The late 50s and early 60s French New Wave accustomed us to ambivalence in the directors’ attitude to their films and even to their characters, but the overall tone, style and mood of each film indicated well enough what the director was expressing. Bertolucci must be praised for his critique of bourgeois styles and attitudes, but criticized for not finding a technique adequate to express expressing his perceptions.īertolucci’s failure to establish a coherent perspective on events in the film through style and tone makes LAST TANGO a particularly difficult film to interpret.
The insights are there, although they lie beneath the surface of the film. I will end by suggesting what I think Bertolucci is really saying about outmoded social forms and film styles. I will discuss sexism in the film and Bertolucci’s failure to make clear statements about Jeanne. I will argue that the film ultimately failed, largely for this reason, and then go on to show the confusion that resulted from casting Brando in the role of Paul. But the aspect was also ignored because Bertolucci did not present it clearly. This important aspect of LAST TANGO has been ignored, partly because the film so quickly became a cultural object encrusted with layers of largely irrelevant criticism that diverted attention from deeper meanings. By showing the inadequacy of and parodying two recent influential film styles, 1950s Hollywood and French New Wave, Bertolucci critiques and condemns the outmoded ideas and attitudes which informed these styles. LAST TANGO IN PARIS is an important film because of the way it deals with film history. Ann Kaplan JUMP CUTĬopyright Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, 1974, 2004