TAKE IT OFF
7 of the Best Movie Nude Scenes
From titillating to empowering to even exploiting, nudity reveals different aspects of a film. It can be used for both arousal or narrative purposes. One thing’s for sure, we love watching nudity. Today we’re going to take a look at eight of the most erotic, playful and empowering nude scenes from movies.
Medium Cool (1969)
An encounter between Robert Forster and Marianna Hill is notable for its playfulness. In it, both John (Forster) and Ruth (Hill) are in bed, completely naked. Sometimes, foreplay is goofy and the mood is just that when John chases Ruth around the apartment. Neither has a care in the world, they’re just enjoying each other. The nudity is so natural that you can’t help but smile as you watch.
American Gigolo (1980)
The first time a major Hollywood star showed his penis on screen was in this 1980 film. It was about a male prostitute and the actor was Richard Gere. In this post-coital scene, Julian (Gere) stands nude in front of a window, fully comfortable in his nakedness. While it was shocking to see a naked penis, the scene treats it as natural. It’s also notable that nearly 40 years ago full-frontal male nudity was unusual in mainstream Hollywood and something the MPAA still shys away from. But in a film about a male prostitute, would it really be fair for him to not bare it all?
Basic Instinct (1992)
When you consider the erotic thriller Basic Instinct, this scene is probably the one that comes to mind. While more clothed than other actors on this list, it still deserves to be mentioned. In it, femme fatale Catherine (Sharon Stone) is interrogated by police. Despite being outnumbered by the officers, Catherine is in control, toying with them as they fall under her spell. And then, the moment we’ve all heard about happens. She uncrosses and recrosses her leg and, in a blink, reveals she’s not wearing underwear.
Titanic (1997)
Like the scene from Basic Instinct, there is one from Titanic that stands out in our collective consciousness. In it, Rose (Kate Winslet) goes to Jack’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) room and tells him she wants him to draw her like one of his French girls (ie. fully nude). Not only is this scene notable for its effect on the sexual awakening of many millenials, it also marks a turning point for Rose. 1912 was a repressive time for women but this marks the moment Rose turns into a sexual being and takes control of her own life.
Kinsey (2004)
Representation of bisexual characters is still flawed, especially positive views of bisexual men. In this film about renowned sexologist Alfred Kinsey (Liam Neeson), creator of the Kinsey scale, the complexities of human sexuality are shown. In this particular scene, the openly bisexual Clyde (Peter Sarsgaard) strips it all off and stands naked in front of Kinsey. Clyde is both daring Kinsey to look at him and testing whether Kinsey will go further with him (and for those of you wondering, he does).
Boy Meets Girl (2014)
We’ve come along way since a trans-person’s gender was used as a shocking reveal in The Crying Game (1992). This scene towards the end of Boy Meets Girl is both erotic and empowering and sees lead Ricky (Michelle Hendley), a trans-woman, emerge naked from water to stand in front of her love interest Robby (Michael Welch). Instead of the camera objectifying her body, Ricky is in control and tells Bobby to accept her as she is. Not only is this film notable for its positive portrayal of a trans-woman, Hendley (Ricky) is actually trans.
Love (2015)
Who isn’t turned on by a threesome? In this scene, a young couple, Electra (Aomi Muyock) and Murphy (Karl Glusman) engage in a threesome with Omi (Klara Kristin). The scene is notable not only for its graphic nudity but for unsimulated sex. As you can imagine, this scene is sexy. According to writer/director Gaspar Noé, he didn’t choreograph any of the sex scenes, but let the actors figure it out together. This adds to the extreme realism (in addition to being unsimulated) the scene delivers.
