In this day and age, the word "subtle" isn't what it used to be. We discuss sex openly, chat about toys, positions and lovers, even the number and intensity of orgasms with often distressing candor. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course. However when I was lucky enough to score an early peek at "MAN OVERBOARD" by Lara Diamond, I was reminded why I adore old movies. Why the "noir" genre appeals to me so much, with its truly subtle sensuality that oozes sex rather than flaunts it. Go get this novel, my friends. It's fabulous!!!But it also made me somewhat wistful for that age when women were "dolls" or "dames" - treated as something special by those guys who let their eyes roam over hips and curves with lustful appreciation. When car doors were opened without even thinking about it. When long gowns were expected for evenings and pants were something men wore to work. Sure, this is the glamorous take on the thirties and women have earned the right to stand shoulder to shoulder with men. No arguments from me on how right that is. Gender equality is a worthy goal and we should continue our battle to achieve it.
But...we've sacrificed something on the journey, I'm thinking. We've lost the art of subtle seduction. We've reached a point where sex is represented by a mostly naked model in skimpy silk and wings. Where commercials show people in bed and movies aren't considered complete unless somebody gets naked at least once. Nipples and breasts are all over the place and nudity is getting to be commonplace along with personally intimate sexual details. It's the twenty-first century, and mostly I'm okay with all this. I write hotly explicit sex scenes that readers seem to enjoy and I have fun doing it.
However, there are one or two moments when I think back to some of my favorite old films - the "Noir" films that linger at the top of the classic movie lists. And I wonder if we'll ever recapture that ability to be seductive with our clothes ON. If you don't think that's possible, then I invite you to check out the movie clip below. This is one of the HOTTEST scenes ever filmed, IMHO - sparks are leaping between Bogart and Bacall. It's in the eyes, the expressions and the dialogue. They're dressed but there's not a doubt in anyone's mind that the only thing they're thinking about at these moments is sex.
Lauren Bacall was (I think) nineteen when she filmed this particular movie. Yet to me, she exudes more flat-out sexual appeal in these few seconds than all the dimwitted blonde celebrities of today, combined with every Victoria's secret model ever photographed. If I had the choice to be a sex Goddess for the twenty first century, or a siren of the thirties - well, I know which one I'd pick.
And I defy a man to walk away from my question...."You know how to whistle, don't you Steve?"
