Top 5 Argentine Tango Scenes in Cinema

If you're an aficionado of tango, you won't be disappointed at the movies. There are a lot of films out there that feature tango scenes, and a few even make tango the theme of the movie. Here are five top tango scenes that emphasize everything tango stands for, from partnership to passion.

Scent of a Woman

The tango scene in Scent of a Woman tops many people's lists for their favorite cinematic dance scene. Oscar winner Al Pacino plays a blind Marine who gives a tango lesson to a very young Gabrielle Anwar, who doesn't fare too badly for someone who's never tangoed before. This scene shows that dancing is as much about sensation and proprioception as it is about sight.

Frida

The tango is also all about seduction, and in this sensual clip from "Frida," Salma Hayek, playing the famed artist Frida Kahlo, and her dance partner Ashley Judd make that very apparent.

Tango Libre

"Tango Libre" was a film festival favorite, and it's easy to see why. This Belgian film about Argentinian prisoners features love triangles and men dancing with men, as the tango represents frustration, pain and freedom. If one of the dancers looks familiar, that's because he's Mariano "Chicho" Frumboli, a world renowned tango dancer credited with breathing new life into this longstanding dance form.

Take the Lead

Antonio Banderas seems like he was just made to tango, and here he is in the real story of a teacher who uses ballroom dance to get students to believe in themselves. Trying to hook his pupils on tango in this scene with Katya Virshilas, Banderas and his partner are nothing short of smokin' hot!

True Lies

While maybe not the most technically proficient tango scene on film, this clip with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tia Carrere shows what a strong partner (Carrere) can do to distract from a weak one (Schwarzenegger). We'll give Arnold the benefit of the doubt here, as it must be tough to tango and spy at the same time.

Just for fun, here's Carerre years later on "Dancing with the Stars," partnered by Maxim Chmerkovskiy, where this time she's the less knowledgeable of the two, but manages to hold her own quite nicely.