The Last Italian Tango

The Last Italian Tango (Italian: Ultimo tango a Zagarol, lit.'Last Tango in Zagarol') is a 1973 Italiancomedy directed by Nando Cicero. A parody of Last Tango in Paris,^[1] it is set in the town of Zagarolo near Rome.

Franco is trapped in a controlling marriage: his wife dominates him and secretly carries on with a lover hidden in the attic. Frustrated, Franco begins an affair with a mysterious young woman drawn to erotic games. When his wife discovers the affair, chaos and comic turmoil ensue.

Franco is fed up with his wife Margherita, who keeps him on a strict diet, cheats on him with her lover living in the attic, and treats him like a handyman-slave in her hourly hotel. Franco hauls heavy suitcases filled with erotic equipment and even clients hidden in musical instrument cases. He's on a diet from everything—even sex—since his wife refuses herself and won't let him eat, forcing him to make himself a buttered sandwich while dreaming of erotic encounters.

Fed up, he moves into an unfurnished apartment. There he meets a young woman who draws him into unusual erotic games, and they start a relationship that ultimately fails. In his free time, he acts in a surreal documentary. Franco wanders the streets of Rome wearing a camel coat and a permanently depressed expression. When his wife fakes her death just to make him come back, Franco imagines he's finally done “tightening the belt,” but he isn't: it's not him who treats the lover as an object, but rather the lover who imposes the power of a dominant woman over him.

• Franco Franchi: Franco
• Martine Beswick: The girl
• Gina Rovere: Margherita
• Franca Valeri: Director
• Nicola Arigliano: Marcello
• Ugo Fangareggi: Operatore
• Nerina Montagnani: Addetta alla toilette

Despite its title, the film was not shot in Zagarolo but in Rome.^[2] The reference to the town appears near the end, during the extended dance competition scene titled Coppa Zagarol.

The rented apartment, described as a "rat's nest" by the doorman, is actually on the top floor of the prestigious Palazzo del Ragno in the Coppedè district.

The film was commercially successful, grossing around 950 million lire.^[1] It ranked 71st among the top 100 highest-grossing Italian films of the 1973–1974 season.^[3]

El crítico de cine Robert Firsching escribió: "El humor es principalmente del tipo barato y escatológico, ya que la sutileza nunca ha sido el punto fuerte del director Nando Cicero, pero hay algunas risas genuinas para los tolerantes". ^{[ 4 ]}

• El último tango italiano en IMDb 
• El último tango italiano en Variety Distribution