Product: Last Tango in Paris (1973)
Rating: 5.0
Truly "better than brand-new"
When first released, in an era far more sexually repressed than ours, this film earned so many negative reviews that most moviegoers remembered it primarily for the infamous "butter" scene. Today we can see more clearly what Bertolucci was up to, and we can celebrate this landmark film as it deserves to be celebrated. It is nothing short of brilliant, as many contemporary film critics now realize. Bertolucci was way ahead of his time, so much so that I wish the film could be re-released today as a brand-new film. Brando is remarkable--restrained in most scenes, volcanic in one--and his performance may well be his best work after "Streetcar." The film explores a strange juncture of grief and sensuality in which a man whose wife has killed herself attempts to channel his suppressed grief in a new direction: anonymous sex with a lusty younger woman. I passionately recommend this film to all serious movie lovers. (Any doubters should Google the famous New Yorker review by Pauline Kael.)