Arsonist: Jude Law’s sex scene with Alicia Vikander prompts a double question
Jude Law’s butt has become the subject of speculation following the premiere of The Cannes Film Festival arsonist.
In the historical film directed by Karim Aïnouz, Law portrays the English monarch Henry VIII in the final stages of his life. Alicia Vikander plays his sixth and final wife and queen, Catherine Parr.
Since the first screening on Sunday (May 21) arsonist received high praise from the audience, beginning with a seven-minute standing ovation at the end of the Cannes screening.
But one aspect of the film was also intriguing: the appearance of the chubby king’s bare bottom during a sex scene with Catherine.
In his review for The guardPeter Bradshaw likened the look of Henry’s butt to a “huge shaved sheep’s ass” before asking the question, “Did Law use a buttock double for that stomach-turning image?”
For The times, reviewer Kevin Maher had a similar question. “A shot of Henry’s huge, rolling buttocks causing panting suggests Law may have participated in a worryingly harmful weight gain (he hasn’t!) or that clever trimming and a spare posterior are at work,” wrote he.
Many reviews of Law’s portrayal of the late king draw attention to the king’s grotesque posture and deteriorating physical condition.
Jude Law and Alicia Vikander in Firebrand
(Larry D Horricks)
Henry suffered much of the last decade of his life from chronic leg ulcers, believed to have been caused by infection following a jousting accident in 1536.
Therefore, his legs are described as “rotting”. In The TelegraphTim Robey wrote: “There’s a brief shot of maggots squirming [Henry VIII’s leg] which could easily lead to vomiting.”
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A UK theatrical release date for arsonist has yet to be announced.
The festival had previously opened in Cannes with a screening Jeanne du Barry, in which Johnny Depp is portrayed as another monarch from centuries ago: the French King Louis XV. You can read The Independentreview here.
