ags@pucc-i (Seaman) (05/15/84)
I watched "Last Tango in Paris" on the Bravo cable network the other night. The film was introduced by Alexander Scourby, who assured us that we would be seeing the uncut original theatrical release. It just wasn't so, folks. It had been a long time, but I KNOW some scenes were cut. The legendary "butter" scene was there (sort of), but a large "ornament" was strategically placed over the center part of the picture. Other scenes didn't make much sense at all, because of references to deleted scenes. What confuses me about this is that I have seen other scenes on Bravo that were just as explicit as the ones that were cut from "Last Tango." I believe this film was rated X when it came out in 1972, but the original release would very likely get an R today. Who dunnit? If Bravo did it, I doubt that they would have come right out and lied about it. They probably just didn't know what they had. Besides, I doubt that they would have the necessary equipment to doctor a scene, rather than cutting it out entirely. Questions: Has anyone seen a similarly altered "Last Tango" in a theatre? Has anyone seen the uncut version within the last five years or so? -- Dave Seaman ..!pur-ee!pucc-i:ags "Against people who give vent to their loquacity by extraneous bombastic circumlocution."
abc@brl-tgr.ARPA (Brint Cooper ) (05/19/84)
We rented "Tango" from our local VCR Tape emporium a few weeks ago. It was the worst piece of S___ I ever saw, and I enjoy a little erotica. The thing was just offensive; Brando was offensive; the girl was pathetic. I hope someone warns me the next time "Tango" comes my way so I can be somewhere else!
cpma@vice.UUCP (05/20/84)
Check out the LaserDisc version. I've never seen the original, but LaserDiscs *rarely* use cut versions.
grw@fortune.UUCP (Glenn Wichman) (05/24/84)
[]
No, laser disks are often edited. There is a scence
cut from Electric Horseman (makes the movie hard to understand),
and one song cut from Blues Bros. (the same one was cut when it
was on TV.
-Glennfish@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (05/24/84)
(oo)
I saw the original "Last Tango in Paris" in its unexpurgated form
when it was in the theaters. It was *still* a piece of trash.
Nobody seems to know how to make an erotic movie acceptable to the
critics without either filming it in that annoying, choppy, European
fashion or making the plot depressing and the characters utterly
depraved, as in "Last Tango." Myself, I prefer my erotica honest,
that is, utterly without redeeming social value. Who can enjoy
a good b___job when you know the hero's going to get his brains
blown out as well?
--
Bob Fishell
ihnp4!ihu1g!fishjay@umcp-cs.UUCP (05/25/84)
"Last Tango" seems to be getting the short end around here because of it steamy/not steamy sex and its depressing tone. I've seen the film a couple of times and find it fascinating. Sex is an outlet for both Paul (Brando) and Jeanne to act out their fantasies. Paul has just lost a wife to suicide. It's clear from the film that he was utterly dependant upon her while she was alive and he, thus, attempts to maintain a distance with Jeanne. "No names",he says. He is brutal and she submissive; I'm sure this offends many and I wouldn't be surprised if this is the intention. But the fact the Jeanne outgrows the relationship, although Paul comes to depend upon it, shows ultimately who is the stronger, more adaptable of the two. There's a lot going on in this film, as there is in any good film. If you decided to watch it just for the sex, you've missed an awful lot. Bertolucci is a respected filmmaker. He says some interesting things to say and says them in interesting ways. Next time the film comes around note the camera movement, the position of the characters in the frame, the lighting. Watch and listen to Brando. I can't think of another film where he gives a better sustained performance. A film that raises questions, one that makes you feel uneasy as you leave the theater, is a film that touches in ways that are not familiar to the typical American moviegoer used to addle-pated entertainment. Both serve a purpose and you have every right to prefer either over the other. -- Jay Elvove ..!seismo!umcp-cs!jay