12 Movie Sex Scenes That Should Have Been Halted

      Movie sex scenes serve as a reflection of our changing attitudes towards relationships and consent.

      Here are 10 instances that crossed the line in unsettling ways.

      Let's dive in.

      Last Tango in Paris (1972)

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      A prime example of how not to direct intimate scenes. Director Bernardo Bertolucci, who was 30, and 48-year-old star Marlon Brando decided to use butter in one of the film's most notorious scenes, revealing this decision to 19-year-old actress Maria Schneider only as the cameras started rolling.

      “I wanted her reaction as a girl, not as an actress,” Bertolucci, who passed away in 2018, later explained. “I wanted her to feel humiliated.” Schneider, who died in 2007, expressed that she indeed felt violated by the sequence.

      When the scene faced renewed criticism in 2016, Bertolucci clarified that while Schneider was aware of the scene's violent nature as outlined in the script, the “only novelty was the idea of the butter... And that, as I learned many years later, offended Maria, not the violence she was subjected to in the screenplay.” He also mentioned that all sexual acts depicted in the film were simulated.

      Pretty Baby (1978)

      Paramount Pictures – Credit: C/O

      The recent Hulu documentary Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby illustrates the many ways Hollywood men attempted to sexualize Shields from a young age. The film takes its name from Pretty Baby, the Louise Malle film based on the true story of a 12-year-old girl raised in a brothel and exploited by her mother.

      While the film shows sympathy for Shields’ character, Violet, it raised significant concerns by depicting Shields in undressed situations. Even by 1978 standards, it was considered so troubling that it prompted numerous articles debating its appropriateness, leading the British Board of Film Classification to deliberate on its legality.

      One questionable scene features an 11-year-old Shields kissing 28-year-old co-star David Carradine — although Shields later remarked on The Drew Barrymore Show that Carradine was “gracious” and “protective” while on set.

      Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

      20th Century Fox – Credit: C/O

      Numerous articles could be dedicated to the issues surrounding Revenge of the Nerds, with one of the main concerns being a scene where nerds utilize hidden cameras to spy on sorority women in various states of undress.

      That’s a felony, nerds.

      Revenge of the Nerds, Again (1984)

      20th Century Fox – Credit: C/O

      The most troubling aspect of Revenge of the Nerds is a moment where lead character Lewis (Robert Carradine), the supposed hero, disguises himself to trick a fellow student into believing he is her boyfriend. After they have sex, she expresses delight about how good it was, which the film uses to rationalize the deceitful behavior. Terrible lessons all around.

      Screenwriter Steve Zacharias has expressed regret over both the mask scene and the hidden camera scenario, stating he eliminated them while working on a musical adaptation of the film.

      Also Read: 12 Shameless ’80s Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended

      Sixteen Candles (1984)

      Universal Pictures – Credit: C/O

      Sixteen Candles features a character whose unpleasant actions are compounded by the film's expectation for us to like him. Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling) is portrayed as the ultimate dream guy for the heroine, Samantha (Molly Ringwald). However, at one point, Jake hands off his unconscious girlfriend, Caroline (Haviland Morris), to another character, Ted (Anthony Michael Hall).

      Jake tells Ted, “Have fun.” The following day, Caroline and Ted conclude they had sex.

      When Ted asks if she enjoyed it, she replies, “You know, I have this weird feeling I did,” which serves as the film's attempt to justify the guys’ actions.

      Basic Instinct (1992)

      TriStar Pictures – Credit: C/O

      In her memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, Sharon Stone revealed that she was deceived into participating in the film's most revealing scene by a crew member who claimed she needed to remove her underwear for lighting reasons.

      Shocked by the final result, she slapped director Paul Verhoeven and immediately contacted her lawyer, though she later agreed to the scene's release. Verhoeven later claimed that Stone was a willing participant who "knew exactly what we were doing," which she disputes.

      Recently, Stone mentioned on the Table for Two podcast that she lost custody of her child in a 2004 court case due to her role in the film.

      “I lost custody of my child,” she stated. “When the judge asked my little boy, ‘Do you know your mother makes sex movies?'”

      She expressed sorrow over “this kind of abuse by