MovieChat Forums > Haunted (1996) Discussion > Some of the most obvious body doubles ev...

Some of the most obvious body doubles ever on film...

posted 13 years ago by Andy-1981
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I realize directors are in a no-win situation since you can't show the actor's face in the same shot, but the least you can do is use better angles, and definitely keep the body doubles' faces out of the shot!

After Christina emerges from skinny dipping in the lake, you can clearly see the body double's face through the hanging tree leaves -- very obvious it's not Kate Beckinsale. Also, during the underwater dive, the nude Christina's face is of different structure than Beckinsale's (though less obvious than the emergence scene).

When David looks through the window as Christina poses for the painting, the shooting/editing is very blatant. A wide shot shows a nude Christina looking away from the camera (thus hiding her face), cutting to an extreme close up of Kate Beckinsale's face. The bad shooting gives this one away.

Don't even get me started on the sex scene. You can clearly see the face of the David double for 4-5 seconds when Christina is riding him! The Christina double's face can also be seen from the side during these shots.

I've read through the threads and some of you don't think doubles were used. Seriously, pay closer attention. They're more flagrant in this movie than pretty much any movie I've ever seen.

[–] goatbut29 13 years ago

Lol I agree Andy!

I was to the sex-scene when she was riding him and it showed the double from the side almost and I thought to myself, 'who's THAT guy?', unaware of such an obvious body double attempt, I thought maybe Christina was back with Richard or something.
And speaking of....does David not have a problem with the incest thing? He saw them clearly through the window kissing...then went right on ahead and said I want you to leave with me. Ewww?!

[–] mikeflw1 11 years ago

I suppose different people see different things, but I'm with you about the bed scene... now WHO is THIS? (times 2)

I am actually surprised this film was done this way just a year after UNCOVERED, which had Kate B. nude. I can only imagine she got some *comments* about that because her armpits were unshaven, (uncommon in America), but to use a body double only a year later makes no sense to me.
I can understand if there are *body issues* involved, but I don't believe that is the case from having seen UNCOVERED. Maybe not wanting to do a sex scene is understandable for some people, but why not the lake scenes then?
No sense...

And as far as obvious body doubles go, try watching the movie FLASHDANCE. I was SO confused... too many characters that were never/seldom seen again.
The obvious doubling starts immediately when a dancer at the club leans back in a chair onstage, (backlit, in profile), pulls a cord, and gets splashed with a bucket of water... GREAT visual, but, *her* bodytype resembles the lead character only in that they are both female and thin --- the way the two move is completely different. Then the WORST one is the dancer with the white face paint, tuxedo outfit, and the prop TV for that number... again, WHO is THIS? I guess she was supposed to be the lead character because she did have the curly hair the lead wore...

The producers and the stars kept quiet about that business until the film had run up to pretty good popularity, in spite of poor critics reviews, and people wanted to do interviews with the spectacularly talented dancer/actress, Jennifer Bealls, (**COUGH**!!).
It eventually came out that Jennifer was the *face* for the movie and she barely did any dancing... she did jog in place in a wet teddy after the opening water bucket splash, intercut with the real dancer. And the (later) break dancing was actually done by a man! (Crazy Legs *something* if memory serves me at all...) And, he had refused to shave his legs for the number! - Probably easier to see in hi-def these days...

I only mention all that to compare the levels of body doubling in the two films...
And, the body doubles names are almost NEVER credited in films, regardless of the reason for the doubling... **SIGH** Whatever happened to "credit where credit is due"?