Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository
Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository
film's earlier discourses regarding the role of the individual within society, and it ultimately distances viewers emotionally and intellectually from the protagonists' destiny. The construction of a mood of anxious tension To portray Paul's powerful ego, Bertolucci cast Marion Brando, who was an icon of subversive behaviour on and off screen, and whose persona would therefore lend a degree of authenticity to Paul's criticisms of society. Furthermore, Brando's presence would maximize the impact on viewers, as their fascination for him as a film legend would guarantee an interest in his character almost by default. In this respect, some critics have recognized that Bertolucci used details of Brando's real life and cinematic biography, "a boxer, an actor, a revolutionary in South America, a reporter in Japan, he hangs about in Tahiti, learns French then comes to Paris...', as a basis for Paul's troubled past (Socci, 1995: 50-51). To convey the character's aggression, Brando alternates silences with outbursts of rage; he is repeatedly filmed in the dark, leaning against a wall while either sitting on the floor or standing in the corner of a room (a composition reminiscent of those of Giacobbe in Partner), suddenly emerging from these positions for confrontations with his interlocutor who has to retreat or succumb. Paul's intolerance of social hypocrisy makes him aggressive towards all the characters with whom he interacts; at the hotel, after turning off the power, Paul drags his mother-in-law into the semi-darkness of the hallway, menacingly whispering that he knows she is afraid of dying. The anxiety generated by this sequence, heightened by the shouting of the hotel guests, is dissipated as Paul denounces the woman as an 'old whore' who still enjoys 'the job' now and then. In this regard, certain elements of the scene, such as the darkness, the protagonist's haranguing of a semi-imaginary diegetic audience, and the manhandling of a victim, recall the sequence in The Conformist in which Marcello Clerici denounces his Fascist friend Italo to the people celebrating the end of Fascism. 152
Another scene that creates a tense viewing experience occurs in the apartment, when Jeanne furtively goes through Paul's jacket pockets and finds a razor. In the next shot she is replaced in the frame by Paul, who takes the razor and a barber's leather strap, before joining Jeanne in the bathroom. Cognitively, the discovery of a concealed, dangerous artefact is imbued with sinister narrative potential and emotionally the apprehension cued by the silent and furtive acting is enhanced by close-ups of the pocket and the protagonists' hands, and by a high-pitched violin soundtrack. The tension is only eventually released by the argument that develops between the characters. Consequently, the narrative and aesthetic mechanisms outlined above militate against any viewer alignment with either the paradigm of male menace or that of female vulnerability. To perpetuate the emotions of anxiety and isolation that permeate Tango, occasionally supplementing them with a sensuality that does not substantially alter the film's mood, Bertolucci assigns a key role to the film's colours and tones. The hotel's colour scheme is designed to accentuate Paul's anguish, and evokes the seedy ambience in several hotel sequences in The Conformist: there is constant darkness around the characters, enhanced by low key lighting. Many shots present the characters emerging from a totally black backdrop, or surrounded by nocturnal hues obtained by using blue filters. The general monochrome of certain scenes is only broken by a splash of colour on some details of the decor. Furthermore, the montage is based on fade-outs and fade-ins, and this is so recurrent that black may be considered a colour motif. Yet the film's fascination relies greatly on the strange, secluded apartment set, as well as on the sophisticated, artificial light sources and filters used for its mise-en-scene. The apartment's colour scheme is constituted by a limited palette of luminous orange hues breaking through the darkness of the pervading reddish-brown tonality. This enhances the characters" naked bodies and underlines the couple's separation from reality. The orange hues, obtained through a sapient use of filters, allow details such as Paul's facial 153
- Page 105 and 106: The emotional quality of the musica
- Page 107 and 108: Notes References Regarding the fail
- Page 109 and 110: La trasedia di un uomo ridicolo / T
- Page 111 and 112: the socio-political composition of
- Page 113 and 114: emerge in Bocca's reconstruction of
- Page 115 and 116: Elitism, ascetism and emotional rep
- Page 117 and 118: dangerous estrangement from the rea
- Page 119 and 120: abandons any attempt to understand
- Page 121 and 122: with Adelfo and Laura, Primo is sur
- Page 123 and 124: spatio-temporal attachment to Primo
- Page 125 and 126: manages to expand the flimsy substa
- Page 127 and 128: Moravia, A. (1971) lo e lui, (1990)
- Page 129 and 130: established in Tango. Yet the analy
- Page 131 and 132: evidently designed to push the boun
- Page 133 and 134: inging to contemporary Italian soci
- Page 135 and 136: said he was inspired by the Third C
- Page 137 and 138: creation of Expressionist theatre w
- Page 139 and 140: The Godardian scheme Partner's debt
- Page 141 and 142: scene of Clara's murder by the doub
- Page 143 and 144: scene, since objects indexed by the
- Page 145 and 146: conventional art, the injustices of
- Page 147 and 148: Bertolucci, B. (1967) 'Versus Godar
- Page 149 and 150: compositions; the outcome is a dens
- Page 151 and 152: Like Pirandello's protagonists, Pau
- Page 153 and 154: Winston and Julia establish a lovin
- Page 155: the character might be perceived po
- Page 159 and 160: that the quotient of sexuality will
- Page 161 and 162: from peculiar angles, sometimes thr
- Page 163 and 164: also cue a sense of cold unresponsi
- Page 165 and 166: 2. 'Holy family, church of good cit
- Page 167 and 168: easoned, 'great movies of the past,
- Page 169 and 170: it towards the images being splashe
- Page 171 and 172: when, in voiceover, he recollects:
- Page 173 and 174: to one of the character's parents a
- Page 175 and 176: Sexuality and shifts of subjectivit
- Page 177 and 178: nudity, commodified on to celluloid
- Page 179 and 180: notion that 'Decadence cultivates a
- Page 181 and 182: engaging. Unfortunately the core of
- Page 183 and 184: Section Three: Between History and
- Page 185 and 186: II conformista/The Conformist: The
- Page 187 and 188: to the female protagonists Severine
- Page 189 and 190: constitute an example of the femme
- Page 191 and 192: despises, ranging from Fascist offi
- Page 193 and 194: the closed doors, his sense of soli
- Page 195 and 196: lying on. Bearing in mind the manne
- Page 197 and 198: Bertolucci seemed aware of the film
- Page 199 and 200: illuminated as if to imply the brig
- Page 201 and 202: hues of bluish-grey colouring are d
- Page 203 and 204: a narrative focus means that the de
- Page 205 and 206: Notes 1. They Live by Night (1948)
Another scene that creates a tense viewing experience occurs in the apartment, when<br />
Jeanne furtively goes through Paul's jacket pockets and finds a razor. In the next shot she is<br />
replaced in the frame by Paul, who takes the razor and a barber's leather strap, before joining<br />
Jeanne in the bathroom. Cognitively, the discovery <strong>of</strong> a concealed, dangerous artefact is<br />
imbued with sinister narrative potential and emotionally the apprehension cued by the silent<br />
and furtive acting is enhanced by close-ups <strong>of</strong> the pocket and the protagonists' hands, and by<br />
a high-pitched violin soundtrack. The tension is only eventually released by the argument that<br />
develops between the characters. Consequently, the narrative and aesthetic mechanisms<br />
outlined above militate against any viewer alignment with either the paradigm <strong>of</strong> male<br />
menace or that <strong>of</strong> female vulnerability.<br />
To perpetuate the emotions <strong>of</strong> anxiety and isolation that permeate Tango, occasionally<br />
supplementing them with a sensuality that does not substantially alter the film's mood,<br />
Bertolucci assigns a key role to the film's colours and tones. The hotel's colour scheme is<br />
designed to accentuate Paul's anguish, and evokes the seedy ambience in several hotel<br />
sequences in The Conformist: there is constant darkness around the characters, enhanced by<br />
low key lighting. Many shots present the characters emerging from a totally black backdrop,<br />
or surrounded by nocturnal hues obtained by using blue filters. The general monochrome <strong>of</strong><br />
certain scenes is only broken by a splash <strong>of</strong> colour on some details <strong>of</strong> the decor. Furthermore,<br />
the montage is based on fade-outs and fade-ins, and this is so recurrent that black may be<br />
considered a colour motif. Yet the film's fascination relies greatly on the strange, secluded<br />
apartment set, as well as on the sophisticated, artificial light sources and filters used for its<br />
mise-en-scene. The apartment's colour scheme is constituted by a limited palette <strong>of</strong> luminous<br />
orange hues breaking through the darkness <strong>of</strong> the pervading reddish-brown tonality. This<br />
enhances the characters" naked bodies and underlines the couple's separation from reality.<br />
The orange hues, obtained through a sapient use <strong>of</strong> filters, allow details such as Paul's facial<br />
153
Change language