The film's raw portrayal of sexual violence and emotional turmoil led to international controversy and drew various levels of government censorship in different jurisdictions. United Artists Classics released a R-rated cut in In , after the film became part of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library, the film was reclassified NC Paul Brando , a middle-aged American hotel owner mourning the suicide of his wife Rosa, meets a young, engaged Parisian woman named Jeanne Maria Schneider at an apartment that both are interested in renting.

The disturbing story behind the rape scene in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris, explained



Bernardo Bertolucci: his disturbing treatment of Maria Schneider - Vox
Paul, a middle-aged American living in emotional exile, comes to Paris when his estranged wife commits suicide. Chancing to meet young Frenchwoman named Jeanne, Paul enters into a sadomasochistic, carnal relationship with her, indirectly attacking the hypocrisy all around him and his own feelings of guilt through his raw, outrageous sexual behaviour. Bernardo Bertolucci. Franco Arcalli , Roberto Perpignani.


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By Seth Kelley. News Editor, Online. The director addressed the non-consensual rape scene in a recently resurfaced interview from In the interview, Bertolucci recounts the origin of the rape scene between Brando, who was 48 at the time, and Schneider, who was The director confessed that he feels guilty for not telling her about the butter, but he does not regret his decision to shoot the scene.



We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. The scene is intended to be violent and disturbing, with Paul hitting Jeanne and penetrating her as she cries. The scene became the target of renewed scrutiny beginning in , when a video clip in which Bertolucci discussed the film went viral. But it was an incident of real sexual humiliation nonetheless, by all accounts.