“Sex scenes should tell the viewer the truth. 50 Shades of Grey: scenes cut from the movie

Tomorrow, the third film of the franchise about "shades of gray" called "Fifty Shades Freed" from director James Foley is released in Russian cinemas. Yesterday, the performer of the role of Anastasia Steele Dakota Johnson gave candid interview, in which she admitted that the bed scenes in the erotic melodrama were not easy for her. “I had to seriously prepare for filming with psychological point vision. Of course, because my body flickers more in the frame than my partner Jamie Dornan. Bed scenes were given to me very hard,” said Dakota Johnson.

Dakota Johnson "split" that with each new film it is not easier for her to act. The actress does not have the feeling that “we have already gone through this”: every time, like the first time. Fortunately, the relationship with the partner on the set has developed trust. “Fortunately, Jamie and I were comfortable working together and I felt protected. Nonetheless set such a film is an aggressive and frightening environment,” admitted Dakota Johnson.

Frame from the movie "Fifty Shades Freed"

Dakota Johnson said that despite all the difficulties, filming in the "grayscale" franchise was her own choice. “No one forced me to undress in the frame. I myself decided on this, ”said the actress.

Bed scene from the movie "Fifty Shades Darker"

Dakota Johnson in Fifty Shades Darker

Trailer for Fifty Shades Freed

The Vietnam Film Department has confirmed that seven minutes will be cut from 50 Shades Darker to allow the film to be shown in local theaters.

Ngo Phuong Lan, head of the department tasked with censoring the film in Vietnam, says that despite the introduction new system ratings of films that provide for an 18+ category, some types of content should still be restricted.

If a film contains scenes that violate the Cinema Act, distributors may have to choose between risking a ban or cutting those scenes, Lan said.

She called the scenes cut from 50 Shades Darker "pornographic."

“Other sex and love scenes that comply with the rules for 18+ content remain,” she said.

Vietnamese viewers expected less censorship when the authorities announced a new rating system based on age classification, C13, C16 and C18, in addition to the P category common to all viewers.

Before that, there were only two categories in local cinemas - G for general viewing and NC16 for those over 16 years old.

The big premiere of 50 Shades Darker, as well as the action movie John Wick: Chapter 2, was scheduled for February 10 in Vietnam, but it was delayed by another day. Three minutes of violent scenes were cut from the second film.

In the US, 50 Shades Darker was rated R for its many erotic and sexual content, nudity and language. The film is considered inappropriate for viewers under 15 in Australia, under 16 in Canada, and under 18 in Ireland and the UK.

Sex tends to remain a controversial topic in film and art in Vietnam. In 2015, officials proposed banning all sex scenes that last more than five seconds in domestically produced films and scenes that feature fully nude women. The proposal was not discussed after that due to strong opposition from filmmakers.

The first 50 Shades of Gray movie also ran into trouble two years ago after censors unexpectedly canceled all scheduled screenings. Then the so-called Asian version of the film appeared in cinemas, but the audience lamented that there were no sex scenes left in it.

All three books from the 50 Shades series that formed the basis of the films were published in Vietnam without censorship.

The film industry in Vietnam is developing well. Lan said ticket sales have grown by 20% each year over the past decade.

Fifty Shades Darker, the second series of the melodramatic BDSM trilogy based on the super-popular novels by E.L. James. After the critical rout of the first film and a conflict with the writer, the erotic blockbuster changed its director: instead of Sam Taylor-Johnson, this role was taken by a Hollywood veteran, director of the cult drama of the early 1990s Glengarry Glen Ross, who has been making spectator and genre films for three decades. AT recent times Foley has worked extensively in TV, on shows such as House of Cards, Hannibal and Billions. I learned from the director what he wanted to add to numerous bed scenes and what he learned on television.

Lenta.ru: When you agreed to shoot Fifty Shades Darker, did you think about what was good and bad with the first film shot by Sam Taylor-Johnson? What do you think should be new?

The main thing that I learned from the books of E.L. James, it's like they've created their own very special world. And this world should also be appropriate on the screen - sensual, alluring, crafty. Even in the first film, I lacked humor - the James trilogy is very funny. I think we managed to bring this playfulness, the sensuality of the image itself and a sense of humor. It was important to remember that in those numerous, intense sex scenes, the heroes do not lose this sense of humor, they constantly make fun of each other. In the first film, when they have sex, everything is very serious - and for my taste, too stiff. So I wanted to not only assume that these sexual practices not devoid of emotions, but also to show that the audience is facing normal, alive, feeling people who, as it happens, practice this type of sex.

When you come to work on such a project - a big studio film, part of a franchise, based on a popular series of books and with its author in the producers - you are probably looking for something of your own, important in this story. What was it in your case?

It seemed interesting to me to make a movie about the fact that the relationship between a man and a woman is a very confusing and complicated thing. The film pays particular attention to how the power dynamic between them shifts as their relationship becomes more intense and serious. Anastacia just enters adult life, she has her first job - and although Christian says that he will not try to control everything, he still cannot resist it. Therefore, she is trying to defend her freedom, equal rights with him. I was intrigued by how this struggle is reflected in sex - it changes compared to the first film. In general, after all, sex is largely based on fantasies, and this is a very psychologically revealing thing: what preferences a person has often says a lot about his character. Therefore, I wanted the bed scenes to be like dream scenes in some other films - they told the viewer some kind of truth, they carried new knowledge about the characters. So I had the opportunity to use the scenes of sex as turning points in the film, in which the dynamic in the relationship of the characters changes. This is what intrigued me a lot. Power intrigues me.

A lot of your previous films are about this - the struggle for power. Not to mention House of Cards.

Has the fact that you've been working on TV series a lot in the last few years changed your approach to directing movies?

Of course. especially two positive moments. First of all, even on a series of the magnitude of House of Cards, you are limited in time and budget compared to a feature film - but you are dealing with very good stuff. This taught me how to shoot feature films more productively, to respond more quickly to what is happening on the set - instead of making countless takes and sorting it out already during editing. On TV, due to time and money constraints, this approach would be a luxury. And secondly, I learned to work more efficiently throughout long period time. In total, I shot 12 episodes of House of Cards, and six of them ran in a row. That's six continuous hours of content. So when I was offered to shoot "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed" at the same time, I was not at all embarrassed - I understood that I had such an experience. On "House of Cards" you shoot two different series at the same time, practicing episodes from both depending on the location of the filming. And while working on Fifty Shades, I easily mentally switched between films, plots, depending on which scene we were working on. All in all, the TV experience has definitely helped and made me a better director.

Frame: Fifty Shades Darker

It is clear that the second films in the trilogies are the most difficult: in the first series you introduce the characters, in the third you finish the story and plot. How did you ensure that Fifty Shades Darker was interesting on its own, rather than as a tie-in between the opening and the climax of the franchise?

I will say that I really like Fifty Shades Freed in terms of ideas and denouement. We are just about to start installing it. But “Fifty Shades Darker” also seems to me unique, quite independent. The story of the film works on its own. The tension in the plot is such that even if you have not seen the first picture, you quickly guess what happened there. The characters in this series are very dramatic and interesting change. Their relationship changes dramatically. In a sense, this is the most emotionally active series of the three. Anastacia and Christian most time is spent negotiating the rules and roles of each in the relationship. It's something new for both of them - there's a lot of drama in it. I also like the ending, in which the villain reappears and it becomes clear that we will see him again, already in the next film. Of course, this would not happen in a single film, but it is important to consider the nature of the audience. Fans of the book trilogy wouldn't need a second strip on its own. And for those who have not read the books, such an ending gives an additional reason to watch the third part, to find out how it all ends.

And already had to get used to each other in the bed scenes in the first film. And since the director changed, it turns out that they had to go through this process all over again.

Not really. Unless, of course, you count the fact that sex scenes are always hard for the actors and the group. I had similar fears before the start of filming, because not only the director changed, but the entire film crew. Naked and depicting rather frank, non-banal sexual acts Dakota with Jamie now had to look at completely different one and a half hundred people than last time. But there is such a sincere, strong connection between them that there was no problem. They are true friends, very close and constantly make each other laugh. The fact that they are comfortable with each other has made my job much easier. I did not feel at all that I was a stranger who breaks into a relationship strangers. There were no problems - and this is the merit of the actors. It would be much worse if they disliked each other. It's scary to imagine what a disaster this movie would have turned out to be.