''Watch that movie, Last Tango, observe and study the actress. Does she seem like a schemer, a sly manipulator? A liar?''
Except that I never accused her of being any of those things. Overreaction is not the same as scheming, slyly manipulator or lying.
I do not agree with what Marlon Brando or Bertolucci did, but the fact that they are treated as rapists is beyond ridiculous. She could have just stopped in then and there and talked to the police, but she didn't. There lies the rub.
And all that stuff about Marlon Brando's sexism doesn't apply to me. You might have '' male-chauvinist tendencies... and the patriarchal "need" to dominate, to objectify, to humiliate'' but I don't. I don't like that she was objectified in the film, I just think that she exaggeration the issue and gave reasons why twice.
I stand by the belief that she was more just embarrassed by how sexual teh scene played out, as there are inconsistencies in the story. Note a quote by Esther Anderson:
''I was with Maria when she saw the film for the first time,' says Esther. 'She was absolutely shocked. She had no idea what they were going to do with her. She ran from the cinema screaming and I had to run after her into the street and comfort her. That film ruined her life.''
So, according to that, she was fine before actually seeing the film.
Then we have:
''When I read Last Tango In Paris, I didn't see anything that worried me. I was 20. I didn't want to be a star, much less a scandalous actress - simply to be in cinema. Later, I realized I'd been completely manipulated by Bertolucci and Brando.''
So, in other words, later on she realized that she'd been completely manipulated. The wording strongly implies that she was talking about after the film had been released. Also note her use of ''scandalous'' actress - this to me implies that she was upset that she had become part of the scandal (which should never have happened) surrounding the picture. This is reinforced by:
''I felt very sad because I was treated like a sex symbol, I wanted to be recognized as an actress, and the whole scandal and aftermath of the film turned me a little crazy and I had a breakdown.''
In other words, she blamed the sexual content for her not getting much roles and clearly stated that it was the scandal after the film was released that caused her distress. I find this more likely than the butter scene, which she actually could have balked out of at the time. Over time she seemed to have distorted her distress at the scandal into one whilst filming the scene.
Her comment here pretty much shows how much she overreacted:
''I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can't force someone to do something that isn't in the script, but at the time, I didn't know that. "Marlon Brando said to me: 'Maria, don't worry, it's just a movie,' but during the scene, even though what Marlon was doing wasn't real, I was crying real tears. "I felt humiliated and to be honest, I felt a little raped, both by Marlon and by Bernardo Bertolucci. After the scene, Marlon didn't console me or apologise. Thankfully, there was just one take''
She said it herself, ''I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can't force someone to do something that isn't in the script'', because they couldn't have forced her to do the scene and they didn't. She agreed at the time to do it. She should have taken responsibility for her own actions rather than blaming others, but instead she chose to overreact to something that could be deemed as chauvinistic, despite agreeing to do it in the first place.
Although I do not think she was acting manipulative or outright lying (I think her overreacting was more due to almost-subconscious justification for her own part in that butter scene) , this comment adds and unfortunate political agenda to this issue:
''I've not really forgiven him [Bernardo Bertolucci] for the way he treated me and although we met in Tokyo 17 years ago [in 1990], I ignored him. Plus, he and Marlon made a fortune from the movie and I made about £2,500. And Bertolucci was a Communist, too!''
That said, I think it is also a little possible that she is partly joking about the whole thing anyway, hence:
''I like to see friends and go to the market and cook. But I never use butter to cook any more. Only olive oil.''
And the fact that, judging by the things she says, Marlon Brando is either a depraved villain or a kind, paternal figure who was her ''best experience about making the film''.
Formerly KingAngantyr
reply
share
ttetpos
11 years ago
I think I would rather respond in an oblique way, I hope you don't mind.
Obviously the comment above is written by a very intelligent person. So in that spirit, instead of escalating the argumentation, I would suggest to the author, ContinentalOp / Formerly KingAngantyr, to perhaps try the following:
Take what you wrote above and discuss it with a woman who has either had personal experience with violation of sexual trust herself, or with a woman who has experience in doing support work for sexual abuse survivors.
Put forth your ideas as you explained them above, put forth your thesis, esp. that Maria Schneider "over-reacted". Also explain your views to her, and point out the inconsistencies you see in her story. And give her a chance to give you feedback.
If after speaking with her you still have the same opinion, then we can simply agree to disagree, and leave it at that.
How does this proposal sound to you?
Thanks,
Petros
___________
reply
share
Pharaoh-in-de-Nile
11 years ago
Maybe Maria Schneider should have talked with a woman who has actually been raped and violated in the real world before making her outlandish statements comparing a ridiculously overplayed and not particularly shocking scene in a film she took part in with something as life shattering as actual forced penetration by the sexual organs of a uninvited sexual partner. She may be hurt about a scene but in the end that was what it was, play acting no matter how embarrassing and it is a massive insult to compare it to actual rape.
Just saying.
"The game's afoot!"
reply
share
ContinentalOp
11 years ago
Well, said, Pharaoh. Because you have expressed my thoughts on the question posed, I need not answer. The fact is that LTIP was a film. Schneider agreed to film that scene, which was make believe, she was not a victim of rape nor should just things be compared to rape. She overreacts in doing so.
Formerly KingAngantyr
reply
share
ttetpos
11 years ago
And who are we to judge the degree to which a person feels violated? If our starting point is not respect for a woman who explains that she feels violated by two powerful men, then all the rest about "degrees of penetration" are just stuff ranging from sophistry to callous male chauvinism.
The degree of genital penetration is NEVER the criterion by which one's sense of violation or humiliation is measured.
There seems to be a pattern emerging in this dialogue, and the objections raised here and the ridicule aimed at Maria Scheider's published feelings of abuse seem to confirm what I wrote about Marlon Brando and his fans.
Petros
____________
reply
share
ttetpos
11 years ago
"Director regrets shocking actress in 'Last Tango' butter scene
May 18, 2013,
Moviemaker Bernardo Bertolucci will forever regret not making peace with his "Last Tango In Paris" leading lady Maria Schneider over the film's infamous butter scene before she died two years ago.
The director and the movie's star Marlon Brando came up with the idea to use butter during a graphic sex scene over breakfast and Bertolucci chose not to tell a shocked Schneider about their plans.
In a new Playboy magazine interview with contributor James Franco, he reveals, "Marlon and I decided over breakfast one morning to use butter in their sodomy scene, which wasn't in the script. I decided not to tell her - it was asking for too much discussion.
"You can see how humiliated she is in that scene. It was somewhat... strong. She was very upset with both of us afterward.
More: Say what? The week in quotes
"She died two years ago and I wanted to apologize. It was a great performance, and I know you need to use any method possible to get a good shot, but maybe it was bad manners. Actors naturally feel deeply about their characters, because they're bringing life to something that's black and white, and I believe actors are writers in their films, in a way. But that film shocked Maria her entire life."
http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=808465
reply
share