Last Tango in Paris

irected by	Bernardo Bertolucci
Produced by	Alberto Grimaldi
Written by	Bernardo Bertolucci (story and screenplay) Franco Arcalli (screenplay) Agnès Varda (additional dialogue)
Starring	Marlon Brando Maria Schneider
Music by	Gato Barbieri
Released	October 14, 1972 U.S. released

This is a movie I long to write, except "Cinema Paradiso". The extreme frankness of sexual activities (even rape scene) in that movie made me agaping. WOW!

It's "merely" a porno film refined (coincidentally) by Bertolucci with big actor, Marlon Brando. Paul, a depressed widower because of his wife's suicidal death met a young acctress, Jeanne, in a vacant apartment. In their own no-identity world, denied emotional connection, they drawn into sexual relationship. The first sexual relationship happened instantly in a minute; without agreement, without foreplay, and it was just happened!! Then the other scene describe butter "raped" sodomy, masturbation, and others. I believe every audience will shout "WOW!!"

Refered to Wikipedia, this film caused a deep scandal in Italy for the sodomy scene. the film was sequestered by censorship and officially all the copies were destroyed. An Italian court revoked Bertolucci's civil rights for five years plus it gave him a four-month suspended prison sentence. Poor Bertolucci.

But afterall, it is a must wacthing movie. The monologue acting of Marlon Brando at the side of his wife's covin was complimented everywhere and he was nominated for Academy Award. Many times the camera just shot the  silhoutte of the scene on the wall, including the scene of Jeanne's masturbation. Bertolucci was really insane. Great!

Many things could be discussed from the film. The sodomy-rape... how Jeanny could be forgivefull -- it seemed she memorized its sensation -- although she cried its pain.  What was her motivation jumped into this clandestine sexual relationship. Also, I determined that Jeanny presented naked many times in that movie while Paul did not.

 

Maybe Jeanne was a representative of women's frankness in sexual need and relationship. In the year of 1973, I can understand why this film was completely critized.