Sliver and Sharon Stone as Superstar (Erotic 90’s, Part 12)

Sharon Stone and Joe Eszterhas’s post-Basic Instinct reunion film was one of the most troubled productions of the 90s. A post-Hitchcock tale of sexual surveillance given a technological update for the 90s, after a long battle with the MPAA the sanitized, R-rated version of Sliver was rejected by critics and audiences, but the movie and the juicy gossip leaked from its production (which included a love pentagon involving both actress and screenwriter) only enhanced Sharon Stone’s aura as an old-school Hollywood star for a decade that didn’t know what to do with her. (00:00) Magic Johnson, Spin Magazine, and AIDS Denialism (10:44) Sharon Stone, Feminism, and Movie Stardom (20:47) Following Up Basic Instinct and Taming Robert Evans (29:10) The Messy Glory of Sliver (38:49) A Very 90s Update of Gaslight (48:48) The Male Gaze, Male Nudity, and Reshoots (01:00:09) Infidelity, Bad Press, and a Love Pentagram