BODY HEAT

US, 1981, 108 minutes, Colour.
William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, Mickey Rourke.
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

Body Heat made a great impression at the beginning of the 80s. It was a strong, adult, erotic drama with overtones of the thrillers written by such authors as Raymond Chandler and James Cain. It is very reminiscent of the 1944 film Double Indemnity with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred Mac Murray.

The film introduced two emerging actors at the time, Kathleen Turner and William Hurt. They were to go on to very strong careers, Hurt winning an Oscar for The Kiss of the Spiderwoman in 1985. They were reunited on screen in The Accidental Tourist. Both films were written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

Lawrence Kasdan was a successful writer (Raiders of the Lost Ark) but went on to direct several significant movies in the 1980s including The Big Chill and Silverado. He achieved commercial success with The Accidental Tourist. During the 90s, his career lapsed after he made a very long and rather criticised film of Wyatt Earp with Kevin Costner. He moved towards smaller-budget films in the late 90s and made the excellent film Mumford and then went on to direct the Stephen King adaptation The Dream Chasers.

Body Heat raises a lot of American morality issues. The nature of American marriage, its surface, its seething underneath. Fidelity and infidelity are also strong themes as well as vicious violence and murder for personal and financial benefit. It is well worth seeing.

1. An enjoyable film? A critically successful film? In the American thriller tradition? An exercise in transferring '40s crime film noir to the '80s? The directorial debut of the writer/director.

2. The American tradition of the film noir? A cynical view of life, unpleasant characters, criminal behaviour, amoral attitudes? Audience entertainment, identification, disgust? The ironies of criminal hero and heroine? The moral dilemmas presented? The crime, American setting, American traditions of justice? Conflict between Good and Evil? Greed, lust, power, shrewdness, deviousness, violence?

3. The film noir, crime, male-female relationships? Power, need, love, lust, greed? Passion and complementarity? Mutual using, manipulation, control? Responsibility and conscience? Justice, done, seen to be done?

4. The title and its atmosphere? Passion, the focus on the body? The visualising of the heatwave? The central characters and the external symbol of their inner experience? The comment about the heatwave and people breaking the law? The atmosphere of Florida, the city, the devices for the heatwave, sweat, the chimes? The colour photography and its evocation of mod and atmosphere? Day and night? The environment of the central characters, wealth, ordinary apartment? The detail of the film and the decor? Relating it to the central themes and passion? Editing and pace? The symbol of the web?

5. The musical score and its evocation of '40s scores for similar kinds of films?

6. The structure: the relationship to the work of James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler? The relationship to Double Indemnity? The introduction to Ned, his attitudes and behaviour, the heat, the destruction of the hotel? The encounter with Mattie, the visual and psychological playing with each other, the build-up of the bond leading to the decision to murder and carrying it out? The details of the plan and the execution? The beginning of the accidents, the change in attitudes of Ned and Mattie? Investigation, the discovery of Mattie's deviousness? Ned becoming the victim? New violence? The irony of Ned's discovery of the truth and the finale in Hawaii? The strength of the plot narrative, the gradual development of causality and interlinking of situation and characters, the gradual revelation of the manipulation adding to the layers of meaning?

7. Moral judgment on the characters, in terms of the law, moral standards? The audience attitude towards them, sympathy. revulsion? The need for justice and punishment?

8. Ned, the strength of William Hurt's presence and performance? The average lawyer, the glimpse of him conducting the case and his not managing it well? The seedy client? Symbol of what was to happen? His work in the past and his ignorance of aspects of the law? His friendship with Pete Lowenstein and their discussions together, Lowenstein's comment on Ned's past, on his attitude towards life, especially in his attitudes towards sexuality? Ned's office, his secretary? His mistakes and their being able to be manipulated by Mattie? His picking up women ? the sequences in his room: the girl and the burning down of the hotel, nurses? His reflection on his past being burnt in the hotel, a symbol of what he was to do for the future? The encounter with Mattie, his wandering the night during the heatwave, his searching for her, finding her, obsession and following her, the chimes, her asking him to leave, waiting behind the door and inviting him back in? Their passionate encounter? The motivation in the relationship - how much love, lust? (And the irony for the audience that it was all being controlled by Mattie?)

9. The visualising of the affair, the passionate sequences? Ned falling off with his work? The ironic encounter with Mary Ann in the gazebo and its relevance to the later developments? The episode with Heather and its being used? His drawing the conclusion about the need to murder Edmund? The secrecy of the affair, Ned's attention to detail, the irony of Mattie's greater attention to detail? The execution of the plan: the hotel, the ordering of the car, the discussions with Teddy Lewis about explosives, surveying the hotel basement? The cold-blooded attitude towards the crime, greed and lust ? and almost a fatalistic approach that this was the meaning of his life?

10. The irony of the meeting with Edmund? Accident? His invitation? Mattie rising to the situation? The friendliness, the edge for Ned? Talk, money, jobs? Edmund saying he would kill his wife's lover? His statement about his success by being able to 'do what was necessary'? Ned and his actually stating the truth, with humorous embarrassment? Mattie's coolness and her comment about feminine conversation? The build up to the night? Edmund in bed, taking his gun? The murder sequence? The effect on Ned, the car and the fog, the near-collisions on the highway? Setting the explosive? Mattie and the fog? The police passing by? His having covered everything but the irony of Mattie and her phone calls, concealing the glasses?

11. The effect of the murder on Ned? Separation from Mattie? The importance of the phone call from the lawyer and his non committal responses? Coping? The discovery of what Mattie had done about the will? The will reading? The pressures from Oscar and Pete for him not to go to Mattie and his coming out into the open and saying that he would? The investigation and its effect on him? Oscar and the search, gaining information? Oscar's interviewing him, searching his room? Pete's discussion with him on the wharf and the ironic symbol of his jogging and then smoking? The glasses, the phone calls from Mattie? His being trapped, going to the boat house, seeing the lead? The encounter with Mattie and the explosion? His grief for her and his arrest? Justice?

12. The significance of the overhead track in the prison cells and his waking from a dream to realise that Mattie was not dead? His anxious discussions with Oscar? The Year Book and the photo of Mattie, her identity, her ambition to be rich and live in exotic lands? His finally seeing everything clearly?

13. Mattie as the femme fatale? Audiences first seeing her through Ned's eyes? The heat, the concert, her provocative standing and walking, her striking white dress, her manner of walking, hair style? The accidental encounter? Her skill in easy talk with Ned? Leading him on, the heat, sexual innuendo, her marriage? The accident with the ice cream and her disappearing? Ned's finding her at the bar and her slapping his face? Her leading him homes? The chimes? Her asking him to leave and yet giving him the message to come back? The passionate nature of the affair? The encounter with Heather? Giving Mary Ann the money and talking about her going to Europe? Her encounters with Edmund and his treatment of her?

14. The glimpse of Edmund, background of his law work, changing to business, shady deals? Her relationship with him? His taking her for granted? The wealthy circles in which they moved? The restaurant sequence? His discussions with Ned? The ugliness of his death? His being the victim of his own principles? Pete Lowenstein's later comment about his personality and career?

15. Audience sympathies and shifting in regard to each character? Interest, justice? Expectations being set awry with the discovery of the truth about Mattie? Her grief, separation from Ned, continued professions of love and passion? The will reading and her control? Her phone calls and her absences? Her final arrival and the audience knowing the truth about her?

16. The sketch of Oscar and Pete? Representing law and justice? Oscar's commitment to his work, his investigation, friendship with Ned, warning him? Pete and his more offhand manner, ambitions? His mannerisms, dancing and movement, sex jokes and crude references? A genial friend towards Ned? Trying to warn him?

17. The background of the city, the lawyers going to the cafe, meals, heat, conversation, jokes? Their friendship with Stella at the cafe? Ned's secretary? The hotels, the court scene and the judge's attitude towards Ned and his seedy client?

18. Teddy Lewis and the prison sequences, his friendship with Ned, advising him how to construct the explosives? The importance of his warning to Ned about Mattie's enquiries? The irony of Ned's encounter with the lawyer and the discovery of the truth about Mattie and her information?

19. The film's attention to visual detail and symbol, the initial hotel fire and Ned's past burning and yet his future arriving with his own burning of the hotel? The eating and drinking sequences, smoking? (The smoking at the reading of the will and Pete just breathing the air)? The prison and the banging of the prison gate etc.?

20. Ros and Heather, visit to Mattie, the reading of the will, the smoking, the test for the identification of Ned?

21. The end and Mattie in Hawaii - achieving her ambition? Isolated and alone? The clarification of her motives? Ned's motives? Their coming together and control and manipulation?

22. The film as a satisfying thriller, character study, piece of Americana, study of amorality and immorality?