Why is it so groundbreaking? The scene itself is also surprisingly steamy for classic-era Hollywood, with those skimpy costumes and all that crashing metaphorical surf.
It isn't so much the actual sex that's so hot as it is the build-up of sexual tension leading to that moment — but when they finally kick the last guy off the train, you know for sure that these two people need to have sex, and it's gonna be intense.
The sex, which comes early in the piece, is not male gaze-y or gratuitous, but sensual and characterful, which may have something to do with the presence of sex educator Susie Bright on set.
We can all learn to be better self advocates.
Why is it so groundbreaking? First they kiss, with an explicit passion somewhat unprecedented in the filmography of a director whose masterpieces are frequently more about longing.
I was competitive with her as a preteen, and that feeling has lingered into adulthood even though she's pretty clearly won, being a famous movie star and all.