Bernardo Bertoluci's "Last Tango in Paris" is a beautiful art-house movie that features one of Marlon Brando's finest performances. He plays Paul, an enigmatic American drawn to France after the recent suicide of his wife. While there, he encounters Jeanne, whom he soon begins to have an affair with. However, they do not reveal anything about themselves and the relationship is based solely on sex.

Jeanne is engaged to Tom, a film director making a documentary of sorts about her. She questions her own love for Tom as she finds herself more and more drawn to Paul.

"Last Tango in Paris" or "Ultimo tango a Parigi" was released in 1972 to much hoopla. Critics loved it but the American censors despised it and it somehow gained a reputation of being a "smut film." It's actually a deep and provocative statement about two people from different backgrounds who fall in love despite trying not to. Their anonymity with each other only makes it all the more difficult.

Brando delivers a stunning performance and Maria Schneider is quite convincing in what must have been a very demanding role.

This isn't a flawless film but it is very good and offers more than just the average "t&a" the genre has come to be known for.

"Last Tango in Paris" has been copied a few times over the years - most noticeably with films such as "9 1/2 Weeks" and "Intimacy." However, this is still one of the best "erotic" dramas out there.

My favourite Bertolucci film along with The Last Emperor, Last Tango in Paris is something truly remarkable. It is controversial yes in how sex was displayed on screen. But it is also beautiful and touching not just as a psychodrama but also a study of a broken and tortured man. Instead of erotic, to me it came across as more existential, and I had nothing against that, in fact I wouldn't have minded whether it was erotic or existential or neither.

Last Tango is beautifully shot, with artful cinematography, interesting lighting and stunning production values. Gato Barbieri's jazz score is marvellous and creates a suitably delirious atmosphere. The story is a beautifully written and emotional one, the script is of exceptional quality and Bertolucci's direction is of high calibre. The acting from the two leads is superb. It is a real shame Maria Schneider died as young as she died, she showed great promise, and here she was sexy and touching and she looked stunning too. For me, the best asset of Last Tango in Paris was the performance of Marlon Brando. He is both wonderful and devastating in the lead and shows quite a lot of range in this film, one minute he is ferocious and vulgar, next he is tender and full of pathos.

All in all, wonderful film and worth seeing for Brando's performance especially, amongst other things. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The Last Tango In Paris did not reach American shores until two years after it was shot in France. So for two years the American public was spared Marlon Brando's dip into porn.

I have to say I'm at an absolute loss why this film is so well regarded. Purportedly director Bernardo Bertolucci was dealing with middle aged loneliness without sex. But that subject was handled so much better from the woman's point of view in Tennessee Williams, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. And a middle aged Vivien Leigh looked better than a middle aged Brando.

Brando plays an American expatriate whose wife commits suicide rather suddenly or better I should say without any warning signs that he noted. My guess would be she was sick and tired of this self involved lug. So Marlon takes up with young Maris Schneider and makes it clear all he wants is good sex and completely at his whim.

This dopey girl actually goes for that even though she's engaged to young film maker Jean Pierre Leaud. I can tell you if I had a choice I'd have taken Leaud in a microsecond.

All this is an excuse for Marlon and Maria especially Maria to parade around in various states of undress and say a lot of naughty words in two languages. Why this film got all the acclaim it did, I cannot fathom.

Some might consider it art, I consider it pretentious.