Product: Last Tango in Paris (1973)
Rating: 3.0
It's not just the butter.
I'll start by explaining that this film is way before my time. But, while working my way though the "25 most controversial movies" I decided to watch "Last Tango" over a period of two days. At first, it left me confused, unimpressed, and repulsed by Brando, but not enough to stop watching. The sex really isn't the draw to this movie, it's a film that is 'adult' in the most honest sense of the word. I often find dealing with adult emotions messy, complex and contradictory, and this movie conveys that experience so well and in so many ways. The viewer is asked to confront things that go way beyond just two people having sex and talking dirty. Paul's feelings over his wife's suicide, dealing with his mother-in-law and his wife's lover would be enough to drive anyone over the edge!After just one viewing, I am not convinced this is a genuinely great film, but I do think there are some fine performances showcased here. I really found the interaction between Paul and Jeanne fascinating, not the sex, but their conversations. I found Tom and Jeanne's interactions to be snooze-worthy. I know many people don't find Jeanne's performance to be that exceptional, but I really did. She was very enchanting, innocent, but not nave.Frequently I write in my reviews here that I was not shocked or impressed by things that other people are shocked about in films. Even though, I had read enough about the movie before watching it, I will say that the infamous "butter" scene did surprise me a little. It's difficult to watch and there is nothing erotic about it for sure.The colours are appropriately subtle and compliment the feelings in the movie well. Some of the film is in French with English subtitles. Other parts are in English and it kind of goes back and forth. I didn't find this to be a problem. In fact the sound on the DVD I have is so low, that I almost prefer the subtitles, so I could get everything they were saying. The music tends to be a little stridently loud in places as well.In the end, I kind of got my hopes up that these two were going to "make it work" or that Jeanne would save him. Maybe she did in a way?