'Call Me By Your Name' Writer James Ivory Says Lack of Nudity 'Feels Phony'

Call Me By Your Name” can, and has been, described as beautiful, sensual, sweet, and thoughtful. However, one word that really can’t be used to describe the film is graphic. As audiences know, even though the film features a romance, there isn’t any real sex shown in the film. Not that there has to be penises all over the place, but people have been curious why there is a distinct lack of sex in the movie. One of those people is the screenwriter, James Ivory.

Speaking with The Guardian, Ivory opened up about one of his main criticisms of the film. The writer says that, even though it was called for in the script, the finished film never included sexual scenes, as they were written, and it really upsets him.

READ MORE: Luca Guadagnino Reveals Setting For ‘Call Me By Your Name’ Sequel

“When Luca [Guadagnino] says he never thought of putting nudity in, that is totally untrue,” says Ivory. “He sat in this very room where I am sitting now, talking about how he would do it, so when he says that it was a conscious aesthetic decision not to – well, that’s just bullshit.”

Previously, as we reported, Ivory and Guadagnino have spoken about their disagreement over the lack of nudity. Ivory, being a little more reserved before the film was released, called the lack of nudity a “pity.” Whereas Guadagnino said, “ I thought that the display of nudity in this specific movie was absolutely irrelevant…”

Clearly, Ivory was holding back before, and now wants to take Guadagnino to task for the lack of nudity. In fact, Ivory says that Guadagnino’s excuses just don’t add up, and the lack of nudity feels “phony.”

“When people are wandering around before or after making love, and they’re decorously covered with sheets, it’s always seemed phony to me. I never liked doing that. And I don’t do it, as you know,” Ivory continues.

Ivory then goes on to mention “Maurice,” a film that he considers to be similar in nature to “Call Me By Your Name, saying “the two guys have had sex and they get up and you certainly see everything there is to be seen. To me, that’s a more natural way of doing things than to hide them, or to do what Luca did, which is to pan the camera out of the window toward some trees.”

Maybe this sort of contentious relationship is why Ivory hasn’t been mentioned in all those “Call Me By Your Name” sequel talks.