunk and seduces Lyle near a lake where Shades, following Jill around like a puppy, observes them.



It's depressing for Shades, who gets his heart broken- but I can't help but feel very bad for Jill, given the circumstances: 20 years ago, she had sex with Mo, and this private moment was violated by her creepy neighbor, not to mention a homicidal robot hell-bent on killing her.

Flash forward two decades, and she finally gives in to an urge, and once again can't seem to get laid without an audience viewing the activities; this time not only is a friend watching her, but also a platoon of homicidal robots AND a group of mercenaries hunting for the robots!

 

^
It sounds as though Hardware 2 could be a commercially viable film if done properly. Or improperly , depending on your view of how Hollywood handles sci-fi action films.

 

It's unlikely to ever get off the ground at this point- Hardware was a cult hit and if there is an audience for it, it's fairly small... and we all know Hollywood is only looking for "tent-pole" movies and whatever the next batch of superhero movies is.

One more factor is that the two leads from the original film (Stacey Travis & John Lynch) are supposed to be in their mid-40's, but in real life Ms. Travis & Mr. Lynch are into their mid-60's. It's less of a factor for the Shades character, but Jill goes through a hell of a lot in the final section of the script (crawling naked through nests of fire ants, for example) and it might be a bit of a task, as capable as Ms. Travis is.

Speaking of Ms. Travis' acting ability, I'm dropping this here- she was a supporting character on MTV's "Just Say Julie" and was primarily a comedic actor at the beginning of her career.


(She was never just a pretty face to me.)