Marlon Brando, butter and ecofeminism
In the scene where Marlon Brando rapes Maria Schneider, butter produced by raping another animal was used as a facilitator.
Years later, it is understood that there was a rape scene in the 1972 film The Last Tango in Paris. The film Being Maria, which came to the Kadıköy Cinema last week, tells the story of Maria Schneider's rise to fame with this film and the impact of the film's controversial production on her life. Maria was 19 years old when she accepted the film. Although question marks came to Maira's mind during the process, these were suppressed by Bertolucci with suggestions such as 'You are acting with Marlon Brando'. Brando and Bertolucci decided to shoot this scene without Maria knowing for a scene that was not written in the script. Bertolucci's selfish comment is as follows 'If I had said the scene, Maria would have acted, I wanted it to be natural'. The scene in question is the rape scene that became famous as the 'butter scene'. Maria may not have been able to say it at first, and if she wanted to say it later, it was ignored. She says that the tears in that scene were real. As a result, this scene is a real rape recorded in front of cameras. The rapist is Marlo Brando, the director is Bertolucci. No one said stop.
There are many articles and opinions written about Maria's personality and victimization. Some of them carry feminist weight. My aim in this article is to raise awareness about the fact that butter used for rape is a foodstuff obtained by raping another animal, by looking at the subject from an ecofeminist perspective, and to make a reference to the Sexual Politics of Meat by establishing the context. I may even be aiming for a little disgust so that butter will never find a place on your table again.
Marlon Brando used butter in the scene where he raped her to make his job easier. Because this is not a sensual lovemaking scene. This is a rape scene. In fact, it is not even a scene. This is really a rape. Therefore, the rapist needs a lubricant to make his job easier: BUTTER
Who thought of this? Marlon Brando or Bertolucci? Or is it the set crew watching what is happening?
Today you have to think a little bit about the butter you spread on your bread. Butter is obtained from the body fluids of some animals, such as milk, cheese and yogurt. These animals need to be pregnant in order to produce the aforementioned body fluids. Because they give milk to feed their young. Since foods such as butter, cheese etc. have become mass-produced, the animal needs to be pregnant in a series.
With the artificial insemination method, animals are made pregnant against their will and are not allowed to stay with their young after giving birth. For example, while a cow can live for about 30 years, she lives for a maximum of 4-5 years on a dairy farm and then is sent to the meat industry. Every year, the calf and milk of a cow that is given birth through rape are stolen from it. Then, butter is made from this milk and maybe it finds a place in your refrigerator.
In conclusion, in the scene where Maria Schneider is raped in the movie Last Tango in Paris, butter produced by raping another animal was used as a facilitator.
“Justice should not be a commodity that is so fragile that it cannot exceed the limits of the homo sapiens species.” Carol J. Adams
Also, this scene reminds me of the movie Susuz Yaz, which is in the same context - The Sexual Politics of Meat. In the 1963 Metin Erksan movie, the lead actor Erol Taş becomes obsessed with a woman (Hülya Koçyiğit). In one scene of the movie, Erol Taş is milking a cow in front of Hülya Koçyiğit. In the following scenes, Erol Taş starts making sexually explicit moves such as sucking the cow's udder directly and caressing its legs. What did the director or screenwriter aim for with this scene? Did they try to seduce a woman by caressing a cow's legs? Did they expect a woman to be affected by this? What does the cow represent? Yes, once again, we are face to face with examples of The Sexual Politics of Meat.
The male-dominated system that dominates the reproductive systems of animals is the one that decides what is rape and what is not. It is the one that decides whether abortion is a right or a sin. It is a male-dominated system that uses the reproductive systems of millions of animals, reduces them to objects, turns them into production objects and causes their continuous consumption. Since they can make animals give birth as they wish, they can also decide when women will give birth and when they will not.
So are we free from the patriarchal system? Or are we supporting the system together with men? You can start questioning from your table.
“Veganism can be an inseparable part of the identity of a free woman; whether or not it has raised the flag of rebellion against the systems established by men, it is clear that it is a rebellion against the dominant culture. It is a resistance to the system of sending lost animals and women to objects.” Carol J. Adams
