I was opening a browser this morning at work and saw an article about how the director of Last Tango in Paris admitted that he and Marlon Brando conspired to use butter in a rape scene, and that the actress knew nothing of it (even though she had read the script). I'm not advocating rape or anything, but the article had stars tweets regarding this newfound angle, and Chris Evans said he felt "rage" over hearing this. Am I just a bad person that I don't feel rage about some obscure fake rape committed by actors 40 years ago? Help me feel this rage. Do any of you feel pissed, or that Brando and the director should be put in jail?
OhioBrian
1 hour ago
Nope; no way close to being over the line of consent. Here's why: First, Brando himself as much claimed he felt "raped, manipulated" and "violated" by the director for a lot of the humiliation and some of the nude and compromising shots done of him; he didn't speak to Bertolucci for 15 years after. Not rape. Again, here's why: whenever one agrees to make a film such as this, you're signing on to the project as well signing volumes worth of liability wavers, and you're about as much at the director's whim and command based on their artistic vision; not yours; don't like it you can quit or protest to your agent, bring up agreed terms of your contract, etc, but both these actors had signed on to perform in an extremely sexual film; the "butter" wasn't strictly part of the script and its what Schneider hated as felt it humiliated her essentially on screen...yet what was part of the script was that she was filming a rape scene with Brando; otherwise there was no penetration. Even had Brando "stuck something in," I might still argue that the line was likely still blurry if not specifically dealt with in her contract(we don't know exactly what the terms were), as again, such is the nature if you're filming an explicit movie(which Last Tango was, originally being X-rated) If actors could stop a film cause they felt humiliated though, the bulk of Hollywood's film's wouldn't get made(or released) as most want to be paid tons of money, but only appear in Oscar picks; and some will flip out over even not being shot from their "good sides."
Granted, Schneider was probably young and naive so didn't speak up, yet when you've signed a contract, and you don't, there's little recourse; your silence implies continued consent; this isn't you and some individual guy you could claim to be afraid of; its a whole studio production.
But its no secret; this is par for the course on adult film sets(and in the 70s there were a number of mainstream "crossovers" where the sex wasn't simulated) that sometimes performers try to speak out or sue after the fact claiming they were violated, but then typically find out they have no legal recourse as much cause they signed their life away AND didn't speak up. In the context of a professional transaction, that's still consent..even if later there's embarrassment or regret.
