In the 21st century, filming intimate scenes, even those that are graphic or suggestive in nature, is no big deal, at least in Hollywood. So it is hard to imagine a time when the West was up in arms about an intimate scene in a film, so much so that the actress in the shot claimed that the director did so without her approval. Not only did she leave films soon but became a successful scientist, contributing to the development of the technology that later gave birth to Wi-Fi
The actress who filmed cinema’s first orgasm scene
Hedy Lamarr was an Austro-Hungarian actress born in the United States. Born in 1914, Lamarr entered films during the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood. Appearing in European films at the age of 16, Lamarr moved to the US a couple of years later. In 1933, at the age of 18, she starred in the film that would make her both famous and infamous worldwide. In Gustav Machatý's film Ecstasy, Lamarr played the neglected young wife of an indifferent older man. One particular scene in the film focussed closeup shots of Lamarr in the throes of orgasm and also featured frontal nudity. The scene caused huge controversy upon the film’s release.
Lamarr claimed that director Machatý had duped her into filming the scene. She claimed she did not know her close up shots would be filmed and the director used big zoom lenses to do so. The director, however, contested her claims. The film was eventually banned in Germany and faced protests in America.
Hedy Lamarr’s retirement from acting and move to science
Disillusioned by her experience on Ecstasy, Lamarr withdrew from films soon after, appearing in a handful of roles in films and on theatre. She took breaks during the World War II to help with fundraising but later returned with hits like Samson and Delilah (1950) but after the 50s, her career went into decline. Her last film was released in 1958. Lamarr was a self-taught inventor even though she had no formal training in science. Due to her first husband Fritz Mandl, she was exposed to military technology and began dabbling her hand at inventing.
How Hedy Lamarr was instrumental in invention of Wi-Fi
During World War II, Lamarr collaborated with composer George Antheil to develop the technology of frequency hopping, which they applied in radio transmissions. While the US Navy rejected their invention, the two continued to develop the idea. The technology took off in the 70s when cars began using phones in them. By the 1990s, frequency hopping was mandatory in secure radio communications across the US, leading to the development of inventions like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Hedy Lamarr died in 2000 in her Florida home at the age of 85.
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