DVD Corner

Last Tango In Paris Blu-ray Review

“Last Tango In Paris” is an artsy, pretentious bore that is only made watchable by Marlon Brando.

Plot Summary: Paul, who is grieving the loss of his wife, hooks up with an already egaged young Parisian woman for anonymous casual sexual encounters. Of course, their relationship becomes increasingly more complicated than that which leads to serious problems and confrontations amongst the two.

At the time of its release, “Last Tango In Paris” was considered a controversial romantic drama due to its then X-rating. Now, however, it’s not really all that shocking aside from the much talked about “butter” scene. To be honest, I never quite understand the praise for this film. The entire film feels like an artsy, meandering, over the top product of its time. Additionally, the film never actually feels like a film. It seems more like a pretentious sexually charged tragic play than anything else.

Flaws aside, the film does boast two stand-out performances by Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider. Brando in particular gives a fascinating performance that you can’t help but watch despite how one may feel about the film itself.

Summary: If you are a fan of Bernardo Bertolucci and or Marlon Brando you may want to give this film a watch. If you’re not, don’t bother.

Video/Audio:

The 1.85:1 1080p picture quality deserves praise. Despite the patches of grain, the print has been cleaned up quite nicely for Blu-ray.

The Mono DTS-HD audio track is a little flat but it does its job.

The only extra is a theatrical trailer.

May 2, 2011 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Bernardo Bertolucci, Last Tango In Paris Blu-ray Review, Maria Schneider, Marlon Brando