09.04.04

I finally saw Last Tango in Paris. Marlon Brando resembles are large-mouth bass, particularly in the ending shot. It's uncanny. I wanted the entire film to be in French, because subtitles were the only way Brando was understandable. Hell, even in French he spoke more coherently. Did he leave his dentures in the glass on the nightstand during the entire shoot? And Bertolucci...*sigh*...It's an old dude fantasy. Yes, older men, younger women; it happens all the time. Blar blar blar.

I realize that it was groundbreaking at the time, but it hasn't aged well. I wanted the actors (Brando in particular) to stop chomping on the scenery. I was reminded of a line from an Australian movie from the 1980s, Starstruck--"So, guitarists masturbate for a living." His histrionics distracted from the story the way getting whomped upside the head with a roast distracts from a lovely dinner.

How eagerly I've swallowed the "Brando is the greatest actor" line without taking the time to form my own opinion. I don't tend to do that, but it's interesting to see how insidious these opinions are. It's certainly easier than thinking. Any we all know that a thinking US citizen is an oxymoron, and probably a threat to security.

*grin*

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