Despite her recent announcement that marriage has made her reluctant to appear in sex scenes, Kate Winslet is to star in a new film about the Marquis de Sade. 

The Titanic star will play Madeleine LeClerc, de Sade's maid, in Quills, which will be directed by Philip Kaufman. Geoffrey Rush, who won a Bafta for best supporting actor in Shakespeare In Love, will play de Sade, who at the start of the film is confined inthe Charenton Asylum of early 19th century France for his pornographic writings, which, while popular, are deemed indecent. Miss Winslet's character embarks on an affair with de Sade and then helps distribute his work to the masses. 

Miss Winslet has not made a film since her wedding last November to the director James Threapleton, 24.  Last month she said that since getting married she would "think twice" about appearing nude in films. 

Her last nude sex scene was with Harvey Keitel in Holy Smoke, which will be released later in the year. She appeared nude in Titanic and took on love scenes in Jude and Hideous Kinky. 

But she said recently: "Jim knows that I won't stand for scenes where the sex is just gratuitous." Joaquin Phoenix, younger brother of the late River Phoenix, will play Abbe de Coulmier, a young priest who runs the asylum and fights with de Sade over the maid. The film is based on Douglas Wright's play. 
A Hollywood insider said yesterday: "This is a brave choice for Kate. It could be a very, very controversial film."