A Basic House. Review on Basic Instinct Movie

I remember sitting in a movie theatre in 1991 watching the trailer to Basic Instinct and saying to my friend, ''That's My House!'' I was so excited that I repeated it several times. The person sitting in front of us leaned over to her friend and said, ''Sure it is...''

It is true! Basic Instinct was filmed in my parent's house in Carmel Highlands, CA. At the time the movie was being filmed, I was already on my own but thought it a great idea to bring my Mom lunch one day. What a surprise to see Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas in the flesh preparing for the next scene. Sharon Stone is stunning, even on this day when she was suffering from a nasty cold. She had all nude shades on from makeup to clothing and as you saw her in person and the image in the camera-she was simply stunning, alive on the screen. This role was made for her, particularly the riskee sequences with her interogation scene and the scene with her and her lover in the nightclub. Michael Douglas was also surprisingly small. He has such great screen presence and is an average height in person. Not at all the lean giant that I had expected.

As many have said upon reviewing this movie, the plot itself is not great. The gist of the movie is that a murder takes place and Sharon Stone is the primary suspect, even thought there is really no evidence. Still she is the perfect one to question because of her magnetic and captivating energy. There were several things that made this mediocre film a blockbuster: Director Peter Verhoeven, the musical score and the erotic overtone theme throughout the movie. It hardly mattered that the movie plot was not great because the erotic overtone was the star and who cared who the real murder was after the shock and thrills of Cathering Tramell.

In the opening scenes, Nick (Douglas) and his partner (Dzunza) are driving South on Highway One, turn left on Spindrift Rd. and into the driveway of the house that is now owned by Steve Fawcett, who is known for his round the world adventures with partner, Richard Branson of the UK (Virgin). The scenes on the deck are amazing with the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop. Later, not far below, Stone is watching along a beach, which is not really there. This scene is actually filmed in Stinson Beach.

The scene at the end of the movie when Catherine tells Nick that she has finished her book is the scene that I saw that day. I never appreciated how hard actors work and how boring some of the preparation is for just one scene. Nick comes in to Catherine and he says a few lines, she says a few lines back and he says ''What is this some kind of joke?'' He repeats these lines at least ten times and then he does it again but at the top of his voice and with great passion.

It was also amazing to me how much time the crew took to set up the house, transforming the walls and furniture to a more suitable venue and one for the film. Of course being the big movie fan that I am, this was a thrill of a lifetime.

If you are ever in Carmel Highlands, you might get lucky with a glimpse of the house. Perhaps not as exciting as seeing it with Catherine and Nick in the midst. For me, the true star is the house!