When the first footage of "Machete" started to leak out, it seemed like a buffet of celebrity nudity: constant exposed flesh from Lindsay Lohan! Jessica Alba in the shower! Other, future famous women dancing around with nothing on at all!
But then, as we started to learn more, we realized that what seemed like a beautiful oasis of famous flesh was actually just a mirage. Lindsay Lohan's nudity? Body double. Jessica Alba? CGI.
A story in today's Daily Mail discusses the CGI scene, which allowed the modest Alba to be nude(ish) without actually taking off her clothes—and includes the graphic at left, which depicts Alba before and after her clothes were digitally removed.
Now, if a relatively low budget film like "Machete" can pull a stunt like this, we can only imagine what someone the likes of James Cameron could pull off. But just because we can do it...should we?
Sure, there'll likely be quite a few stars who are thrilled by the chance to get naked without actually getting naked. And there's no doubt that a little CGI flesh could make doing those sex scenes a whole lot more comfortable. But as cinema becomes less and less verite, are we losing something in the process? After all, what's the difference between Alba's "Machete" scene and, well, this?
