The Cinémathèque Française in Paris has canceled a scheduled screening of Last Tango in Paris, following a significant outcry from women’s rights groups.
The decision comes in response to the controversial film’s infamous rape scene, which was filmed without the consent of actress Maria Schneider, sparking renewed discussion about the film’s legacy in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
The French cinema, which serves as both a film archive and a theater, announced that the Sunday screening would be called off to “calm tensions” and avoid potential security risks.
In a statement to AFP, Cinémathèque director Frédéric Bonnaud explained that “violent individuals” had made threats in relation to the event, leading to the decision to cancel the screening. He emphasized the safety of staff and audiences, saying, “We are a cinema, not a fortress. We cannot take risks.”
Last Tango in Paris, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and released in 1972, had been scheduled for a retrospective honoring American actor Marlon Brando.
The film, infamous for its graphic sexual content, portrays a relationship between an older American man and a younger woman.
The most controversial scene involves non-consensual sodomy, which, although staged, was filmed without Schneider’s prior knowledge or consent.
The actress, who was only 19 at the time, later revealed in interviews that she had been kept in the dark about the scene and was visibly distressed during its filming. She recalled crying during the take, with Brando offering no comfort afterward.
Schneider’s allegations, first made in the 1970s, were largely overlooked at the time but have resurfaced following the #MeToo movement.
In the recent documentary Maria, Schneider’s experience on the Last Tango in Paris set was explored in detail, bringing attention to her suffering.
Women’s rights activists, including actress Judith Godrèche, have sharply criticized the film’s continued screening, particularly without providing necessary context or acknowledgment of Schneider’s traumatic experience.
Godrèche, a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement in France, took to Instagram to express her displeasure with the Cinémathèque’s original plan to screen the film without addressing the context of Schneider’s abuse.
“It’s time to wake up, dear Cinémathèque, and restore humanity to 19-year-old actresses by behaving humanely,” Godrèche wrote, emphasizing the need to respect Schneider’s memory and the emotional harm the scene caused her.
The 50/50 collective, a group advocating for gender equality in cinema, had also called on the Cinémathèque to create a “thoughtful and respectful” space to address Schneider’s testimony alongside the screening.
Initially, the Cinémathèque had planned to hold a “discussion with the audience” to engage with these critical issues. However, the growing backlash and the security concerns led to the cancellation of the event.
The film had been screened at the Cinémathèque in 2017 without incident, prior to the rise of the #MeToo movement, which has since shifted public discourse on issues of sexual violence and consent in the film industry.
This cancellation signals an ongoing reckoning in French cinema, with more voices now calling for accountability and acknowledgment of past wrongs.
Leave a Comment