Synopsis for
Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972) More at IMDbPro »

An American widower, grieving over his wife's unexplained suicide, hooks up with an 18-year-old French female after a coincidental meeting in an apartment, which they are both interested in renting. Spontaneous chemistry and sexual magnetism draw them into an illicit affair as they agree to rendezvous at their "shared" apartment for lots of. ahem...cardio exercise, involving a mattress, a dead rat, and butter. It'll all make sense midway through the movie. A big rule in their "relationship," or, perhaps, tryst (being a better word) is that they agree not to reveal any personal information about themselves; not even names. And as such, the lovers continue their journey through sexual role playing, emotional raping, and reverting to childhood memories. The ending is surprisingly dramatic.

Bernardo Bertolucci described his film as a director's sexual fantasy brought to life. It was a highly controversial and bold movie for it's time and genre. In typical fashion, Marlon Brando, playing the angst-ridden American, was at his usual best. Film buffs who enjoyed post-Tango In Paris films like 9 1/2 Weeks or The Lover will appreciate Bertolucci's original movie for it's sexual intensity, emotional nakedness, and brilliantly bizarre plot. Send the kids to bed early and don't invite your Mormon friends over to the house to watch this one. However, if you must, please have popcorn available...with generous amounts of butter, indeed.