Who else is here because of the latest news?
Me! ?
shareThis movie needs to be defended, as do Brando and especially Bertolucci. Granted, Bertolucci is the reason this is topical again, but I feel his belated apology to Schneider is one of two things:
1. A sincere - albeit wholly misplaced - apology that may be the result of being a hyper-emotional old man.
2. A means by which to drum up more publicity for his most famous film in a time when he feels it should be rediscovered.
Either way, Schneider signed on to make an X-rated movie in which she would appear nude throughout and engage in multiple sex acts on-screen. Her sense of violation is frankly ludicrous, especially when she consented to the scene beforehand and the act itself was simulated.
As for those who claim it ruined her life, she suffered from several forms of mental and emotional dysfunction already, so her misplaced blame of Bertolucci and the butter scene really don't have any merit or legitimacy. Frankly, she was a pretty lousy actress, and Bertolucci had to work overtime to extract the fine performance he got from her in LAST TANGO. If anything, she should have been grateful to him for making her appear to be the talent she clearly wasn't. Even the great Antonioni couldn't get a decent performance from her in THE PASSENGER.
I think you have a pretty dubious grasp on the concept of consent. It doesn't matter if she consented to film an x-rated movie, doesn't matter if she agreed to be nude, doesn't matter if she willingly acted out a fake sodomy scene. She CONSENTED to those things so that is all fine. She did NOT consent to having a man smear butter on her anus. Anything else she allowed is irrelevant. She said she felt raped. The director flat out admitted they didn't get her consent. He said he wanted to really humiliate her. He admitted what they did was wrong. So why are you defending it? Obviously you're a fan of the film but that is not a good enough reason to defend a sexual assault.
share