Featured Audience Ratings

• Spencer S

  
  So evocative in its day, this film does not hold up under the scrutiny of thirty years. At the time it was unsettling, possibly harsh, to see an erotic film that bordered on sado-masochistic, maybe even crossing that fine line, because it was a subject never covered before. Still, the… More
  So evocative in its day, this film does not hold up under the scrutiny of thirty years. At the time it was unsettling, possibly harsh, to see an erotic film that bordered on sado-masochistic, maybe even crossing that fine line, because it was a subject never covered before. Still, the scenes are practically tame (except for one) compared to today's sanctimonious art house dribble. There were even more explosive films of refuse floating around at that time, but because of Marlon Brando's pull as a classically famous actor, this got special attention. There were certainly redeeming qualities to this treasure trove of erotic lore, including the over the top direction. Bertolucci seemed to have his own flair, having written and directed this film, but it's the stylization that keeps interest throughout the dragging plot. His use of music, of close, uncomfortable shots, and long, uninterrupted shots, was strangely tight, like a hand at your throat. The reason it doesn't work as an erotic drama is because of the budding relationship between our two leads. Brando plays a widowed expatriate American who meets a nameless woman (Schneider) in an apartment that is being showed to rent, and out of nowhere they start a sexual relationship. Neither of them seem to care or know why this is happening, and the ensuing relationship is cold and unbelievable. The characters make sense as a whole, especially Brando's with the climactic ending. Still, they aren't interesting and they don't hold interest either. Though Jeanne (Schneider) has a side story with her fiance and Paul (Brando) has to deal with an unruly ex-mother-in-law, they are readily defined as automatons that meet every so often and have miscellaneous sex. Beside that they are shown as kooky, rambunctious people without a grasp of language or of their baser emotions. Brando crows half the time, and Schneider blithers adolescent angst throughout, baring her breasts and running through the streets of Paris to escape yet another suitor. The ending, though blunt and as lifeless as everything else, was the only surprise of the film. Brando may have been impressive as always, but his character was annoying, petulant, and dull. It was far too long, and paced horrifically, so overall I found this to be pretentious and irritatingly self-righteous as well. It's good to sate your curiosity on Brando's later work, but otherwise it's a heavyhanded attempt at drama.

• Jim H

  
  A widower hooks up with a young Parisian who is pursued by a man who conflates his art with his personal life. In a career of gritty, realistic performances, Marlon Brando's work in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris is among his best. The scene in which he confronts… More
  A widower hooks up with a young Parisian who is pursued by a man who conflates his art with his personal life. In a career of gritty, realistic performances, Marlon Brando's work in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris is among his best. The scene in which he confronts his wife's corpse reminded me of Jack Nicholson's "I'd almost marry you if you leave me" from Carnal Knowledge, but Brando's performance comes from a greater, deeper well of self-loathing than Nicholson, who can probably never forget the fact that he's Jack Nicholson; Marlon Brando in his prime -- and this is his prime -- can forget that he's Marlon Brando, and I did too. The rape scene, his myopic view of sex, and his overwhelming screen presence carry this film. His co-star, Maria Schneider, barely keeps up with Brando, and her scenes with Jean-Pierre Leaud aren't nearly as compelling as Brando's; although, Leaud does have a moment that reminded me of his best scene in the Antoine Doinel films. The ending was emotionally compelling but senseless and unmotivated. In fact, the writing of Jeanne's character lacks a thought-out character arc; she remains undeveloped, and that's not all Schneider's fault. Overall, this is a great, gritty, intense drama with some of Brando's best work.

• Steven C

  
  Bernardo Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris" is still as controversial and challenging as it was when it debuted in 1972. This is a film that will mean many different things to each viewer. For me, this was very much a film about romance and how to create it when you can… More
  Bernardo Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris" is still as controversial and challenging as it was when it debuted in 1972. This is a film that will mean many different things to each viewer. For me, this was very much a film about romance and how to create it when you can never truly know another person (among, many other things, obviously). Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider are incredible in this film, delivering brave, unflinching and psychologically complex performances. The cinematography and sound design are also noteworthy, helping suck the viewer into this unknown world. Weather you 'get' the film or not, "Last Tango in Paris" is an unforgettable and harrowing experience.

• Emil K

  
  This is used to be one of my favourite films long tome ago, but these days i can see that this is a film not without it's flaws. On the plus side there is the fantastic soundtrack by Gato Barbieri, Vittorio Storaro's virtuoso camerawork and Marlon Brando's career best… More
  This is used to be one of my favourite films long tome ago, but these days i can see that this is a film not without it's flaws. On the plus side there is the fantastic soundtrack by Gato Barbieri, Vittorio Storaro's virtuoso camerawork and Marlon Brando's career best performance. But it has several problems with Maria Schneider's character and mostly with the scenes with her boyfriend, who is played here by Jean-Pierre Leaud. These moments does not quite connect with the scenes with Brando, and to be honest they lack the that unique intensity of the claustrophobic apartment scenes. There are times when Bertolucci seems to be more concerned about shocking than telling his story, but i've got to admit that this is a film that holds raw energy and has brilliant improvised tone in it. It might not be the classic, but it does have hauntingly romantic tone in it.

• AJ V

  
  A very 70s romantic drama, it's sad and strange, but good.

• Cassandra M

  
  Widely denounced as obscene upon its release and unjustifiably notorious for two of its scenes, Bernardo Bertolucci's 'Last Tango in Paris' is a savage story of lust and sexual debasement. Marlon Brando delivers a ferocious performance as Paul, a middle-aged American… More
  Widely denounced as obscene upon its release and unjustifiably notorious for two of its scenes, Bernardo Bertolucci's 'Last Tango in Paris' is a savage story of lust and sexual debasement. Marlon Brando delivers a ferocious performance as Paul, a middle-aged American expatriate tormented by his wife, Rosa's recent suicide, her infidelities and his failure to understand their relationship. In meeting a 20 year old girl, Jeanne, played by Maria Schneider, in an empty apartment, Paul hopes to form a relationship purely on his own terms and at his own pace, i.e. one he can understand fully. He insists on a new form of relationship, so basic that even their names were kept secret from each other, where she submitted to his every desire, where he could punish himself and relieve his despair and anger towards his wife by punishing Jeanne. Paul's only other interest is in Marcel (Massimo Girotti), Rosa's lover, for whom he has a curious respect and maybe a desire to obtain through him a better understanding of his own wife. Despite his overpowering talent, Marlon Brando has often shown poor judgement in his choice of projects and has frequently trudged through films with no apparent effort or interest. In 'Last Tango in Paris' he gives everything and produces a performance of unrivalled force. Unfortunately the obvious improvisation in the film prevents the character of Paul from staying within check as he gradually becomes too much like Marlon Brando in the second half of the film. Nonetheless, when Brando is off-screen the film becomes hollow in comparison and is replaced by Jeanne's relationship with her fiance, an annoyingly pretentious TV director (Jean-Pierre Leaud). This is a truly unique film and Bertolucci successfully highlights the romance in an affair that is fundamentally destructive. Brando's performance is remarkably powerful and intense, eclipsing every other player and dominating the entire film.

• Derek D

  
  Hardly a classic, this film was just way too strange to truly enjoy...that and the back-and-forth French/English dialogue. A treat to see Brando at work, but that's about it.

• Veronique K

  
  "last tango in paris" is marlon brando's self-reviving strike before he officially steps into his senile years of obesity, and his character in tango feels literily like the aging version of stanley kowaski of "streetcar named desire": prole stud with a… More
  "last tango in paris" is marlon brando's self-reviving strike before he officially steps into his senile years of obesity, and his character in tango feels literily like the aging version of stanley kowaski of "streetcar named desire": prole stud with a simmering violent streak which detonates thru his sadistic libido. stanley shuts "stella!!!" in his most fragile moment and ravishes vivien leigh's blanche to exercise his strong urge of masculine dominion since he senses the contagious menace blanche puts over his enslavened wife. as elia karzan who directs several of brando's movies, such as "on the waterfront" and streetcar, comments that brando has a very tenderized feminine side conflicted with a sort of melancholy and disatisfaction which could be very dangerously explosive. "last tango in paris" shall be a perfect set to channel such brandoesque spirit by its deranged exploration of spotaneous roller-coaster sex as well as the existentialistic tale of bleakness. the story is about a 20-something parisian woman who encounters a middle-aged american in a desolate apartment in slums, and at the spur of the moment these two mate in an animalistic way which is very close to sanctuary rape. somehow there's an undercurrent magnetism which keeps pulling these two back into this apartment as an oblivious vaccum of random sex as well as the retreat of their primitive intimacy to forget their private problems of life. then we discover the man's wife has committed suicide and he's under a fundamental crisis of abysmal mentality since he has no idea why his wife leaves him for good without a final note. on the other hand, the young parisian woman's fiance is a self-centered movie-maker who has emoitonally deserted and ignored her, so in a way, she's lonesome and in the need of attention despite her functional facade. so this un-usual pair unite together under the circumstance of not knowing each other's name in a wretched world of sadness. their intercourses are not genuine lovemaking but a result of the man's manipulated flaunt of manhood and the woman's side is more of a morbid curiosity for racy experiements, such as the notorious butter scene of anal sex and the fingering sodomy. what counts is their interactions driven by dialogues. they bares a sort of existentialistic anxiety out of their seperate conditions, and they crave for a space of temporality intagible to the reality. it digs into their memories of childhood to summon up their truest childish selves. this otherworldy dimension of temporality is shattered when the girl eventually meets the man outside the apartment, and this unique romance is over when brando's sleazy banal self's exposed under the blistering sunlight of cruel reality, her heart flees away despite the man vows to capture her again as his prey. the moment he finally acquires her name, he's shot into the un-comprehesibly ironic death while she keeps mumbling to herself that "he's a stranger, i never met him, he broke into my apartment trying to rape me, so i shot him" as if their passionate redenzvou never happens. the aged brando with thining hair is no longer the powerful irresistible stanley kowaski who robs his woman back by an overwhelming snarl. and this time he's destined to lose the girl as youth and strength slip away from him no matter how desperately he attempts to keeps them. our existence may just be like that, an deliberated oblivion of constant denials due to our weakness to cope with death and the annihilation of beings.

• Chris W

  
  One of the most perplexing and complex, and emotonally gruelling films I've seen in quite a while...possibly of of the most challenging films I've ever seen period. Like many films, this films is far from being about what it's about. If anything, it's about torment… More
  One of the most perplexing and complex, and emotonally gruelling films I've seen in quite a while...possibly of of the most challenging films I've ever seen period. Like many films, this films is far from being about what it's about. If anything, it's about torment and abuse (on multiple levels), grief, and disillusionment. The performances are perfect. The viewer ends up hating Brando, but all that means is that he did the job he was supposed to. Aside from the acting, the best things about it are the music and cinematography: both are simply indescribable in their amazingness. The film is a great work of art, but it's not without its flaws. It's a little too inaccessible, too pretentious, self important, slow and ponderous in places, out there, and "arty". Even then though, it earns the grade I give it just because of how powerful and compelling it all is. A-

• Robert C

  
  One of those films that is often referenced and that any "film buff" feels obliged to watch. I can totally appreciate Bertolucci's idea for this film. The idea of a sort of erotic rendezvous that starts out as a (purely sexual) series of anonymous encounters with a… More
  One of those films that is often referenced and that any "film buff" feels obliged to watch. I can totally appreciate Bertolucci's idea for this film. The idea of a sort of erotic rendezvous that starts out as a (purely sexual) series of anonymous encounters with a girl/man that you know nothing about but find yourself physically attracted to. The simplicity of that premise, involving nothing more then pleasure has a certain "erotic fantasy" appeal. But when you dig a little deeper and factor into this the equation the fact that both of the people involved in this little "arrangement" are already emotionally attached to others (and seemingly mentally unstable)...it is a recipe for disaster. The two main characters are emotional wrecks, which I think is essentail to this particular version of an "erotic fantasy" gone awry. But what bothered me most was the constant feeling that (when they were together) she was there against her will. The sex often felt very masochistic and had she not been so young, it might have been easier to think that she was just "into that", rather then "he's taking advantage of her". I had to keep reminding myself that she returned each time on her own. I feel that what could have been an erotic, emotional and heartbreaking piece...ends up feeling a bit disjointed and (quite frankly) disturbing. The question is...was that Bertolucci's goal? So in a nut shell, it think it works on some levels but overall...what could have been a really powerful film ends up coming across as more self-indulgent then anything else.

• Saskia D

  
  Wow, I expected a romantic flick, but this one had an edge! What I loved about the first part is that you don't know what the hell is going on, but slowly the pieces fall into place. Damn, Brando is amazing in this movie, he's a pig, but it makes him irresistible. The only… More
  Wow, I expected a romantic flick, but this one had an edge! What I loved about the first part is that you don't know what the hell is going on, but slowly the pieces fall into place. Damn, Brando is amazing in this movie, he's a pig, but it makes him irresistible. The only weak part it has, are the scenes where Jeanne (Schneider) is starring in this weak ass movie her so called boyfriend is shooting. Although it might serve as a counterweight to the anonymous relations she has with Paul (Brando), for me it was an ongoing interruption of the rest of the movie. <div style="width:660px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/movie/ultimo-tango-a-parigi-last-tango-in-paris-photos/-6353635"><img src="http://content9.flixster.com/photo/63/53/63/6353635_gal.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">

• Arash X

  
  Bertolucci's masterpiece

• Pierluigi P

  
  Sultry, dark and decadent picture about loneliness. wonderful photography and marvelous Brando.

• Tim S

  
  Bertolucci's kind of a deviant.

• Stuart B

  
  Marlon Brando as a sex machine.... NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Michael G

  
  Worth it just for Brando. And hide your butter.

• Dean M

  
  Dull depiction of the vital and basic sexual relationship between 19-year-old girl and the 45-year-old man.

• Steve K

  
  A slow film to try and trudge through, though worth it for the "butter scene".

• Byron B

  
  Obsessive romantic tryst between older man with violent impulses and young girl who wants his attention, but not the attention of her filmmaker boyfriend. Some beautiful scenes, but mostly I was disturbed by Brando's sexual fetishes. Maria's character has it right at the… More
  Obsessive romantic tryst between older man with violent impulses and young girl who wants his attention, but not the attention of her filmmaker boyfriend. Some beautiful scenes, but mostly I was disturbed by Brando's sexual fetishes. Maria's character has it right at the end in summing up for the police who Brando's character was.

• Joey S

  
  A powerful and affecting drama from Bernardo Bertolucci, Last Tango in Paris, with its graphic depictions of sex and sexual violence, is driven almost entirely by Marlon Brando's gripping and passionate performance as a depressed widower. His performance in Last Tango may very… More
  A powerful and affecting drama from Bernardo Bertolucci, Last Tango in Paris, with its graphic depictions of sex and sexual violence, is driven almost entirely by Marlon Brando's gripping and passionate performance as a depressed widower. His performance in Last Tango may very well be his best, and he makes the movie not only incredibly emotional but also very haunting. The ending will undoubtedly linger in your mind long after the movie ends, and perfectly concludes such a controversial but artistic movie.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings