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Topics: TV And Film, Celebrity, US News
Rhianna Benson
When director Emerald Fennell promised fans a 'scandalous and intoxicating' movie adaptation of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, we were led to believe it'd be a romp-filled sex-fest - and in some ways, it fits that bill.
But what one intimacy coordinator has shrewdly pointed out, is that it's able to have the same seductive impact as the likes of 50 Shades of Grey or Basic Instinct, despite being totally absent of nude scenes.
It's true, throughout the entire 136-minute production, never do lead actors Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi get their kit off.
Even the steamiest of intercourse scenes are carried out whilst the cast are fully-clothed - or, mostly so.
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For those unfamiliar with the plot of the much-loved 1847 gothic-tragedy, it centres on forbidden lovers Cathy and Heathcliff, who grew up together at their decaying farmhouse, Wuthering Heights, after the wealthy landowning father of the former adopted the latter.
As adults, they continue fighting their lust for one another until their affluent neighbour Edgar Linton proposes to Cathy. She reluctantly accepts, given the financial security he can provide, but knowing she's truly in love with her adoptive brother. A heartbroken Heathcliff flees, only to return years later as rich man, who pledges to take vengeance on Cathy by, well, wooing her.
Despite literature fanatics slamming several inconsistencies compared with the book, the film version sees Cathy and Heathcliff embark on a passionate love affair, knocking boots in wide open fields, carriage rides, rose gardens, on dining room tables and everywhere in between.
As we say, however, in each and every scene between the pair, they remain predominantly dressed.
Such is also the case later in the movie, when Cathy calls things off and Heathcliff marries Linton's little sister Isabella (played by Alison Oliver) to get back at her, with the two only engaging in what fans have slammed as 'BDSM intercourse' whilst fully clothed.
According to the blockbuster's on-hand intimacy coordinator, Miriam Lucia, Fennell's choice to omit all nudity was purposeful.
"There just didn’t seem to be a place for it," she told British Vogue. "It’s hugely sexual and very beautifully shot. But it’s almost like the set, the costumes, the sexuality, lust and passion were the players in this."
Fennell's decision, she added, had been partially inspired by the book, which one could accurately describe as asexual. In fact, it focusses considerably more towards the gut-wrenching adoration the key characters endure towards one another, than their yearnings down below.
"So I think to strip off [would have] had very little to do with the tone of the film. It just means we don’t have to think about how we’re going to convey a moment without showing so much, which is unusual."
Lucia also pointed out that nudity in film has the frustrating ability to reduce a powerful female character to an object of desire when not done right.
"Nobody wanted those scenes to be about the girl always waiting for the guy," she continued. "What really came across in Emerald’s script was that these two people were equally driven by insane passion for one another.
"And it seemed extremely important to show that physically, and convey that her needs were as strong as his, and the way they ravish each other should be the same."