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Billed as the hottest Hollywood film since Last Tango, 9 ½ Weeks was considered to have missed the mark by everyone who made it – including director Adrian Lyne, stars Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger, producer/writer Zalman King and his wife, writer Patricia Knop. Today we’ll talk about why this intoxicating and troubling film is worth a second look, how to square away the arguably feminist finished product from a production process that robbed Basinger of agency, and we’ll explore the film Rourke and King re-teamed on as a re-do, Wild Orchid. We’ll also talk about Rourke’s “bad boy” persona, and his problematic relationship with his second wife and co-star, supermodel Carre Otis.
Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke in 9½ Weeks (1986)
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
Nine and a Half Weeks: A Memoir of a Love Affair by Elizabeth McNeill
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, by Carre Otis
People Are Talking About: Kim Basinger by David Denby, Vogue, April 1986
Making it Big in 9 ½ Weeks, Interview Magazine, March 1985, Vol 15 Iss 3
Mickey Rourke, Playboy, February 1987
Vision Skeds Wild Orchid as ‘High-Class Erotic Pic by Hy Hollinger, Variety, May 12, 1988
Paradise Lust, People Magazine, June 15, 1992
King Comments, Hollywood Reporter, May 9, 1988
Just for Variety, Variety, Feb 11, 1994
The Cutting Edge by Pat H. Broeske, LA Times, Feb. 16, 1986
Profile of Zalman King by Nancy Griffin, Premiere Magazine, September 1991
Former French Models Come Forward With Abuse Allegations Against Gerald Marie, NPR Morning Edition, Sept. 10, 2021
Who Was the Real Woman Behind “Nine and a Half Weeks? by Sarah Weinman, The New Yorker, Nov 30, 2012
Leading Man Named Zalman, New York Times, Feb 28, 1971
This Lady-Killer Bites by Janet Maslin, New York Times, April 28, 1990
‘Wild Orchid’ Makes Its Sex Seem Ludicrous by Michael Wilmington, LA Times, April 30, 1990
Hollywood Report by Martin A. Grove, The Hollywood Reporter, May 2, 1990
Before ‘Fifty Shades,’ How ‘9 1/2 Weeks’ Director Put S&M Onscreen by Seth Abramovitch, Feb 12, 2015
How '9 1/2 Weeks' Pushed An Actress To The Edge by Nina Darnton, New York Times, March 9, 1986
Orchid Sex Scenes Might Be Pirated by James Ulmer, The Hollywood Reporter, August 10, 1989
Take One, People Magazine, May 1, 1989
X Marks it Hot, Variety, March 28, 1990
True Love, Newsweek, April 23, 1990
Kim Basinger Cover & Interview, Interview Magazine, Feb 1986
Orchid Producers Sue Rourke, Otis, The Hollywood Reporter, June 20, 1990
The Last Anti-Hero, By Patrick Goldstein, LA Times, Feb. 24, 1991
Patricia Louisiana Knop Dies: Screenwriter For ‘9 1/2 Weeks’ And ‘Wild Orchid’ Was 78 By Bruce Haring, Deadline, August 16, 2019
‘Wild Orchid’ Star Carré Sutton Sues Former Elite Modeling Agency Execs Over Rape Accusations by Daniel Goldblatt, August 12, 2021
Mickey Rourke ex Carré Sutton sues Former Elite Models Boss Over Alleged Rape by Ben Feuerherd, NY Post, August 13, 2021
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Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
"Rumoi Night" - Kokura Station
"Quindi Cavern" - LufaQuest
"Tower of Mirrors" - TinyTiny Trio
"Kestral" - Kajubaa
"Pxl Cray" - The Fence
"Gruman's Thorn" - Kajubaa
"The Kishner Method" - Kajubaa
"Pxl Eventuat" - The Fence
"Gamboler" - Pglet
"Kamilah" - Sunflower
"Nightride" - Kajubaa
"WestDesert" - LufaQuest
"Zeriba Village" - LufaQuest
"Kind of Regret" - Synapse
Mickey Rourke and Carre Otis, c. 1980s
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Mickey Rourke, photographed by Helmut Newton, c. 1980’s