Flirting with Disaster: Written and Directed by David O. Russel: Clip: http://youtu.be/l83CcqhP-kY Trailer: http://youtu.be/767CFFqGsiU Do you see that, that wheel in there? There's like a glob of gunk. - Yeah, I do. - Tar. - We need something to wipe it off with. - If we could get like a- - You know what? Let's just use my skirt. - Your skirt? - I don't care about it. It's old. - Really? Okay. - Hold this, okay? - Okay. Here. - Just- If you can... - Hold still. - Yeah. Okay. I'm Beauregard from Dixie, hooray- Technically, he's from New York. Right? - I'm sorry. Oh. I'm sorry. - Well- - Uh, you got it, though. You got it. - Good. - Yeah. So how long did you say you were a dancer for? - Oh, God, don't remind me. - I haven't been to the gym in months. - Well, you don't seem like you need to go to the gym. - I mean- You seem... - Well, you're very generous. But when I was dancing, you know, my calves did not look like this. - Those look like very strong calves to me. - Well, strong, yeah. They've always been strong. When I was a kid, you know... I used to beat my brothers at Indian wrestling all the time. Away down south in Dixie - He's a little cracker. - No. - Yes, you are. You can't deny- oh! - No, I'm not a cracker. I'm not a cracker! You feel it in your legs? It's really more about upper-body strength, isn't it? - No, it's all in the legs. - How? You'll see when you lose your balance. I always liked this scene. It's a memorable classic seduction. There's a lot of subtext here. But for me, Mel wasn't too overtly interested in Tina until this scene where she not so subtly directs him to her hiked up skirt. At that point it's obvious she's interested in him. The question becomes, will he go for it, at the risk of hurting his wife. This marks a turning point where Mel and Tina go down that road. It also encapsulates the implied title theme "flirting" and the inevitable potential disastrous effects. It is a very short and to the point scene, with minimal wordiness, and lots of subtext based simply on throwing the characters into a situation. I love it.

I can't find a video of this scene - except dubbed in Italian. It's the seduction scene from Chinatown. Here's a link to the relevant section of the screenplay - - http://www.bhplayhouse.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=att_download&link_id=391&cf_id=24 What seems great and is crucial I think is that Robert Towne has given them something else to do - fix Jake's nose - and there are still a pile of secrets between them. And they both know it. As they let down their guards Nicholson reveals a little bit about what happened in Chinatown, the ghost that haunts him and will eventually be his downfall. I always loved her line about the flaw in her iris - and the way in the movie she stutters over the line. My guess is that Faye Dunaway played the line this way because the flaw - or birthmark - reminds her of her father. And it's a great lesson of how inserting subtext (because that seems to be what Towne intended for those lines) can inform a performance, and how when the performance plays off the subtext the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Finally I think the lesson here is that a in a properly placed seduction scene is a great place backstory revelation. If done properly it hides the exposition - your character is revealing it for a reason: to gain trust.

Movie: Body Heat Youtube: http://youtu.be/5wWbnDgFp-c EXT. THE BEACHFRONT - NIGHT The hottest January in fifty years has brought the crowds to the beach in search of relief. But they've been disappointed. Even the breeze off the ocean seems blown from a hair dryer. Still, the nights are a trifle better and the Beachfront, the penny arcades, the ice cream stands and bars are busy, even now in the middle of the week. Racine comes out of a bar and lights a cigarette, idly watching the passing parade. There is a free band concert in progress at the band shell. Racine wanders in that direction. EXT. THE BAND SHELL - NIGHT The Miranda Beach High School Orchestra is playing to a full, sweating house; the audience is a sea of orange programs fluttering away as fans. People come and go frequently. The atmosphere is as innocent and informal as the music the band is playing now. Racine leans against the back rail, smoking, his eyes playing over the scene with no expectations. Then, down near the center aisle, a WOMAN rises. As the band plays on, this extraordinary, beautiful woman, in a simple white dress, moves down the aisle. She moves wonderfully. The dress clings to her body in the heat. Racine watches, mesmerized, as she walks directly toward him. She passes within a few inches of him, her eyes lowered. Racine's body sways a moment as she goes by, as though buffeted by some force. But they do not touch. She goes out onto the Beachfront walkway. EXT. THE BEACHFRONT WALKWAY - NIGHT The Woman, MATTY, has walked to the rail. She stands there now lighting a cigarette. She presents her face to the ocean, hoping for a breeze. We move in on her, with Racine. Racine lights a new cigarette and smiles at her. She looks at him and, for an instant, her eyes race over his body, then she looks back at the ocean. RACINE You can stand here with me if you want, but you'll have to agree not to talk about the heat. She looks at him, and there is something startling about the directness of her gaze. When she speaks, she is cool without being hostile. MATTY I'm a married woman. RACINE Meaning what? MATTY Meaning I'm not looking for company. She turns back toward the ocean. RACINE Then you should have said -- 'I'm a happily married woman.' MATTY That's my business. RACINE What? MATTY How happy I am. RACINE And how, happy is that? She looks at him curiously. She begins walking slowly along the rail. He walks too. MATTY You're not too smart, are you? Racine shakes his head "no." MATTY I like that in a man. RACINE What else you like -- Ugly? Lazy? Horny? I got 'em all. MATTY You don't look lazy. Racine smiles. MATTY Tell me, does chat like that work with most women? RACINE Some. If they haven't been around much. MATTY I wondered. Thought maybe I was out of touch. She stops again at the rail as a small breeze blows in from the ocean. She turns her back to it and, with her cigarette dangling from her lips, she uses both hands to lift her hair up off her nape. She closes her eyes as the air hits her. Racine watches very closely. RACINE How 'bout I buy you a drink? MATTY I told you. I've got a husband. RACINE I'll buy him one too. MATTY He's out of town. RACINE My favorite kind. We'll drink to him. MATTY He only comes up on the weekends. Matty lets her hair fall and again begins moving down walkway. She drops her cigarette and steps on it. RACINE I'm liking him better all the time. You better take me up on this quick. In another forty-five minutes I'm going to give up and walk away. MATTY You want to buy me something? I'll take one of these. They have come upon a Vendor selling snow cones. RACINE What kind? MATTY Cherry. RACINE (to Vendor) Make it two. The Vendor scoops and pours as Racine lays some change on the cart. RACINE (to Matty) You're not staying in Miranda Beach. (she shakes her head "no") I would have noticed you. MATTY Is this town that small? Racine hands her a snow cone. They walk over to the rail. Racine watches her eat the snow cone with enormous interest. RACINE Pinehaven. You're staying up in Pinehaven, on the waterway. (she gives him a look, surprised) You have a house. MATTY How'd you know? RACINE You look like Pinehaven. MATTY How does Pinehaven look? RACINE Well tended. She looks out at the ocean. MATTY Yes, I'm well tended, all right. Well tended. What about you? RACINE Me? I need tending. I need someone to take care of me. Rub my tired muscles. Smooth out my sheets. MATTY Get married. RACINE I just need it for tonight. For the first time, Matty laughs. A moment later, she spills the snow cone over the front of her dress. It makes a bright red stain against the white. The thin material clings to the line of her breast. MATTY Good. Nice move, Matty. RACINE Matty. I like it. Right over your heart. MATTY At least it's cool. I'm burning up. RACINE I asked you not to talk about the heat. MATTY Would you get me a paper towel or something? Dip it in some cold water. Racine starts toward the restroom nearby. RACINE Right away. I'll even wipe it off for you. MATTY You don't want to lick it? This causes a momentary hitch in Racine's retreat, but then he hurries off. Comment: This is a great screenplay. We are seduced by Matty and just like the hapless Ned Racine we don't realize until the end that she's alive and has completely played us.

Scene: Writer Christian is trying to seduce the beautiful courtesan Satine. Nearly all dialogue is song, most of which are lines from famous songs of the 20th century. Very short seduction scene that works because of the power of the orchestral accompaniment. SATINE: I can't fall in love. CHRISTIAN: But a life without love? That's terrible! SATINE: No... being on the street, that's terrible. CHRISTIAN: No. SATINE: What? CHRISTIAN: Love is like oxygen. Love is many a splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love! SATINE: Please don't start that again. CHRISTIAN (singing): All you need is love... SATINE: A girl has got to eat... CHRISTIAN (singing): All you need is love... SATINE: She'll end up on the street... CHRISTIAN (singing): All you need is love... SATINE: Love is just a game. CHRISTIAN (singing): I was made for lovin' you baby, you were made for loving me. SATINE (singing): The only way of lovin' me baby is to pay a lovely fee. CHRISTIAN (singing): Just one night, give me just one night! SATINE: (laughing) There's no way, cause you can't pay! CHRISTIAN (singing): In the name of love... (Satine giggles) CHRISTIAN (singing): One night in the name of love! SATINE (singing): You crazy fool, I won't give in to you. CHRISTIAN (singing): Don't... leave me this way. I can't survive without your sweet love, oh baby... don't leave me this way. SATINE (singing): You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs. CHRISTIAN (singing): I look around me and I see that it isn't so. No. SATINE (singing): Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs. CHRISTIAN (singing): Well what's wrong with that? I'd like to know... 'cause here I go again (Christian jumps out onto the elephant's head) CHRISTIAN (singing): Love lifts us up where we belong! SATINE: Get down! CHRISTIAN (singing): Where eagles fly on a mountain high. SATINE (singing): Love makes us act like we are fools: throw our lives away for one happy day. CHRISTIAN (singing): We can be heroes! Just for one day. SATINE (singing): You... you will be mean. CHRISTIAN: No I won't. SATINE (singing): And I... I'll drink all the time. CHRISTIAN (singing): We should be lovers. SATINE (singing): We can't do that. CHRISTIAN (singing): We should be lovers, and that's a fact. SATINE (singing): Though nothing will keep us together... CHRISTIAN (singing): We could steal time, just for one day. BOTH (singing): We could be heroes, forever and ever. We could be heroes, forever and ever. We can be heroes... CHRISTIAN (singing): Just because I... I will always love you... SATINE (singing): I... I... BOTH (singing): Can't help that it's true. SATINE (singing): How wonderful life is... BOTH (singing): Now you're in the world. SATINE (singing): You're gonna be bad for business, I can tell.