Product: Last Tango in Paris (1973)
Rating: 3.0
Could have been a contender
I agree with the central theme of "Last Tango" and enjoyed some of the acting but overall I felt it was a very weak film and certainly not what I would expect from great masters such as Bertolucci and Brando.The film is about an American man named Paul (Brando) who cannot come to terms with his wife's suicide. He has a debauched and somewhat sadistic affair with a woman named Jeanne (Maria Schneider) whom he meets in an empty apartment. The lovers agree to meet each other as long as they adhere to Paul's insistence that they not reveal anything about each other's identity including their names and personal histories. They continue their torrid love affair for an unspecified period of time with several notable episodes. At one point with the assistance of some globs of butter, Paul pokes Jeanne in the posterior while making her recite some church liturgy. But in a moment of fair play, he subsequently insists that she clip her nails and provide him with a dual-digit rectal probe. All of this was scandalous in the early seventies but barely raises an eyebrow today, which is probably one reason why a lot of reviewers can't understand all the hype about the film's daring, revolutionary nature. Eventually Paul comes to terms with his wife's suicide and decides to pursue a conventional relationship with Jeanne. But as Jeanne correctly surmises, the two of them can only coexist under the conditions of anonymity that previously governed their relationship.Thematically, I am in complete agreement with the film. A relationship with emotional and sexual honesty can only take place in an environment that is free of obligations, identities and personal histories. But such a relationship is bound to be short lived. This theme was explored with much greater artistic depth and insight in "Hiroshima Mon Amour".The acting left much to be desired. Brando being Brando has a few wonderful moments but generally comes across as grisly, semi-articulate slab of meat. This film could have been truly great if Bertolucci had paid attention to structure and dialogue and developed the story more around the anonymous sexual relationship. Instead, he simply threw the film's components together and declared it to be dangerous. Too bad.