MovieChat Forums > Ultimo tango a Parigi (1973) Discussion > Bertolucci speaks...

Bertolucci speaks...

posted 8 years ago by Veritas_Lux_Mea
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“Several years ago at the Cinemathèque Francaise someone asked me for details on the famous butter scene. I specified, but perhaps I was not clear, that I decided with Marlon Brando not to inform Maria that we would have used butter. We wanted her spontaneous reaction to that improper use [of the butter]. That is where the misunderstanding lies. Somebody thought, and thinks, that Maria had not been informed about the violence on her. That is false! Maria knew everything because she had read the script, where it was all described. The only novelty was the idea of the butter.” - Bernardo Bertolucci

[–] Veritas_Lux_Mea 8 years ago

Basically, it is bizarre that there are actually people that think Brando and Bertolucci staged an actual rape for a movie. The rape scene was in the script. Maria knew from the time she signed on she was going to do it. The part that got added was Brando decided over breakfast to introduce butter to the scene. That's it. So, she did not show up on set one day and was suddenly told "We are going to do a scene where Marlon rapes you." she knew she was doing that scene...she just did not know Marlon and Bertolucci were going to introduce butter to the scene.

There is no rape in the scene nor is she assaulted. They perform the scene from the script ...simulated sex which is pretty damn obvious if you watch the scene as Marlon does not even remove his pants...it actually looks fairly ridiculous...but they add shots of the "butter."

That's it. Wow, can people be ridiculous.