A young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.A young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.A young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 7 wins & 10 nominations total
Catherine Allégret
- Catherine
- (as Catherine Allegret)
Marie-Hélène Breillat
- Monique
- (as Marie-Helene Breillat)
Jean-Pierre Léaud
- Tom - un cinéaste, le fiancé de Jeanne
- (as Jean-Pierre Leaud)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBoth Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider admitted that they felt raped by this film and refused to speak with director Bernardo Bertolucci ever again. Yet in his autobiography, Brando says that Bertolucci was one of the three best directors he ever worked with.
- GoofsAs the camera pulls away from the balcony at the end, a crew member and a lighting array can be seen reflected in the glass panel of the right balcony door.
- Alternate versionsFor its original UK cinema release the BBFC suggested cuts to dialogue during the scissors scene and a heavy reduction of the infamous sodomy scene, though the former was rescinded when it was decided that the cuts would be difficult to make without ruining the scene. Instead a proposed cut of 20 secs was required to the sodomy scene to remove shots of Paul smearing butter on Jeanne's buttocks and some overhead shots of sexual thrusting. The latter was also waived following an appeal from the director and instead a mere 10 sec cut was made to the butter smearing. When the OPA (Obscene Publications Act) was extended to cover films a few years later BBFC censor James Ferman waived the cinema cut, and all post-1978 releases (including TV showings) have been the fully uncut version.
- ConnectionsEdited into Destricted (2006)
Featured review
Last Tango in Paris will return to you any thought you put into it...A masterpiece!
Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris is like any other piece of art; You get out of it only as much as you put into it. Many people saw this movie in the 1970's (and still see it today) as being pornography and nothing else. Others viewed it and took note of Brando's performance (how could you not?!?), and noticed much, much more than a mere "skin flick." Personally, I find it to be a very important piece of art. Why? Because it broke barriers! In art, barriers only exist so that they may be broken, and I know that sounds like some "liberal artsy BS," but I think it's true. Artists are always trying to get down to the basics of human existence, and, unfortunately, it's not always pretty. This film, I believe, portrays a few elements of the human experience. Passion is the first. Then, facades, our need to defend ourselves from vulnerability. Also, the film tries to show the circular nature of our lives (things end only to begin again). The passion is expertly exposed through the savage brutality that Brando brings to the performance, as only he knew how to. Many argue that this was Brando's finest performance, and I can see why. I don't know if I could ever pick one performance of his and say it was his best, but this would easily, easily be a prime candidate. In Last Tango in Paris, Marlon Brando pulls out all of the stops, almost abusing his freedom in the role. Yet, this is where the film gets truly intriguing. Is this an act? It is, at least in name, a performance, but, how much of it is a performance, and how much is a stream of consciousness therapy session? I have never seen an actor pour so much of himself out before a camera. Watching it, I couldn't help but wonder, "What must be going on behind his eyes?" How can a man reveal so much of who he is, knowing that it is being filmed to be viewed by millions? Brando's "performance" forces the audience to question is Marlon Brando the performer or the performance. We'll never know. Perhaps he didn't know. Perhaps that is how he could pull off the monumental performance that he did. It is quite possibly the greatest performance I have ever seen. The fact that I have to wonder whether his character, Paul, is the truth or an image is only testament to Brando's power. As far as the circular nature of things, we see a role-reversal between Maria Schneider and Marlon Brando. At the beginning, it is Brando who is confused, lost, driven mad by the toll that a past love has taken on him. Yet, at the end of the film, it is Schneider's Jeanne who cares not about names, identity, and personal histories. Her life is committed to distance and emotional isolation. Her mind has confined itself to that little apartment where intimacy knew no bounds, except the publicity of a painful outside world. A million questions could be asked about these two central characters. What was going on in their minds? Who was more fragile, the tormented Paul, or the seemingly carefree Jeanne? Who controlled the relationship? Was there control? Was there a relationship? This film, like all other great films, leaves us asking questions, not only about the characters we've seen, but about the characters we portray on a daily basis.
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- ACitizenCalledKane
- Dec 21, 2004
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Der letzte Tango in Paris
- Filming locations
- 1 Rue de l'Alboni, Passy, Paris 16, Paris, France(apartment: tryst)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,250,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $36,144,000
- Gross worldwide
- $36,182,408
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