Last Tango in Paris (1972)

That was an excellent one.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It could have been a great movie but instead, it was wasted by movie director Bernardo Bertolucci, who is a poor excuse of a human being. He takes himself too seriously that he forgot he is just a movie director and it is just a movie. The rape scene in the movie was in fact a real rape: the scene was never consensual, he never even informed the actress, Maria Schneider, who was only 19 at the time, about the scene and instructed Brando to rape her, literally. Is it worth destroying a woman's life, for a movie? Seriously? Disgusting human being, and unethical. Some so-called "artists" take themselves too seriously, very pretentious.

It took me days to come to my senses after watching this movie. Wow !Marlon Brando was nominated for Oscar for this part. His competition were Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino and Robert Redford, and Oscar went to Jack Lemon. Definitely tough competition. I could not decide which one of them is more awesome.Fun fact - Bernardo Bertolucci was convicted to 4 month in prison in Italy for making this movie, while in America he was nominated for academy Award. :DWhy they do not allow short reviews...I hate adding lines randomly...

One. Two. Cha-Cha-Cha.Amongst all of the controversial films that were produced in the 1970s (and there were plenty), Last Tango In Paris (or LTIP, for short) ranks right up there at #1. There can certainly be no denying this film's controversy.As far as mainstream films go, this Italian import did everything that it possibly could to break down the barriers of what was acceptable and what wasn't in the realm of a film's sexual content. At full-throttle, LTIP deliberately toes the thin line between what is considered porn and what isn't.Even though this film's impact has mellowed significantly with age, I suggest that you watch LTIP and be the judge of this one for yourself.LTIP's story is probably about as shallow as any story could ever get. It's so shallow, in fact, that it nearly chokes the viewer with its sheer mindlessness. But, hey, let's face it, LTIP's story is inconsequential. It's the sex that we're all here to watch. Right? So, the story be damned.LTIP's story (what there is of one) concerns the tragic "no questions asked" sexual liaison that transpires between a naive, young, French woman and a middle-aged, American lech, who demands that the 2 of them remain as anonymous with each other as possible. To achieve this end they both solemnly agree to not share any personal information about themselves, including not revealing their real names.Some people say that Brando's performance as "Paul" was one of his very finest.Personally, I saw Brando's "Paul" as just a simple revising of his Stanley Kowalski character in A Streetcar Named Desire from some 22 years back. And, with that being the case, I'm sorry, but BRANDO looking like a totally dishevelled slob at 52 and playing a lech in LTIP wasn't anywhere near to the same thing as a young, virile-looking BRANDO, at 30, in a strategically torn t-shirt, playing a totally despicable slob.... Nope. It wasn't the same thing, at all.Below are 2 LTIP trivia notes - 1 - Marlon Brando, being the impossible, little "Method" actor that he was, refused to memorize his lines for his part. Instead, he placed little cue cards all around the set to remind himself of what to say, and so forth. (spare me) As you can well-imagine, this cue card business of Brando's literally drove director Bernardo Bertolucci crazy, trying as he could to make sure that none of these stupid, little cards (sticking out everywhere) remained visible in his film's final product.2 - Years after LTIP's release, actress Maria Schneider came out of the closet, or wherever, to say that playing "Jeanne" was the absolute, most humiliating experience, as an actress, that she had ever had to endure.Maria claimed that certain sex scenes, particularly the simulated anal-rape scene, were not in the script and that it was Brando and Bertolucci who plainly coerced her into doing these scenes, with Brando repeatedly reassuring her - "Maria. Don't worry. It's only a movie."Schneider said that the tears she cried during the buttery-buggering scene were very real, indeed - They were the tears of a person who had been both deeply humiliated and betrayed, big time.So, darling, save the last dance for me!

Jeanne (Maria Schneider) is looking at renting a Paris apartment, when she gets surprised by Paul (Marlon Brando) lurking in the dark. They have uncontrollable sex without giving even their names. In fact, he refuses to allow names to be exchanged. She has a demanding filmmaker boyfriend who is constantly filming everything. Paul is a man suffering from the suicide of his wife. They find solace and escape with each other in this apartment.This starts with so much shock and awe. Their first encounter is absolutely electric. Whenever Brando is that animalistic brute, the movie gets very fascinating. Whenever the movie slows down, it meanders at times. Director Bernardo Bertolucci has produced a long movie at around 130 minutes. It could easily be trimmed to keep the tension high. As for the ending, it's rather disappointing to have Jeanne shot Paul. It feels like a cop out. As for the sexual content, it was probably very shocking at the time, and may have broken down some taboos. The sexual content is equivalent to today's more risqué but no longer shocking.