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Bertolucci's affirmation that the encounter between Paul and Jeanne ultimately
embodies 'forces pulling in different directions' like the 'encounter offerees which exists at
the base of all political clashes', the director noting how Jeanne's bourgeois lifestyle is
'upset' (Bachmann, 1973: 93), is not entirely validated by the intellectual implications of
what appears on screen. The narration depicts the bourgeois Jeanne as the one who wants to
believe in Paul's vision of a new, unconventional relationship; it is she who highlights the
hypocrisy of her parents' relationship by questioning her mother about the photo of the
Algerian lover that her father kept in his wallet; it is Jeanne who likens love to 'two workers
who go to a secret apartment, take off their overalls, become man and woman again and make
love', and who seeks a more authentic existence through Tom. By contrast, the decision of
the proletarian Paul 'to re-enter the world' (Kolker, 1985: 138) is depicted as if his retreat
from the world, and the ideological implications of this, had not happened.
Arguably, opinions on the film's ending may differ depending on the gender of the
viewer or critic, since Kolker's affirmation that Jeanne's decision to choose Tom 'signifies
her ultimate betrayal of the passion Paul attempts finally, and too late, to offer to her'
(Kolker, 1985: 135) can be reversed by a female perspective that might view Paul's egoism in
inviting Jeanne to live at the hotel once owned by his wife and where she committed suicide
as a betrayal of Jeanne after she had embraced his idea of a more idealist, non-conformist
lifestyle. This reading of Jeanne's character implies a degree of coherence that is superior to
that of Paul and therefore her character cannot be considered as a representation of the 'hated
bourgeoisie', nor is she a 'mediocre heroine' (Loshitzky, 1995: 22). This is because Jeanne
does not exist in a socio-political context of young politicized, leftist intellectuals, but in a
context of bourgeois youngsters becoming aware of, and reacting against, social constraints.
Therefore, there are many elements in Jeanne's characterization that are intellectually
coherent, and for viewers and critics who are able to look beyond her particular social class,
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