Editing Hedy Lamarr (section)

====''Ecstasy''====
[[File:Hedy Lamarr Argentinean Magazine AD.jpg|thumb|left|Lamarr in a 1934 publicity photo with the name "Heddie Kietzler"]]

In early 1933, at age 18, Lamarr was given the lead in [[Gustav Machatý]]'s film ''[[Ecstasy (film)|Ecstasy]]'' (''Ekstase'' in German, ''Extase'' in Czech). She played the neglected young wife of an indifferent older man.

The film became both celebrated and notorious for showing Lamarr's face in the throes of orgasm as well as close-up and brief scenes of nudity. Lamarr claimed she was "duped" by the director and producer, who used high-power telephoto lenses, although the director contested her claims.<ref name=Liberty>"A Candid Portrait of Hedy Lamarr", ''Liberty'' magazine, December 1938, pp. 18–19</ref>{{efn|When Lamarr applied for the role, she had little experience nor understood the planned filming. Anxious for the job, she signed the contract without reading it. When, during an outdoor scene, the director told her to disrobe, she protested and threatened to quit, but he said that if she refused, she would have to pay for the cost of all the scenes already filmed. To calm her, he said they were using "long shots" in any case, and no intimate details would be visible. At the preview in Prague, sitting next to the director, when she saw the numerous close-ups produced with telephoto lenses, she screamed at him for tricking her. She left the theater in tears, worried about her parents' reaction and that it might have ruined her budding career. However, the cinematographer of the film claimed that she was aware during filming that there would be nude scenes and did not raise concerns during filming.<ref name=Liberty/>}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiana.edu/~reeiweb/events/2009/Ecstasy_poster.pdf|title=Czech Film Series 2009–2010 – Gustav Machatý:Ecstasy|publisher=Russian & East European Institute, Indiana University|date=September 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911064906/http://www.indiana.edu/~reeiweb/events/2009/Ecstasy_poster.pdf|archive-date=September 11, 2009|access-date=November 9, 2013}}</ref>

Although she was dismayed and now disillusioned about taking other roles, the film gained world recognition after winning an award at the [[Venice Film Festival]].<ref name="Morandini Morandini Morandini 2009 p. 493">{{cite book |last1=Morandini |first1=Laura |last2=Morandini |first2=Luisa |last3=Morandini |first3=Morando |title=Il Morandini 2010: dizionario dei film |trans-title=The Morandini 2010 Dictionary of Films |publisher=Zanichelli |publication-place=Bologna |date=2009 |isbn=978-88-08-20183-6 |oclc=475597884 |language=it |page=493}}</ref> Throughout Europe, it was regarded as an artistic work. In America, it was considered overly sexual and received negative publicity, especially among women's groups.<ref name=Liberty/> It was banned there and in Germany.<ref name=doc>''Extraordinary Women: Hedy Lamarr,'' documentary, 2011</ref>
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