Thursday, November 19, 2009

Ekstase (1933)

Ekstase is a romantic drama by Czech filmmaker Gustav Machaty featuring the nineteen year old Hedwig Kiesler. At the time Eksatse was made, it was the most notorious and scandalous feature film because it was the first to depict sexual intercourse and the female orgasm onscreen. Not to mention the nude swimming scene and the naked romp through the trees in pursuit of a horse. Ekstase (1933), caused such an international sensation that the resulting notoriety got Hedwig Kiesler called to Hollywood and signed to MGM studios under the more elegant name of Hedy Lamarr.
Shot in Austria and outmoded by today’s standards, Machaty’s film falls under a genre I like to call the “European Touch”. Which is to say that the film is very symbolic and artistic- therefore, if it’s not your cup of tea, boring. The film strives to capture human nature through raw emotion, using the actor’s facial expressions instead of words to express what is going on in the scene. Unfortunately, some of its potency is lost due poor filming equipment.













Thanks to Mythologie Des Lucioles for the pics.

Side note:
The erotic close-ups of Hedy Lamarr's face in the throes of passion were aided, she says, by the director unexpectedly jabbing her in the derriere with a pin in order to get the desired expressions on her face.



Tonight on TCM!
The Bridges At Toko-Ri (1954)
Two jet pilots forge a lasting friendship while fighting the Korean War.Cast: William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney Dir: Mark Robson

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