Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



Bolero (1984)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

Title Screen
Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
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Bolero (1984)

In Svengali husband John Derek's overwrought tale of sexual awakening that was released unrated, due to its rampant and lengthy sexual content and nudity. After Fantasies (1981) and Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981), this was the third film (and vanity project) featuring his blonde-haired, blue-eyed 27 year-old wife Bo Derek (originally named Kathleen Collins). Their fourth and final collaboration was for Ghosts Can't Do It (1989).

The film's title was derivative of two connections or double-entendres: a veiled reference to her own name BO - lero, and a reference to Maurice Ravel's 'Bolero' - played during a love-sequence in her previous hit film 10 (1979) directed by Blake Edwards, although there was no reoccurrence of 'Bolero' in his film. It was supposedly a remake of the romantic musical drama Bolero (1934), starring Carole Lombard and George Raft (as nightclub dancer Raoul - a Rudolph Valentino surrogate).

From its nine Golden Raspberry (Razzie) nominations, the controversial and embarrassing stinker from Cannon Films (and Golan-Globus Productions) won six awards (including Worst Actress, Worst Picture, and Worst Director). Its domestic gross was about $8.9 million, on a budget of $7 million. The film was also nominated as one of the Worst Pictures of the Decade. Its taglines were: "An adventure in eXtasy," and "The Hottest Erotic Film of the Century."

  • in the 1920s, "overeducated" Scottish lass Lida MacGillivery (aka "Mac") (Bo Derek), an avid Rudolph Valentino fan, had just graduated from a strict all-girls English boarding school; she confessed to her schoolmate - Spanish girlfriend Catalina (aka "Cat") Terry (Ana Obregon): "But in the ways of love, we're kindergarten toddlers"; both agreed that they wished to "wallow" in "eXtasy" on the hot sands of Morocco - 'Mac' was on a quest to find an ideal lover, after having obtained her inheritance from her father as a "rich bitch"
  • to celebrate receiving the inheritance and graduating as an 18 year-old, "Mac" stripped down topless to her underwear and streaked about in the school's garden and campus, amazing her father's chauffeur/guardian Cotton (George Kennedy) about how much she had "grown well" since childhood, although he protectively covered her with a blanket
  • Catalina ("Cat") and "Mac" - with their chauffeur/pimp Cotton, traveled to N. Africa (Morocco), where "Mac" forwardly introduced herself to a "real Sheik" (Greg Bensen) - London-educated (with nods to Rudolf Valentino's 'sheik' character); she boldly offered herself: "I have come all this way to give you something you may not even want. My virginity...Will you take the gift?"
  • the next day, after arriving at the Arab sheik's ocean-side sand-dune encampment by aeroplane, "Mac" received a lesson in sensual belly-dancing before she was stripped of her clothing in his tent; old-style title cards described: "And now...the gift is without a wrapper"
"Mac" with Moroccan Sheik - and Thick Honey

"And now...the gift is without a wrapper"
  • the Sheik asked in another title card: "Where is the milk and honey?"; in the infamous scene, he dripped honey onto her naked breasts and body and began licking the sweet substance, causing her to be tickled; he asked: "What's the matter with you?"; as she recalled just before impending intercourse with the Sheik: "When it should have happened...", her male partner/lover fell asleep (from hookah-smoking): "The sleep was from the magic smoke, not me." She was upset for being denied sex - and for being covered in thick honey, and complained: "I'm all dressed up with no place to go!"
  • the next stop for "Cat" and "Mac" was Spain, where "Mac" flirted with dark-eyed, sexy Angel Sacristan (Andrea Occhipinti) - a bullfighter, vineyard owner and cattler herder; but she had to compete with two others, at an outdoor hot-tub:
    • Paloma (under-aged 15 year-old Olivia d'Abo), matador Angel's young almost 14 year-old "gypsy child"
    • Natty (Corinne Russell), Angel's jealous, red-headed girlfriend
  • Paloma bragged about her ripe feminine shape as she was rinsed off by "Mac" after her sudsy bath: "I am woman ready. Juicy, too"

Gypsy Child Paloma (Olivia d'Abo) In a Sudsy Bath-tub

'Mac' In a Steam Spa with Paloma

Natty (Corinne Russell) With the Matador Angel
  • soon, "Mac" gave herself to acclaimed matador Angel at sunrise, as she predicted: ("Fruit's about to fall from the tree"), although she first had to give him a lengthy and wet tongue kiss in his ear! Before a roaring fire, she then asked before offering her maidenhood: "Right now, will you show me everything? Do everything to me? Show me everything I can do to you? Am I too greedy?...Is there enough that I can give to you? So that you can give ecstasy to me?"
  • after being painfully penetrated during intercourse, she told him: "I'm not a virgin anymore"
  • shortly later, she received the gift of a honey-colored horse and the acquisition of his wine business; but their love and the possibility of marriage was tested when he was gored in the genitals by a bull, although she was certain he wouldn't be permanently impotent: "That thing is going to work. I guarantee you this."
  • meanwhile, "Cat" lost her virginity to Scottish solicitor Robert Stewart (Ian Cochrane), assuring him: "This is unbelievable. I love it. And the hurt - I love the hurt"
  • to arouse the impaled Angel, "Mac" took a brief nude and bareback horseback ride (Lady Godiva style), but was disappointed in his reaction: ("You're a hard man to seduce")
  • before attempting love-making, she urged: "You say that we never found ecstasy. That it was like quicksilver, always promising next time. Angel, I want ecstasy. Let's find it"; he cried out: "Make me whole again," and she accepted his challenge to be seduced ("I guaranteed it"); she assured him after he said that he loved her: "Well, my dreams take me beyond infinity. What love you must have for me. I guaranteed it"
Final Successful and Climactic Attempt at Love-Making and 'Extasy'
  • soon after, she was straddled atop him, applauding his firmness ("Bravo!") and they fulfilled making love in a smoke-filled Heaven, in front of a neon sign reading: Extasy. She exclaimed: "Look! 'X.' I was right"; they were soon married in a church ceremony, as the film abruptly ended



"Mac" (Bo Derek) - Stripping Down After Graduation


Bullfighter Angel (Andrea Occhipinti) in Hot-Tub With Red-Headed Girlfriend Natty (Corinne Russell)






"Mac" With Matador-BullFighter Angel - Loss of Her Virginity


"Mac's" Nude 'Lady Godiva' Brief Bareback Horseback Ride to Impress Crotch-Impaled Angel




Last Attempt at Love-Making and Finding Extasy


Church Wedding



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