Big Poontang, Little Tango

Big Poontang, Little Tango
Originally uploaded by livingfilm.

I'm back, and I have been watching lots of movies. But, first off I think that I need to discuss a little classic known as Last Tango in Paris. After watching The Conformist, I thought I should watch some more of Bernardo Bertolucci's films, and what better place to start than Last Tango. I mean it is one of the landmarks of his career, and caused quite a stir in the early 70's (not to mention the appearance of one of my favorite French actors Jean Pierre Leaud -The 400 Blows). As I feared, the sex in this film is really stupid. I'm sure it would have been very provocative thirty years ago. But today, I can turn on HBO and watch a man clean his house with a feather duster up his ass, while his wife explores their Landlady's pussy with a flashlight, I'm just not moved by sexual exploration alone! I've been leery of this film for several years for this reason, yet I hoped it would've been more interesting. Also, the fact that Maria Schneider is so frequently nude while Brando is so discretely photographed (if not totally clad) damages it's credibility for me. Seeing Marlon Brando nude by this time in his career, surely wouldn't have broken any box office records, but I think it would have been more honest to the character, and the film, not to mention alleviate some of the films misogyny. But what do I know? It's a classic! To its credit, the film does have some interesting parts, and performances. My favorite scene is one where Marlon Brando yells at the body of his dead adulterous wife. And, the photography is beautiful. I think this could have been a great film, I think the story is interesting, but the sexual set-piece causes the film to seem dated and boring. I can't recommend this film.