Last Tango in Paris
In Bernardo Bertolucci's art-house classic, Marlon Brando delivers one of his characteristically idiosyncratic performances as Paul, a middle-aged American in "emotional exile" who comes to Paris when his estranged wife commits suicide. Chancing to meet young Frenchwoman Jeanne (Maria Schneider), Paul enters into a sadomasochistic, carnal relationship with her, indirectly attacking the hypocrisy all around him through his raw, outrageous sexual behavior. Paul also hopes to purge himself of his own feelings of guilt, brilliantly (and profanely) articulated in a largely ad-libbed monologue at his wife's coffin. If the sexual content in Last Tango is uncomfortably explicit (once seen, the infamous "butter scene" is never forgotten), the combination of Brando's acting, Bertolucci's direction, Vittorio Storaro's cinematography, and Gato Barbieri's music is unbeatable, creating one of the classic European art movies of the 1970s, albeit one that is not for all viewers. more..
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Darling Legitimus, Massimo Girotti
Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris is one of the great emotional experiences of our time.
Shattering social and sexual conventions, Last Tango in Paris stands as one of Bernardo Bertolucci's finer achievements.
Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris is a beautiful, courageous, foolish, romantic, and reckless film.
The surface plausibility is probably the contribution of Marlon Brando, whose performance has strength and detail enough to counterbalance Bertolucci's taste for pure psychological essence.
Interesting for it's historical notoriety, but overlong and dull in places.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Academy Awards (1974)
Best Actor
BAFTA Awards (1974)
Maria Schneider
David di Donatello Awards (1973)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
Directors Guild of America (1974)
Best Director - Motion Picture
Golden Globes (1974)
No lists