08. The Rose Petal Shot in American Beauty (1999)
Its rightly become one of the most iconic moments in film: a nude
Mena Suvari rude bits strategically covered! on a bed of red rose petals, a fantasy that was probably not only limited to Lester Burnhams (
Kevin Spacey) imagination! Director
Sam Mendes creates an image that is not easily forgotten, complete with falling rose petals and a seductively angelic Suvari. It skilfully blends fantasy with artistic imagery to create a series of shots that capture innocence and lust in a sequence that could easily appear ridiculous, but manages to refrain from becoming so. The sequence, whilst skilfully shot and never pornographic, remains slightly unsettling to a certain extent however, due to the fact that Suvaris Angela Hayes is only 15-years-old. Mendes manages to blend this discomfort within viewers with a visual that could easily be composed of oil on canvas, ensuring that whilst Burnhams fantasy may seem rather perverted it never becomes paedophilic: achieved solely by the directors highly imaginative shots. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9WMh18YF2o