The First 9½ Weeks

"A journey beyond pleasure"

1998 1h 40m EN

💀

3.9

SKIP

★3.9TMDB · 24

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An investment banker travels to Louisiana to snag the account of an eccentric millionaire but gets involved with his lusty wife, Mardi Gras, and (possibly) a satanic cult. The events in and around New Orleans change him forever and give a new slant on The American Dream.

“A journey beyond pleasure”

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Cast

Paul Mercurio
Matt Wade
Clara Bellar
Emily Dubois
Malcolm McDowell
Francois Dubois
Frederic Forrest
David Millman
Anna Jacyszyn
Robin Millman
Billy Keane
Joey Handler
Richard Durden
Laurence Garner
Dennis Burkley
Sheriff Marlon Tolette

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alex Wright
Writers: Alex Wright
Languages: Venda, English
Countries: Luxembourg, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Venda, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Luxembourg, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "9½ Weeks Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alex Wright, shot by John P. Tarver. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Gast Waltzing. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark Sanders shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Mercurio and Clara Bellar and Malcolm McDowell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alex Wright directs. John P. Tarver behind the camera. Gast Waltzing scores. Mark Sanders cuts. Produced in Luxembourg, United States of America. Dialogue in Venda, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Venda, English.
3International production across 2 countries: Luxembourg, United States of America.
4Part of the "9½ Weeks Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Alex Wright, shot by John P. Tarver. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Gast Waltzing. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Mark Sanders shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Paul Mercurio and Clara Bellar and Malcolm McDowell carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A journey beyond pleasure".
10IMDB entry: tt0164026 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 24 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: John P. Tarver
Original score: Gast Waltzing
Editing: Mark Sanders
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The First 9½ Weeks (1998)

Part of

9½ Weeks Collection

9 1⁄2 Weeks is a 1986 American erotic romantic drama film based on the 1978 memoir of the same name by Austrian-American author Ingeborg Day. It stars Kim Basinger as Elizabeth McGraw and Mickey Rourke as John Gray. McGraw is a New York City art gallery employee who has a brief yet intense affair with a mysterious Wall Street broker. In 1997, a sequel called Another 9 1⁄2 Weeks was released via direct-to-video. It stars Rourke and Angie Everhart and was directed by Anne Goursaud. In 1998, a second straight-to-video film was released, this one a prequel called The First 9 1⁄2 Weeks that starred Paul Mercurio and Clara Bellar.