Roger Ebert on 'The butter scene'

Ebert's broader reference is that we don't know what Jeanne thinks about her sex with Paul. Whatever she is thinking about in the butter scene, she is not thinking about whether she generally likes having sex with Paul. I doubt she is attracted to Paul because of the sex. To that extent I agree with Ebert.

So what was the question again? Oh yes, why was she crying in that scene? She was miffed that he didn't answer when she called on entering. She was miffed because he put his wanting butter for his bread ahead of her needing to get back to the cab. She would forget about all that, but all he does is flip her over and force her into anal sex. She is crying because of his thoughtlessness and perhaps because it hurts. The point is that she's not really thinking about the sex apart from the pain. She's more disappointed and angry about Paul's selfishness.

I think part of it is also what he's saying and telling her to repeat. The only times she says "No" during the scene is not wanting to repeat what he's telling her. Things like "I'm gonna tell you about the family. That holy institution meant to breed virtue in savages. The children are tortured until they tell their first lie. Where the will is broken by repression. Where Freedom is assassinated by egotism."

The invasion of her body is secondary I think to the invasion of her mind that he's been doing since they met and does very harshly here, trying to force these ideas into her head and making her repeat them. In general I think it's just the brutish force, him taking and using her, abusing her physically and mentally with no thought to her whatsoever, which has been his entire design the whole time.

His whole desire in the movie is to use and abuse her and it wouldn't fulfill his need entirely if she always enjoyed it, he's taking out his anger on her and she's understandably frightened and shocked.

Paul is raping her intently.It is a rape,a punishment.She is not enjoying sex or Paul is pleasing her.The point at that scene is why Paul decides to do such a thing before that scene,what Paul says,why Paul makes her repeat.



If you imagine that scene in a way that Paul says nothing,Paul does not make her repeat what he says how would that scene be? Would that be spoken this much? Would that create the same effect as it makes now?

Paul and Jeanne play childish game and their toy is pure sex.Bertolucci uses the same method when Paul wants Jeanne to cut her right hand's nail and to take revenge of what he did to Jane that is anal sex and butter scene.Before this there is again a reason because Jeanne tells him she loves him.