LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972) Movie Poster, Original Vintage Daybill
Condition Very Fine / Near Mint (9.0)
Size AU Daybill Post-War (13" x 30")
Last Tango in Paris (1972) Original Vintage Australian Daybill Movie Poster, Starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci is in Very Fine/Near Mint condition. Movie Poster and...
Last Tango in Paris (1972) Original Vintage Australian Daybill Movie Poster, Starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci is in Very Fine/Near Mint condition.
Movie Poster and Condition
Condition: This Original Vintage unrestored Movie Poster is presented in Very Fine/Near Mint Condition with Small bumping edgwear on left and right top sides, some signs of age-related yellowing may be present but otherwise in excellent condition. This poster is currently stored flat and will be rolled and carefully packed and shipped in a cylinder. This is an authentic Australian daybill poster from the original 1972 release, highly regarded by collectors for its scarcity and striking, minimalist design. Australian daybills were produced in limited quantities and are especially sought after for controversial and culturally significant films such as this.
Movie Synopsis
Last Tango in Paris (1972) is one of the most provocative and influential films in the history of modern cinema. Directed by acclaimed Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, the film explores themes of grief, sexuality, power, and emotional alienation with an intensity that was groundbreaking at the time of its release. Written by Bertolucci in collaboration with Franco Arcalli and Agnès Varda, the film pushed artistic and social boundaries, cementing its reputation as a landmark of 1970s European cinema.
The story centres on Paul, a deeply troubled American expatriate living in Paris, portrayed with raw emotional force by Marlon Brando in one of the most daring performances of his career. Paul is consumed by despair following the suicide of his wife and seeks anonymity and escape through a purely physical relationship. He enters into a clandestine sexual arrangement with Jeanne, a young Parisian woman played by Maria Schneider, who is herself struggling with identity, independence, and an impending conventional marriage.
Their relationship unfolds almost entirely within the confines of an empty Paris apartment, where they agree to meet without sharing names or personal histories. This deliberate detachment becomes the film’s emotional core, allowing Bertolucci to examine intimacy stripped of romance and societal expectation. As the encounters continue, the fragile balance between control and vulnerability begins to fracture, revealing the psychological cost of repression and emotional isolation.
Last Tango in Paris is visually striking, with cinematography by Vittorio Storaro, whose use of warm, muted tones gives the film an intimate, almost suffocating atmosphere. Paris itself becomes a character, depicted not as a romantic city but as a cold, indifferent backdrop to human pain. The haunting jazz-inflected score by Gato Barbieri further enhances the film’s mood, underscoring moments of longing and despair.
Upon release, the film caused international controversy due to its explicit sexual content and unflinching emotional honesty. It was banned or heavily censored in several countries and sparked fierce debates about censorship, artistic freedom, and exploitation. Despite – or because of – the controversy, the film was a major commercial success and received critical acclaim, with Marlon Brando earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Today, Last Tango in Paris (1972) is regarded as a bold and challenging work that helped redefine the possibilities of adult storytelling in cinema. Original vintage posters from its initial release, particularly Australian daybills, are highly collectible, valued for their historical significance, rarity, and association with one of the most talked-about films of the twentieth century.
To find out more about Last Tango in Paris (1972) click here to go to IMDB.com.
Special Notes
Images may have a small 'MPA' digital watermark and this does not appear on the poster. Posters are being held by magnets in the corners to take photographs, so you may see some magnet and shadows from the magnets in these areas. The magnets are not included in the sale of the item.
Postage, Insurance & Your Country Taxes
Postage costs are quoted for this item, include insurance up to AUD$100, but if you reside outside of Australia, the price does not include any import taxes/fees that you may be required to pay when the item reaches your borders. Please check with your local authorities for any additional taxes or fees. If you would like full insurance coverage for your purchase, please message me and I would be happy to quote the additional cost (estimate is AUD$2.50 p/AUD$100 or 2.5% of the item value, up to a maximum item value of AUD$5,000).
FAQ
At Movie Posters Australia, the love and conservation of movie posters comes first, and we like to share this passion. Our commitment to quality means we will provide high quality memorabilia to our customers. Posters are carefully chosen and authenticated to ensure originality and value. We want our customers to trust MPA, so we always try to be as open and transparent as we can, provide detailed condition information and images, to ensure customers are comfortable and confident in their purchase.
While the industry does have a few condition rating standards, there is no movie poster condition rating system that has become the accepted standard world wide. This unfortunately makes condition terms vary from movie poster dealer to movie poster dealer. Terms like Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, seem to be universal to most condition rating standards, but most standards still lack definition about what and how many flaws/defects/damage defines a specific condition level. For more information on how Movie Posters Australia grades the condition of its movie posters, daybills, lobby cards and other ephemera please see out Movie Poster Condition and Grading page.
In the early days of cinema, posters were primarily hand-drawn and printed in various sizes, often tailored to fit the available space in theaters or promotional areas. In the United States, the "One Sheet" size (some times called '1 Sheet' or '1SH' approximately 27" x 41", became the standard during the 1930s. This size was manageable for theater display and suited the needs of a growing film industry.
Different countries developed their own poster sizes and styles, which also changed sometimes over the decades, and were influenced by local preferences and practical considerations, like available paper sheet sizes and how many posters could be printed on one sheet.
In Australia, the most popular size, the Daybill, has evolved over the decades. Australian Daybills sizes in chronological order are:
- Long Daybills (15" x 40"), from 1920's to pre-WW2 or pre-1941, were printed two to a sheet, longer than current Daybill versions. There were size variances in width from 14.5" to 15" and in height from 39.5" to 40".
- War Time Daybill (10" x 30"), during WW2, for a short time to conserve paper during a war time shortage, four Daybills were printed on one sheet. Information from Press Sheets also referred to these War-Time sizes as "New Size Daybills".
- Post-War Daybill (13" x 30"), this 13" x 30" Post-War size carried through until the 1980's, but also varied in size from 13"-14" x 29.75"-30.25".
- Post-80's Daybill (33cm x 66cm, or 13" x 26"), over a few years in the late 80's, the size changed again to a metric 33cm x 66cm, although these have also varied from 32-33cm x 64.5-66cm. New sizes from the late 80's were created, sometimes called a Mini Daybill or Mini Poster, in 9" x 12", 11" x 17" and 13" x 20".
In the UK, the somewhat unique 'Quad' poster, measuring 30" x 40", became popular, offering a larger landscape format that allowed for more elaborate designs.
In Japan, movie poster sizes were smaller, such as the "B2" (20" x 28"), which suited the more compact living environment of larger cities, smaller advertising spaces, and unique aesthetic sensibilities.
The 1970s and 1980s, witnessed the rise of the "six-sheet" (81" x 81") format, reflecting a trend towards larger and more visually impactful advertising.
Overall, the variation in movie poster sizes across different countries and decades highlights the interplay between technological printing advancements, paper resource availability, paper sheet size changes, cultural preferences, and the evolving nature of movie marketing.
At Movie Posters Australia we tag each poster we sell with a 'size' and 'condition' description at the very top of the page for our customers to easily see. There may however be some slight variations to sizes by up one inch due to variations in production and guillotine methods by printers over the decades.