Why we should no longer consider Last Tango in Paris 'a classic'

Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris has long been considered a classic film, a boundary-breaking meditation on 20th-century loneliness and sexual politics. Released in 1972, it stars Maria Schneider (1952-2011) and Marlon Brando (1924-2004) as Jeanne and Paul, two strangers who begin a torrid sexual relationship. Bertolucci shot the erotic scenes in vivid detail, a directorial choice that was equally lauded and vilified at the time. However, a recently resurfaced 2013 interview with him revealing an instance of sexual abuse in the making of the film invites us to reassess its value and consider how abusive masculinity permeates the movie industry.