The provocative film, The Last Tango in Paris, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider is an erotic tale that explores the intimate relationship between two strangers who meet in France in the 1970s. The film permeates with graphic sexual scenes that give viewers an up-close and personal glimpse into the movie’s theme of sexuality. It reveals the depressing life of Paul, played by Brando, who lost his wife to suicide. Thus, the blunt sex between the older man, Paul and the young woman played by Schneider shows the necessity of sex for Paul as a coping mechanism to get over his wife’s devastating and untimely death. Themes of guilt and contempt also resonate throughout the film as the sexual escapade between the two strangers reach climatic heights as they begin to reveal pieces of their identity.
Moreover, the film takes a minimalist approach to acting. Many of the scenes are emotionless, straight-forward conversations between the two strangers. Schneider’s acting can definitely be viewed as minimal and amateur. Aside from the vivid and explicit sex scenes in which she is nearly always naked, her voice conveys little emotion or depth. She has a clueless expression throughout the scenes, which reflect not only the character, but her own youth during that time. She seems to be unaware and nonchalant about the sexual exchanges between herself and the older man, Paul. Thus, the lack of dynamics in her character, make her appear as just a sexual object, which does little to humanize her character.
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Even though Brando is one of the greatest film actors, his expressions throughout many of scenes are really stoic and emotionless as well. But, Brando showcases his incredible acting skills in the scene where he talks to his wife’s dead corpse. This scene was the most fascinating and memorable scene for me because Brando actually gave more emotion and conviction in his voice and tone when talking to his dead wife than he did in the scenes with the young woman. Throughout the scene, his anger continues to build as he calls his wife “a caricature of a whore,” and he mocks her death by saying “a fake Ophelia who drowned in the bathtub.” These words and sentiment that he has for his dead wife reflects his burning contempt for her and the betrayal. Thus, Paul treats the young woman like a whore, which is symbolic of his perception of his wife.
Although the sexual scenes are reflect the movie’s sexual theme, some of the rough sex scenes can become really distracting and take away from the meaning of the film. The graphic and explicit sex scenes where Paul rips off the young woman’s pants and turns her on her stomach and has rough sex with her on the floor was so explicit that it really pulled me away from the essence of the film. Her cries combined with the rough sex was extremely graphic and vivid that it evoked a different feeling and mood into the movie. It made the movie seem almost too sexual, which at times, overshadowed the exact meaning of the movie.
When Paul revealed pieces of his childhood to the young woman, this revealed the emotional connection that he was beginning to develop with the woman. Thus, it showed a softer side to the character, which was extremely different from the blunt sexual scenes. The human aspect of the character really unfolded in this scene as Paul admitted that both of his parents where drunkards, and his mother’s love for nature. Also, a humorous side of the woman was revealed in this scene when she taunts Paul telling him that he “had been got” and that she was “not interested in learning anything about his past.” Thus, this scene brought out different qualities in both of the actors that was not portrayed in many of the sex-filled scenes.
Essentially, the most surprising moment of the movie was the ending. The young woman, who had appeared to be clueless and emotionless throughout many of the scenes, made a dramatic statement at the end of the movie. Her decision to kill Paul was completely shocking and unpredictable because of the younger woman’s uncaring and nonchalant demeanor throughout the film. The action at the end of the movie contradicted with the simple acting that she portrayed in many scenes. It gave the movie a surprise climatic ending that provided the film with a dark feeling and mood. Ultimately, the sexual tension in the film combined with the dramatic ending made the film extremely compelling.
- Last Tango in Paris. Dir. Bernado Bertolucci. Per. Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider. Produzioni Europee Associati, 1972. Film.
