Although some of the smoky sax solos get a little uncomfortably close to 1970s
fusion
cliche,
Gato Barbieri
's score to
Bertolucci
's 1972 classic is an overall triumph. Suspenseful
jazz
, melancholy orchestration, and actual
tangos
fit the film's air of erotic longing, melancholy despair, and doomed fate.
"Last Tango in Paris"
is a particular standout, its orgiastic, wordless vocal yelps reflecting, whether by design or not, the actual content of the movie. The 1998 CD reissue is by no means just a substitute for the old vinyl; it more than doubles the length of the original release with a
"Last Tango in Paris Suite,"
put together by
Barbieri
himself from 29 cues from the original score as used in the film. ~ Richie Unterberger