Closer

Kal · December 06, 2004, 12:19:46 AM

To be honest I saw him only in Bourne Supremacy which was almost nothing... and Gosford Park which he is fine but he doesnt stand out... he was the only name on the cast that I didnt know very well and surprised me the most!

Weird. Oh · December 06, 2004, 02:16:59 AM

The two films I've seen Clive Owen in he pretty much played similar characters. In Croupier and I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, he plays a character who has an underlying mysteriousness to him and a certain stoicism. Rumour was that he was going to be the new bond, not sure what happend to that.

~~So does Nat Port get naked in this?~~

metroshane · December 06, 2004, 10:49:52 AM

While I'm still in love with this movie...I do say that I find the exclusion of Portman's nudity gratuitious. It was just too obvious in avoiding it. One of those "we'll time it so she goes out of frame just as her clothes come off" deals. I mean if you are going to make the choice that the character is a stripper...then you gotta sorta own that. If you are afraid of nudity, then maybe you aren't ready to play a stripper or direct one.

Does anyone know if the play included nudity?

ono · December 06, 2004, 11:15:28 AM

"Gratuitous exclusion of nudity." I like that.

Kal · December 06, 2004, 11:59:38 AM

Quote from: metroshane

Does anyone know if the play included nudity?

Yep... lots of it... but unless you are very close to the stage you dont get to see much

Anywhoo... I think I'm glad I didnt see Natalie Portman completly naked... I wouldnt be able to watch StarWars Ep III if I'd see that... I already find her amazingly attractive and sexy and it would have been too much (I wouldnt mind seeing her privately naked of course 8) )

jasper_window · December 06, 2004, 01:22:31 PM

Quote from: metroshaneWhile I'm still in love with this movie...I do say that I find the exclusion of Portman's nudity gratuitious. It was just too obvious in avoiding it. One of those "we'll time it so she goes out of frame just as her clothes come off" deals. I mean if you are going to make the choice that the character is a stripper...then you gotta sorta own that. If you are afraid of nudity, then maybe you aren't ready to play a stripper or direct one.

Does anyone know if the play included nudity?

Are you sure you aren't just finding a way to rationalize the fact that you wanted to see her naked and didn't? You started this thread with the words "Natalie Portman is a stripper.." I find Natalie Portman amazing attractive and wouldn't have objected if she was nude onscreen, but I disagree that just because she's a stripper you need to see her naked. I don't think the scene needed it at all. It was one of my favorite from the film.
***READ NO FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM!***

They came into the scene late, I think they would have shown her naked sooner, so it wasn't missed. And as for the end of the scene there's no way they would have shown her naked from behind, bent over in front of the camera. I fail to see where the need for the nudity was.

grand theft sparrow · December 06, 2004, 01:36:25 PM

Quote from: jasper_windowI fail to see where the need for the nudity was.

A stripper that doesn't take her clothes off in a movie about sex is like a soldier who doesn't come under fire in a movie about war. Sure, there's a story there. But an air of inauthenticity lingers.

metroshane · December 06, 2004, 01:44:30 PM

Jasper, you are right...I did start the thread that way...but I was just being goofy. I do find Portman attractive, but I have DSL...I can get all the porn I want.

While, I agree that the scene didn't need a gyno exam I do think there are altenate ways to approach the scene. I mean when you have 10 strippers in a room and only one has their top on...it's distracting.

Ghostboy · December 06, 2004, 02:06:28 PM

The lack of nudity didn't annoy me. If you think about it...if she HAD done the nude scenes...the movie would have ended up being defined by them, which wouldn't have been benificial for the film itself. So in in the end, I think it's very much for the better.

jasper_window · December 06, 2004, 02:09:37 PM

Quote from: metroshaneJasper, you are right...I did start the thread that way...but I was just being goofy. I do find Portman attractive, but I have DSL...I can get all the porn I want.

While, I agree that the scene didn't need a gyno exam I do think there are altenate ways to approach the scene. I mean when you have 10 strippers in a room and only one has their top on...it's distracting.

Good point. Obviosuly it didn't bother me. The movie was terrific though. I saw it yesterday and I can't get it out of my head. Natalie P and Clive Owen were great.

jonas · December 06, 2004, 03:26:26 PM

I thought it was fantastic.

The whole cast was great (even julia roberts), but Clive Owen and Natalie Portman owned.

Natalie Portman doing a split in a strippers outfit =

metroshane · December 06, 2004, 08:10:41 PM

QuoteThe lack of nudity didn't annoy me. If you think about it...if she HAD done the nude scenes...the movie would have ended up being defined by them, which wouldn't have been benificial for the film itself. So in in the end, I think it's very much for the better.

Ghostboy, I have an issue with that stance. Granted you are probably right, but then the film is being defined by the actors and their "celebrity" not the art. If Portman was an unknown it wouldn't be an issue at all. THAT'S my real problem. I think the material called for nudity during that particular scene...and as good as Portman is...maybe she wasn't the right actress for it if that's the case. Remove yourself from contempory mentalities and imagine the way people will look at it in 100 years. By the way, I hate how we can show infidelity and even domestic violence , but not tits.

I'd really hate for this issue to dwelve into debate any more than it has to (why can't I let things go?) because in the end, it's really a small issue. I don't want it to be misrepresented into any critisism that would make it any less of a beautiful film. It is beautiful.

jasper_window · December 06, 2004, 08:24:41 PM

Portman did do the nudity, but Nicholos cut it. I wonder if she regretted doing it and asked him to remove it, or if he truly felt it was gratuitous...But you and Ghostboy are right - some films become dcefined by shit like that. "hey natalie portman's naked in this film, and Chloe Sevingy goes down on Vincent Gallo in the brown bunny" and it takes away from the film as a whole.

Jeremy Blackman · December 06, 2004, 09:10:12 PM

Quote from: jasper_windowsome films become dcefined by shit like that. "hey natalie portman's naked in this film, and Chloe Sevingy goes down on Vincent Gallo in the brown bunny" and it takes away from the film as a whole.

Isn't that our problem?

mutinyco · December 06, 2004, 09:43:23 PM

It wasn't needed. It would've totally taken the audience out of the scene. Leaving it to our imaginations was more tasteful.