Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972)

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:

Bernardo Bertolucci (story)
Bernardo Bertolucci (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 February 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A young Parisian woman begins a sordid affair with a middled-aged American businessman whom lays out ground rules that their clandestine relationship will be based only on sex.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | American Expatriate | Sex | Suicide | Grief

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Paul
Maria Schneider	...	Jeanne
Maria Michi	...	Rosa's Mother / La mère de Rosa
Giovanna Galletti	...	Prostitute / La prostituée
Gitt Magrini	...	Jeanne's Mother / La mère de Jeanne
Catherine Allégret	...	Catherine (as Catherine Allegret)
Luce Marquand	...	Olympia
Marie-Hélène Breillat	...	Monique (as Marie-Helene Breillat)
Catherine Breillat	...	Mouchette
Dan Diament	...	TV Sound Engineer / L'ingénieur du son
Catherine Sola	...	TV Script Girl / La script-girl
Mauro Marchetti	...	TV Cameraman / Le cameraman
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Tom - un cinéaste, le fiancé de Jeanne (as Jean-Pierre Leaud)
Massimo Girotti	...	Marcel
Peter Schommer	...	TV Assistant Cameraman / L'assistant-opérateur

Also Known As:

Last Tango in Paris (UK)
Le dernier Tango à Paris (France)
Ultimo tango a Parigi (Italy) (dubbed version)

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for some explicit sexual content.

Runtime:

136 min | Australia:129 min | USA:127 min (R-rated version) | USA:129 min (NC-17 version) | Italy:250 min (original cut) | Spain:124 min (DVD edition) | Norway:129 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2000) (uncut) | West Germany:18 (original rating) (cut) | Italy:(Banned) (1972-1986) | Singapore:(Banned) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1988) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM18 (re-rating) | New Zealand:(Banned) (original rating) | New Zealand:R18 (re-rating) | Norway:18 | Portugal:(Banned) (1973-1974) | Portugal:M/18 | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (1996) (uncut) | Sweden:15 | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) (1997) | USA:R (cut version: 1981) | USA:X (original rating: 1973) | USA:X (re-rating) (1982)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Les Productions Artistes Associés

Trivia:

According to Maria Schneider, the famous "butter scene" was never in the script and improvised at the last minute by Marlon Brando and Bernardo Bertolucci without consulting her. Though the sodomy act was faked, her real tears in the film clearly testify her state of shock.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Paul and Jeanne are at the sinks together, she says, "I prefer to be a whore." Her lips do not move during that line.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Paul: [with his hands over his ears at the overwhelming sound of a passing train] Fucking GOD!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2 Days in Paris (2007)

Soundtrack:

Girl in Black

Brando's most personal film

Widely denounced as obscene upon its release and unjustifiably notorious for two of its scenes, Bernardo Bertolucci's 'Last Tango in Paris' is a savage story of lust and sexual debasement.

Marlon Brando delivers a ferocious performance as Paul, a middle-aged American expatriate tormented by his wife, Rosa's recent suicide, her infidelities and his failure to understand their relationship. In meeting a 20 year old girl, Jeanne, played by Maria Schneider, in an empty apartment, Paul hopes to form a relationship purely on his own terms and at his own pace, i.e. one he can understand fully. He insists on a new form of relationship, so basic that even their names were kept secret from each other, where she submitted to his every desire, where he could punish himself and relieve his despair and anger towards his wife by punishing Jeanne. Paul's only other interest is in Marcel (Massimo Girotti), Rosa's lover, for whom he has a curious respect and maybe a desire to obtain through him a better understanding of his own wife.

Despite his overpowering talent, Marlon Brando has often shown poor judgement in his choice of projects and has frequently trudged through films with no apparent effort or interest. In 'Last Tango in Paris' he gives everything and produces a performance of unrivalled force. Unfortunately the obvious improvisation in the film prevents the character of Paul from staying within check as he gradually becomes too much like Marlon Brando in the second half of the film. Nonetheless, when Brando is off-screen the film becomes hollow in comparison and is replaced by Jeanne's relationship with her fiance, an annoyingly pretentious TV director (Jean-Pierre Leaud).

This is a truly unique film and Bertolucci successfully highlights the romance in an affair that is fundamentally destructive. Brando's performance is remarkably powerful and intense, eclipsing every other player and dominating the entire film.