David Thompson: "Last Tango in Paris" [1998] paperback

Although censorship and controversy dogged "Last Tango in Paris", Bertolluci's graphic and harrowing account of sexual obsession, grief, physical breakdown and murder was a great commercial and critical success. This account details the conception, production and fortunes of the film. Drawing on an extensive interview with Bernardo Bertolucci, David Thompson shows how the film crystallized Bertolucci's interest in art, literature and psychoanalysis, and how it was realized through the consummate skills of cast and crew. Ending with a discussion of the film's importance for an understanding of Brando, Schneider and Jean-Pierre Leaund, Thompson unpicks its depiction of human emotion and behaviour.