Black + White Friday: Showgirls

Spurred on by the encouraging results that we experienced two weeks back when we turned Lust, Caution into a black and white heaven, I thought I’d start up a regular series going by the wildly elaborate name of “Black+White Friday". Each Friday I will take a movie and we’ll see what it would have looked like if it had been filmed in glorious black and white. I actually meant to start this last week, but the computer I had access to wasn't co-operating.

Today I thought I’d take a look at that oft-maligned comedy classic, Showgirls. Will it turn into a mysterious film-noir about the seedy underground of Las Vegas' showgirl scene? Will it become a Russ Meyer epic? Or will it remain just the same? Considering a big swag of Showgirls plotting takes it's cue from black and white classic All About Eve, I actually think it's entire appropriate to experiment with this title. Let's take a peak. (Warning: Some of these images may be a smidgen NSFW)


What an epic first image, no? :P


Can you imagine All About Eve if Eve's first sighting of Margo Channing was like this? "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night" would get a whole different meaning, no? ("bumpy" meaning "full of tits", see?)


If it weren't for that silly lollipop ring then this might (read: MIGHT) look like a film about two badass undercover female cops on the mean streets of Vegas who pretend to be prostitutes so they can weasel their way into the life of Pimp McGee. Unfortunately, the black chick becomes addicted to the drugs and the emotion-free sex and the poor white chick must turn on her in order to catch McGee and his coke dealing empire. Alas, that damn lollipop ring ruins it all!


It's like a scene out of some long lost Fellini movie!


He's the private dick trying to find evidence against Pimp McGee, without realising that she's undercover and is doing the exact same thing. You know these two are doomed though, right?


It's like Ziegfeld Follies! Just... ya know, not!


This bit just makes me giggle uncontrollably whether it's in black and white or colour.


Nope, not even black and white can make this bit classy.


I just happened to pause on this frame when a camera flash bathed Elizabeth Berkeley and thought it looked kinda of creepy. It looks like an underground fetish movie filmed on dingy 8mm. Or perhaps Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in Las Vegas?


I don't remember All About Eve having a "steamy" lesbian kiss, so I'm glad Paul Verhoeven thought it wise to throw one in for people who thought that 1950 Oscar winner was just too gosh darn prudish.

So, basically, in conclusion it turns into some weird mishmash of All About Eve, a lesbian version of 48 Hrs, whatever movie Fred and Ginger you enjoy the most and the Audrey Horne storyline from Twin Peaks! Sounds about right...