Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This film, basically and to approach in a simple way, revolves around a man and a woman who, while remaining anonymous, maintain sexual encounters that end up developing dramatically to the point of rupture. He is a widower and suffers with it, she is engaged but she have doubts that become more intense as their involvement increases. He seems to love her and despise her at the same time. She submits herself, accepts to be treated as a desired object, but this becomes more and more insufficient. That anthological scene of anal rape can be the most shocking and disgusting moment of the film. Subjects such as the middle age crisis, widowhood, sexual taboos, remorse, psychological traumas, betrayal, abuse over another, are all approached more or less intensely.The two main actors, Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, achieved stardom and have made here (mainly she) one of their most acclaimed cinematographic works. However, they are not particularly grateful to Bernardo Bertolucci, as they were also strongly stigmatized by the intense controversy surrounding the film. Personally, I understand the feelings of the actors, but I am the first to consider that it was an act of courage, folly and enormous talent to accept such roles.The cinematography is beautiful, fits perfectly into the mood of the film, which rotates between the seductive, the forbidden and the menacing. Eroticism and psychological violence unite their hands in this film, provocative, disturbing and horrendous in equal parts. Sex was not only an intimate act, but an act of mastery of one individual over another, a psychological refuge and a hope for something more, that never comes.For me, this movie is paradoxical. It was beautifully filmed and done, but it tackles themes and issues that are ugly in my opinion. Bernardo Bertolucci is one of the directors I least appreciate. Not because he's bad, but because I have always found him cruel and sick. Moreover, a good part of Italian cinema has this problem: it is cruel, it is ugly, it likes to talk and to show ugly things that repugn us. This movie is a movie I do not like, but it is powerful, it's impossible to be indifferent to it.

Art does not excuse violence against women.By the director's own admission, Maria was not privy nor consenting to the infamous assault scene involving butter. The director planned her sexual assault on camera so she would feel true humiliation and rage. Brando was party to this.Both of these men - who planned a sexual assault on a colleague - were nominated for awards for this.If you can trust Brando to "act" angry/abusive, but supposedly don't trust your 19 year-old leading lady to "act" humiliated and angry, either you are a terrible director or you actually get off on harming women. That is deplorable.Many critics feel this film is worthy of praise. But to praise it, you must also acknowledge that a crime occurred on camera, one that traumatized the actress by her own admission.(A quick Google will take you to video of the director admitting these facts.)

I honestly didn't understand why they didn't supply English subtitles for people who didn't understand French. The only reason I got to watch this movie was because, Marlon Brando was on this and to be honest with ya, I hadn't a clue what he was saying either. The only times I understood what the characters were saying, is when they spoke a bit of English. After that, you were screwed.I even didn't even like the ending either, just because Brando is always in gangster movies, doesn't mean his movies should be all involved with gangster! I mean, it would've been better if he and the young girl ran from Paris and lived somewhere else. Otherwise, I would be given this a 9/10 but instead with a few major disappointing bits, I give this a 5/10...

This is not necessarily a movie that is a joy to watch or is very entertaining and yet it is a masterpiece. How so? because it is all about showing discomfort and abuse of the characters and while it is not pleasant to watch, it is hard to look away and it is made perfectly.The story is about a man going through emotionally painful time and a young woman having trouble with her fiancé. They meet and start an anonymous affair, but then feelings start to arise.Back in the 70's the movie started a lot of controversy. And while sexual scenes are not as uncommon as they used to be, the movie is not outdated in this sense. The sex is not about being erotic. It is meant to cause the viewer some discomfort and it still does, just like the famous butter scene that is pretty much a rape.The movie is mainly about Brando's character Paul. We see his inner struggle and the more is revealed about him the more we see him. He is hurt by his previous relationship and struggles with the fact that his wife killed herself and he never really knew her. He hides from those feelings in the anonymous affair. But his wish for happiness dives him into believing Jeanne actually has feelings for him and there is a future. Unfortunately her "love" seems to be just a fascination with his dominant masculinity and mystery. Once he opens himself all of it starts to vanish including her feelings and she refuses him as well as kills him. No here is the one thing which makes me take off 2 points for the movie, otherwise I would give it perfect. While it is understandable that Jeanne mistook the fascination by anonymity for love and her feelings end once she gets to know him, we never see a turning point. It seems a bit too much that she even runs away from him. There is something missing there.Acting is great. Marlon Brando is at his best, we feel his struggle and the way he brings his monologues are great. Marie Schneider is perfect for the role. She has the innocence of that young woman, new to love, not yet able to understand what Paul goes through and also very confused with her own feelings. Also liked Maria Michi as Rose's mother. Really felt for her character in the few scenes that she appeared.