The Last Tango in Paris (1972)

“I may be able to understand the secrets of the universe, but… I’ll never understand the truth about you. Never. ” – Paul

Number of Times Seen – 1 (15 May 2018)

Brief Synopsis – Two wounded souls living in Paris meet on a regular basis for romantic interludes that are only based on the physical level without getting too complex on the emotional level.

My Take on it – This film has been known as one of the most controversial films of its time largely due to its open and raw depiction of a relationship based solely on the physical aspects while not dealing with the emotional aspects of a real relationship.

Marlon Brando is fine in the lead despite the fact that the story itself is extremely boring to watch since very little actually happens besides the sexual interludes of the characters as they also try to deal with their own problematic lives.

The narrative of the story is pretty much non-existent and there isn’t really much of a story to try and follow, or one that is interesting enough to want to follow.

I do understand the controversy of this film and ironically, by today’s standards, they don’t really seem to be doing anything overly graphic or explicit.

Somehow Brando got an Oscar nomination for this role in the Best Actor category but that probably has more to do with the fact that he plays this role very distantly and subtlety which is quite different from the kind of roles he was known for.

All in all, this film just wasn’t enjoyable to watch in the least and I have trouble understanding why some people still think its a masterpiece.

Bottom Line – Controversial film for its time due to its raw depiction of a relationship based solely on physical aspects without getting emotional ones involved. Brando is fine here but the story is quite boring to watch because nothing really happens throughout the film that would make it interesting to watch from a narrative perspective.  I understand the controversy of the film, but by today’s standards there isn’t anything that feels too graphic or overly explicit. Brando was nominated for Best Actor for this role and that probably has to do with the fact that he plays the role very distantly and subtlety which is not the kind of roles he was known for.  Ultimately, this is just not an enjoyable film to watch IMHO.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – While filming, director Bernardo Bertolucci tried to explain the point of the film to Marlon Brando, suggesting that his character was Bertolucci’s “manhood” and that Maria Schneider’s character was his “dream girl.” Brando later maintained that he had absolutely no idea of what Bertolucci was suggesting or even talking about. (From IMDB)

Rating – Razzie Worthy (3/10)

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