The Schneider case is one of the most notorious among actresses who have denounced sexual abuse. “Last Tango in Paris” generated great rejection in Hollywood.
Maria Schneiderat 19 years old, was cast as the co-star of Marlon Brando (about 48 years old at the time) in “The last Tango in Paris”. Bernardo Bertolucci’s film, beyond being a box office success and her Oscar nominations, became a violent and traumatic experience for the aforementioned actress. Censorship, nudity and more ignited the questions, but a subsequent complaint ended up turning the tape into one of the most notorious cases of sexual assault in the film industry).
The questioned scene of “Last Tango in Paris”
With aspirations to become a renowned actress, Schneider was cast in the role of Jeanne for “The last Tango in Paris”a feature film that narrates the relationship between a young Parisian woman and a middle-aged man.
While the plot itself could shock generations for the mere sexual advances between the main characters, nothing drew attention away from the perverse improvised butter scene, which earned it the most prohibitive rating for commercial theatrical release.
In this sequence, Paul (Brando’s character) used butter as a lubricant and sexually forced himself on Jeanne. In front of cameras, it was possible to notice a quite genuine reaction from Schneider, but what few knew at that time is that the violence was real, despite the fact that the act was simulated.
Maria Schneider in “Last Tango in Paris”. Photo: Produzioni Europee Associate
Maria Schneider’s complaint to Marlon Brandon and Bertolucci
María Schneider declared that the script did not include the scene as it was recorded, but that it was planned at the last minute by the director together with the leading actor. Later, Bertolucci accepted that he “did not want (the actress) to fake humiliation, he wanted her to feel it,” according to the magazine Fotogramas.
However, the actions of the director and Brando affected the artist in question, who insisted until shortly before her death in 2011 that she did not know what they were about to do to her in the sequence: “That scene was not in the original script. The truth is that it was Marlon who came up with it,” he told the Daily Mail in 2007.
“I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set, because you can’t force someone to do something that’s not in the script, but at the time I didn’t know that,” he added.
Hollywood’s reaction to “Last Tango in Paris”
After the impasse, and far from consoling her, Schneider commented -in an interview with the aforementioned outlet- that Brando only managed to tell her: “‘María, don’t worry, it’s just a movie’, but during the scene, although what Marlon was doing wasn’t real, I was crying real tears.”
“I felt humiliated and, to be honest, I felt a bit violated, both by Marlon and by Bertolucci. After the scene, Marlon didn’t comfort me or apologize. Luckily, there was only one take,” she added.
Although his case was never taken with the seriousness that it was supposed to be and only made its way into some media, and with somewhat tabloid headlines, some Hollywood stars spoke out on the subject.
Jessica Chastain: “To all the people who love this movie: You are watching a 48-year-old man rape a 19-year-old girl. The director planned his attack. I feel sick”.
Jessica Chastain pronounces herself on the case of María Schneider in “Last Tango in Paris”. Photo: Twitter capture
Chris Evans: Wow. I will never look at this movie, Bertolucci or Brando the same way again. This is beyond disgusting. I feel angry”.
Chris Evans speaks out about the “Last Tango in Paris” scandal. Photo: Twitter capture
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