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In our weekly series Anatomy of a Nude Scene, we're going to be taking a look at (in)famous sex scenes and nude scenes throughout cinema history and examining their construction, their relationship to the film around it, and their legacy. This week, an 18 year old Uma Thurman pulls all the focus away from Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Liaisons!
Like so many of us, puberty was a terrible time for Uma Thurman. Standing an inch shy of six feet tall, Thurman was gangly and awkward in all the wrong ways as an early teen. However, around the time she turned 15, all of those awkward things began to transform her into a gorgeous young woman who would soon follow her mother Nena von Schlebrügge into the world of modeling. She would land on the cover of British Vogue twice, first in December 1985 and again just after her 16th birthday in May 1986.
Following a completely inauspicious film debut in 1987's Kiss Daddy Goodnight, Uma would soon find herself in a lot of demand, landing roles in much higher profile projects like playing Venus in Terry Gilliam'sThe Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Her biggest career break by far, however, came just prior to that film's release when Uma played the virginal Cécile de Volanges, who loses her virginity to the caddish Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont, played by John Makovich, inDangerous Liaisons.
The film's two lead female roles of Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil and Madame Marie de Tourvel went to the much more established actresses Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer, respectively, leaving Thurman and co-star Keanu Reeves—whose own breakout in Bill Ted was still months away—representing the next generation of movie stars. It's not easy for a young actress to upstage two much more well known and well regarded actresses, both of whom would land Oscar nominations for their work in this film, but Thurman did it by using the oldest trick in the book... nudity.
At only 18, Uma becomes instantly ingrained in our collective minds when her Cécile is violated by the filthy Valmont in a bit of blackmail from the always slippery Vicomte. By this point in the narrative, we've already seen him pull a similar trick with both Laura Benson Émilie and Valerie Gogan's Julie, who is Pfieffer's chambermaid. We know he's a horny devil and Cécile is a virtuous woman who resisted the amorous overtures made by Keanu's Chevalier Raphael Danceny, so this is obviously a collision course for disaster for her.
Under the guise of preparing her for her wedding night with Raphael, Malkovich's Valmont begins giving Cécile sex lessons mixed with a healthy dose of culture that she'll need for her future life married to a cultured man. Little do either of them know that Close's Merteuil has begun doing essentially the exact same thing with poor, unassuming Raphael...
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So yeah, there's no getting around the fact that it's a little off putting watching 35 year old Malkovich put his lips on 18 year old Thurman's breasts, but that's kinda the point of the scene. In a February, 1989 profile of Thurman in People Magazine, both Malkovich and director Stephen Frears were quick to point out that the not-yet-19 year old was an old soul...
Obviously, this Uma may be young, but she’s pretty outspoken and self-assured. “She’s 18 going on 40. She’s far more worldly than I am,” says Liaisons director Stephen Frears. “There is nothing twitchy teenager-ish about her,” agrees co-star Malkovich. “I haven’t met anyone like her at that age. Her intelligence and poise stand out. But there’s something else. She’s more than a little haunted.”
I'm not entirely sure either of them is helping their own case, but yes, Uma proved to be wise beyond her years and savvy about her career choices. In that same People Magazine profile, Thurman herself was quick to set herself apart from the pack by not giving in to the sensationalism of nudity...
Ask Thurman about baring her breasts in the French bedroom drama—and stand back. “This film is not about my tits. Excuse my crass language, but what do people want from me, a still?” she says. “I didn’t get emotional problems doing it. I haven’t found myself on the subway pulling off my blouse or in a restaurant suddenly tearing my pants off.”
A bold statement from someone who had only appeared in three films at that point, as her role in Baron Munchausen was filmed in 1988, but the wouldn't be released until March, 1989. Uma didn't suffer these kind of questions gladly, you'd never catch her throwing out the usual bromides about nudity being integral to the part, and her career was stronger as a result.
Thurman was also lucky to have been paired with two excellent and outspoken actresses like Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer, and although she may have stolen focus from them in the film proper, it wasn't long before she was among their ranks.
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Catch up with our most recent editions of Anatomy of a Nude Scene
—Did They Really Kill a Chicken During That Infamous Pink Flamingos Sex Scene?
—A Naked Julie Michaels Kicks Keanu's Ass in Point Break
—Alexis Dziena Gives Aging Lothario Bill Murray an Eyeful in Broken Flowers
—P.J. Soles Establishes a Key Horror Movie Trope in John Carpenter's Halloween
—Can We Talk About Linnea Quigley's Barbie Doll Crotch in Return of the Living Dead?
—Innocent Blood Finds John Landis Trying to Get His American Werewolf Mojo Back
—The Insane Japanese Horror Movie House Features Equally Insane Nudity
—Howard Stern's Private Parts Lives Up to Its Titular Promise
—Neve Campbell Wastes No Time Making Her Nude Debut in When Will I Be Loved
—Amy Locane Gets Carried Away from Melrose Place to Bang Dennis Hopper
—The Shape of Water Opens with Sally Hawkins Masturbating in the Tub
—Jennifer Jason Leigh Gets the Drop on Bridget Fonda in Single White Female
—Monique Gabrielle Ensures Bachelor Party is an Affair to Remember
—An Entire Generation of Men Saw Bare Breasts for the First Time in Caddyshack
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Click Here to Read All Past Editions of Anatomy of a Nude Scene/Anatomy of a Scene's Anatomy
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