Fifty Shades Of Grey stars spark mania on red carpet
Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan at last night’s premiere in Berlin
HUNDREDS of frenzied movie buffs defied the winter cold to scream their support for the stars at the world premiere of Fifty Shades Of Grey last night.
With blankets draped around them and equipped with flasks of soup and tea, the crowd burst into cheers on the red carpet in Berlin.
The highlight of the evening at the Berlinale Film Festival was the arrival of stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.
He signed dozens of autographs as fans screamed “Jamie, Jamie”. He arrived with wife Amelia Warner and director Sam Taylor- Johnson. Dornan, from Northern Ireland, said he was “nervous” about being on the red carpet – in case someone assassinated him like John Lennon.
In the event, the only danger he faced was being blinded by the flashbulbs.
Computer sciences student Becky Sale, 24, from Didsbury, Manchester, was with her boyfriend Alec Brodie, 23, from Skelmersdale, Lancs. She said: “We both loved it. I thought Jamie was fantastic particularly friendly even though it’s really work for them all. It was worth the wait. Alec and I are huge fans of the books and I felt that we were part of something special tonight,.”
EL James, the author of the books, which explore sado- masochism and bondage themes, walked down the red carpet too and said: “Wow. This is fantastic. It’s my first movie premiere and I love it.”
Dornan said: “It’s a great welcome for a great movie. I hope everyone who came along to see it likes it as much as we do.” It may have been billed as the raunchiest film for decades but it appears to have left critics unimpressed.
Reviewers at preview showings lamented the “run- of- the- mill” lovemaking and dearth of nudity.
Critics implied the on- screen action between Johnson and Dornan was a disappointment compared to the notoriously X- rated novels.
Writing in USA Today, Claudia Puig said: “Those looking for hot, kinky sex will be disappointed. Fewer than 15 of the movie’s 125 minutes feature sex scenes.” The New York Daily News said: “We see a whip here, a handcuff there, but nothing that would shock even newcomers to the series.”
The movie is set to be one of the highest grossing films of the year after being adapted from the book that has sold more than 100 million copies.
Firefighters in London are prepared for a rise in call- outs over people getting trapped in objects like handcuffs as they recreate steamy scenes.