“Still regarded as one of the steamiest movies of all time.” - Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine
Saturday, August 2, 8:30 p.m. & Saturday, August 9, 8:30 p.m. | “You can stand here with me if you want, but you have to agree not to talk about the heat.” Thus begins the intense affair between attorney Ned Racine (William Hurt) and “well-tended” wife Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner). As Ned falls hard for Matty, she tells him about her unhappy marriage to her wealthy husband, and the two hatch a plot to murder him and claim his fortune. Blinded by lust, Ned begins to realize that he’s one step behind what he thought was a perfect crime. Set against a sweltering Florida summer, Lawrence Kasdan’s BODY HEAT is a classic erotic drama of the 1980s (even if it was set in winter, Hurt and Turner’s chemistry would be red hot), and an homage to film noir, replete with a jazzy score and a barn-burner of a twist ending.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture (Kathleen Turner), Golden Globes
Nominee - Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles (Kathleen Turner) - BAFTA Awards
Nominee - Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen, Writers Guild of America
Scorchers | August 2–31, 2025
Hot enough for you? Welcome to the dog days of summer, when the temperatures reach their peak and it feels like you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. In Scorchers, we explore 10 films where stifling heat has a starring role. In these cinematic sizzlers, characters fan themselves and wipe their brows—and as the degrees rise, so do the stakes. When we’re stripped down, exhausted, and oppressed by an atmosphere warmer than our body temperature, things are bound to explode.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu