Last Tango in Paris (1972)

Last Tango in Paris is one of the most controversial films of the 1970s, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider. A mix of eroticism, raw emotion, and existential despair, it continues to spark debates about art, ethics, and filmmaking.

Detailed Summary

The Encounter in the Empty Apartment

Paul (Marlon Brando), an American hotel owner grieving after his wife’s suicide, crosses paths with Jeanne (Maria Schneider), a young Parisian woman preparing to marry her filmmaker boyfriend. They meet in a vacant apartment that is up for rent and almost instantly engage in a sexual encounter. From here begins their peculiar, anonymous affair.

The Rules of the Affair

Paul establishes strict rules: no names, no personal histories, no attachments. Their relationship is based solely on raw, carnal connection, detached from the outside world. Jeanne is both repelled and fascinated by Paul’s intensity, while Paul uses their affair as a way to numb his grief and rage.

Parallel Lives

While Jeanne navigates her controlling filmmaker fiancé who documents her life obsessively, Paul unravels emotionally. He lashes out at strangers, wrestles with suicidal thoughts, and eventually starts to open up to Jeanne despite his own rules.

Cracks in the Mask

The anonymity begins to crumble. Paul reveals details about his life and dead wife, breaking his own rule. Jeanne feels trapped between attraction and fear, struggling to reconcile this secret life with her looming marriage.

Movie Ending

The final act is both shocking and inevitable. Paul decides he wants more than anonymous encounters; he wants Jeanne in his real life. He takes her to a tango club, where they dance in a surreal, almost grotesque atmosphere. Jeanne, increasingly uncomfortable, realizes that Paul is no longer just a secret lover but a threat to her freedom.

Back at her mother’s apartment, Jeanne arms herself with a revolver. When Paul declares his love and tells her his name for the first time—finally shattering the last of their rules—she panics. Jeanne shoots him in the stomach. He stumbles onto the balcony, bleeding out. In his final moments, he takes a drag from his cigarette, slips his gum onto the railing, and dies quietly. Jeanne, shaken but determined, rehearses her statement to the police, practicing how she will deny knowing him at all.

The ending is brutal: Paul dies unloved and alone, while Jeanne erases him completely from her life.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

No, there are no post-credits scenes in Last Tango in Paris. The film ends definitively with Paul’s death and Jeanne’s cold rehearsal of denial.

Type of Movie

This is an erotic psychological drama, exploring themes of grief, alienation, power, and emotional brutality. It is less about romance and more about human despair and disconnection.

Cast

• Marlon Brando as Paul
• Maria Schneider as Jeanne
• Jean-Pierre Léaud as Tom, Jeanne’s filmmaker fiancé
• Massimo Girotti as Marcel
• Catherine Allégret as Catherine

Film Music and Composer

The haunting score was composed by Gato Barbieri, an Argentine jazz saxophonist. His music, filled with sensuality and melancholy, became iconic, especially the main theme that underscores Paul and Jeanne’s encounters.

Filming Locations

The movie was filmed in Paris, France, mainly inside apartments, streets, and tango clubs. The confined Parisian apartment plays a central role as both a physical and symbolic space—a private arena where anonymity and desire collide.

Awards and Nominations

• Nominated for Academy Awards: Best Actor (Marlon Brando) and Best Director (Bernardo Bertolucci)
• Won National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor (Brando)
• Won New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (Brando)

Behind the Scenes Insights

• Bernardo Bertolucci admitted he wanted to capture “truth” rather than performance, leading to infamous controversies.
• Maria Schneider later revealed she felt manipulated and traumatized by certain scenes, particularly the “butter scene,” which was not in the script in the way it was filmed.
• Marlon Brando improvised much of his dialogue, drawing heavily from his personal pain and failed relationships.
• Brando refused to watch the completed film, claiming it revealed too much of himself.

Inspirations and References

The film is partly inspired by Bertolucci’s own fantasies of an anonymous relationship, as well as themes of existentialism from post-war European art and literature. It reflects the influence of psychoanalysis, sexual liberation movements of the 1970s, and French New Wave cinema.

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

No official alternate endings were produced, but early drafts suggested less violent conclusions. However, Bertolucci insisted on Paul’s tragic death to underline the futility of his search for connection.

Book Adaptations and Differences

The film was novelized after release, but it is not based on a pre-existing book. The novelization expanded some internal monologues and background details, but the film remains the original source material.

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

• The first encounter between Paul and Jeanne in the empty apartment.
• Paul’s violent outbursts in the streets of Paris.
• The infamous “butter scene.”
• The tango dance sequence before the tragic ending.

Iconic Quotes

• Paul: “You’re alone, and you’re not afraid of death. You’re only afraid of other people.”
• Paul: “I don’t know you. I don’t want to know you.”
• Jeanne: “Who are you?”

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

• Paul’s constant chewing of gum is a symbol of his attempt to distract himself from grief. His final act—placing the gum on the balcony railing—represents resignation.
• The tango club sequence is filled with exaggerated, almost grotesque dancers, symbolizing Paul’s descent into despair and absurdity.
• Jeanne’s fiancé filming her life serves as a commentary on voyeurism, artifice, and the blurring of reality and fiction—mirroring Bertolucci’s own film.

Trivia

• Marlon Brando called his role “the most emotionally draining of my career.”
• The film was banned in several countries upon release, including Chile, Portugal, and South Korea.
• Maria Schneider was only 19 during filming, while Brando was 48.
• Bertolucci lost his civil rights in Italy temporarily after being convicted of obscenity due to the film.

Why Watch?

This is not a film for everyone, but for those interested in cinema history, Last Tango in Paris is a must-watch. It is a raw, unsettling exploration of human fragility, desire, and despair. The performances, especially Brando’s, are unforgettable, and the film continues to provoke discussion decades later.

Director’s Other Movies

• The Conformist (1970)
• 1900 (1976)
• The Last Emperor (1987)
• The Sheltering Sky (1990)
• Stealing Beauty (1996)

Recommended Films for Fans

• The Conformist (1970)
• Blue Velvet (1986)
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• Belle de Jour (1967)
• In the Realm of the Senses (1976)