Last Tango in Paris is one of the great explorations of cinema's visual possibilities. Director Bernardo Bertolucci, like his Italian compatriot Antonioni, a relationship between his role and that of a painter. In fact, Bertolucci went so far as to base Last Tango on the work of Francis Bacon, widely regarded as one of the greatest painters of the 20th century. While they were in Paris ready to begin shooting of the film, Bertolucci and Marlon Brando, the film's star, saw a show of Bacon's images. It made such an impression on them that it changed their entire conception of how the film would work.