Quote:
Quote by: Deadeye  Watching Brando climax just didn't and doesn't have any allure for me. |
Because that was
totally the point of the movie, right?
Last Tango in Paris is might have gained notoriety in lay circles for teetering on the edge of the border between sleaze and arthouse erotica, but that is only one of the reasons it has gained a permanent spot in film history. In the first place, anyone who claims to know anything about film knows that it is also the subject of the most notorious film review in cinema history... Pauline Kael's positively glowing New Yorker bit which ran (I think) a full 6 months ahead of the release. Kael actually wrote that review having only seen a preview screening of the film (an incomplete test-run, to see if audiences like it so far), but felt the film needed to be seen. In this way, she tried to take advantage of her rabid following (called "Kaelites" at the time), but its performance at the box office was relatively disappointing. So there's that, but it's one of the best-shot films in all of history, it is the best film of a now-dead genre, it is one of Brando's last great performances, and the list goes on and on. It is an indispensable part of film history, but also a very niche thing. If you want a movie with a strong plot, flashy special effects, fights, or Brad Pitt, this is certainly not the movie for you. It is pretty much just an excuse to study eroticism. It also pretty much demands that you find the meaning. It's demanding in general. Some people might say it's pretentious, but I enjoyed it. It's not perfect, but what is? For its accomplishments alone, it deserves its spot in the pantheon of everything, but it certainly isn't for everyone.