The Cinémathèque française cancels the screening of Last Tango in Paris in the face of criticism from feminist associations

A projection of Last tango in Paris (1972) was canceled this weekend by the Cinémathèque française in the face of outcry from feminist associations, due to a rape scene filmed without the consent of its actress Maria Schneider.

The institution made this decision on Saturday, twenty-four hours before the session, « in the interest of calming minds and in the face of the security risks involved ». « We are a film library, not an entrenched camp. And we cannot take risks with the safety of staff and the public »reacts Frédéric Bonnaud, the director of the Cinémathèque. « Violent people were beginning to announce themselves and maintaining this projection preceded by a debate became a completely disproportionate risk. Too bad »he specifies.

The Cinémathèque had already canceled a retrospective dedicated to filmmaker Jean-Claude Brisseau at the end of 2017, convicted in 2005 for sexual harassment. The Last Tango in Paris was to be screened on Sunday at 8 p.m. as part of a retrospective devoted to the American actor Marlon Brando. A choice strongly denounced by actress Judith Godrèche, figure of the #MeToo movement in France, who deplored the lack of contextualization of the film and the lack of respect towards actress Maria Schneider who died in 2011, after a damaged life.

« It’s time to wake up dear Cinematheque and give back to the 19 year old actresses (Maria Schneider’s age at the time of filming, editor’s note) their humanity by behaving humanly »she wrote on Instagram. This controversy comes a few days after the trial of director Christophe Ruggia, tried for sexual assault on actress Adèle Haenel when she was between 12 and 14 years old.

The film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci evokes the relationship between an American widower passing through Paris and a very young woman. This closed session, both sexual and morbid, reaches its climax in a scene of non-consensual sodomy.

A scene imposed on the actress

This scene, which earned the X-rated film the wrath of the Vatican, entered the history of cinema before symbolizing sexual violence in the 7th art years later. Because, although simulated, the scene was imposed on the actress, without her knowing anything about it. What Hollywood actresses like Jessica Chastain denounced during the emergence of the #MeToo movement in 2017. « To everyone who liked the movie, you are watching a 19 year old girl being raped by a 48 year old man. The director planned the attack. It makes me sick ».

From the 1970s, Maria Schneider kept silent about this traumatic filming, evoking a double rape on the part of the actor and the director who had decided on the scene without talking to her about it. She will barely be heard, as shown in the film Mariareleased in June. The 50/50 collective, which fights for parity in cinema, also called on « thoughtful mediation respectful of the words of the victim, the actress Maria Schneider » to accompany this screening.

“Filming and broadcasting rape remains reprehensible. »

The SFA-CGT union

For its part, the SFA-CGT union recalls that « filming and broadcasting rape remains reprehensible ». « Today we know. We cannot pretend not to understand and see the significance of this rape scene »wrote the union, while ensuring compliance with the « freedom of speech ».

The Cinémathèque had promised on Friday « a time for discussion with the public » upstream of the projection, at « about the questions » which he lifted. « This film will have succeeded in causing scandal twice more than 50 years later »estimates Frédéric Bonnaud, recalling that it had been broadcast « without problem » at the Cinémathèque in 2017 « in tribute to its cinematographer ».