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Those of you who saw Bertolucci's 1970's classic
LAST TANGO IN PARIS with Marlon Brando will see
a few similarities in this excellent film. Set
in Paris in the late sixties, it revolves around
three film students, a young innocent American – Matthew
(Michael Pitt) and fraternal almost incestuous
twins, Isabelle played by the gorgeous Eva Green – whose
mother is a well known French actress in her
own right – and her brother Theo (Louis Garret).
My beautiful English date at the screening did
not distinguish herself by asking why anyone
would call themselves “evergreen!”

This was the start of the “Nouvelle Vague” period
in French cinema. Jean-Luc Godard's BREATHLESS
with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg was all
the rage (He incidentally invented the “jump-cut” by
accident. Wanting to trim his film but not leave
anything out, he merely shortened every scene
with brutal editing and everyone thought it was
the most creative thing they had ever seen. Go
figure.).
Matthew is picked up by Isabelle and Theo and
taken to their luxurious apartment to meet their
parents (Anna Chancellor and Florian Cadiou).
The father is a famous, wealthy, somewhat reclusive
poet, who takes off for long periods with his
wife to their country house, leaving the twins
large checks which they cash and live on during
their parents absence.

I mentioned almost incestuous earlier, as they
sleep and cuddle in the same bed together, are
almost telepathic, and do everything except have
actual sex. Matthew, the innocent with an angel
face, is swept gradually into their life-style,
until they ask him to move in with them. He is
then pushed by the brother into having clumsy
sex with his sister who it transpires – surprise,
surprise – is a virgin!
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