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Released by: Cult Epics
Released on: May 21, 2013.
Director: Tinto Brass
Cast: Sara Cosmi, Massimiliano Caroletti, Federica Tommasi
Year: 2003
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The Movie:
Possibly the most explicit film that Brass has or will make in his long and storied career, Private (known in Italy as Fallo), is an anthology of sorts that features six stories that don't relate to one another save for the fact that they deal with a specific couple who decide to, shall we say, experiment a little bit.
Alibi, the first story, follows a married couple who vacation in Morocco to celebrate their anniversary. While they're there, the wife tells her husband about the encounters she had the last time she was in the city, which inspires him to invite the bellboy, who has been watching her, to have a go at her while he watches. Double Trouble, if the title didn't give it away, is about two couples who start toying around with the idea of swinging and in turn begin a little game of wife swapping. Two Hearts And A Hut is the tale of a German man and his foxy wife who are into having a third partner around and so when they stay at a hotel for their vacation end up hiring the maid to join them. The maid's boyfriend finds out what she's been up to but once he finds out how much she's been paid, he isn't quite as irate with her as he would be otherwise. Jolly Bangs finds a man relaxing on a beach with his lovely wife who begins to tell him of her past exploits with other men. He finds that he starts to like hearing about her randy past, and one thing leads to another. In Evil To He Who Thinks Evil we learn about a couple who are soon to be wed. The groom pressures his bride to be to 'give up the back door' for him but she's hesitant as she's afraid that his large member might hurt her if she lets him and besides, she'd rather wait until after the wedding. The final story, Call Me A Pig, I Like It, tells the tale of a rather adventurous couple who find out that they're being watched by the man who lives next door to them - when they do, this changes things, but not necessarily how you would expect.
The unrated director's cut as presented on this Blu-ray is quite explicit in that it gives us not only the copious amount of nudity that we expect from Brass' films. It should be noted, however, that the explicit fellatio that occurs in the uncut Italian version of the movie in the second storyline has been axed - so if you're a completists you might want to hold onto that older DVD (basically in this version she strokes him but doesn't put it in). Additionally, while the movie stops short of full on penetration it does come damn close leaving little to the imagination and at times this can be a little jarring even if each and every one of the ladies involved are plenty easy on the eyes (Brass has a knack for picking talent!). That being said, under Brass' skillful direction and watchful eye the voyeuristic qualities of the film do work well. It's almost as if we're peering in on these couples through a peephole with him, and his obvious fixations on the female backside is once again in full swing. The direction and cinematography in the film is as strong as any of his other films and the movie and its cast look great from start to finish.
That being said, Private isn't as strong in the story department as some of his other pictures mainly due in part to the fact that the anthology format it subscribes to doesn't allow for much in the way of character development. While it's true that in each story there is a 'change' or an event that alters the lives of the participants we don't know them well enough to care for them the way that we do in his more linear, single story films such as the superior and extremely erotic Frivolous Lola or the more free spirited and light hearted Cheeky.
In the end, Private, despite pushing the boundaries of what Brass is willing to show on camera, is almost a step back for him. It's not that the movie is bad, it's actually pretty good and plenty sexy, it's just that it feels like a few ideas for feature length films that weren't fully fleshed out that were thrown into an anthology so that they wouldn't go to waste. Watch this one for the visuals and the kinky set pieces alone and you'll come out with a smile on your face as it's loaded with great looking sets, actors and locations - it's just that it isn't quite as compelling narratively speaking as some of his other films.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Private arrives on Blu-ray in a very nice AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 1.78.1 widescreen and looking vastly improved over the previous DVD release. Detail is considerably better here, you'll notice a lot more in the close ups and in the medium and long distance shots and flesh tones look much more natural and lifelike than ever before. Texture is more readily apparent in the clothing and in the sets used throughout the film while color reproduction is more natural and well defined than it ever was on DVD. There's the expected amount of fine grain as you'd hope there would be, but very little in the way of actual print damage, dirt or debris to note. Keep in mind, if you're unfamiliar with Brass' output, that he tends to use a lot of filters and likes to shoot things with a soft look in mind, so expectations should be set accordingly. Overall, however, this is a very, very nice improvement over previous versions made available.
The Italian language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is well balanced, clean and clear. An alternate English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is also included, but the film plays out better in Italian (English subtitles are included). There's little to complain about here as for the most part everything sounds quite good. A bit more channel separation in a few scenes might have opened things up a little more but as it stands this stereo track is a pretty active one and the score in particular sounds quite nice.
The main supplement on this disc is a making of featurette that clocks in at roughly eighteen minutes in length. As this plays out we're treated to some behind the scenes footage of Brass directing his cast on set in addition to some interviews with the cast members and with Tinto himself. This is all presented in Italian with English subtitles and it's an interesting and candid look at how the movie was made. Rounding out the extra features are a trailer for Private and a still gallery. Menus and chapter stops are also included.
The Final Word:
Private debuts on Blu-ray from Cult Epics who, despite the quick trims to the most graphic scene, offer up the movie in great shape and carry over the main extras from the DVD. The movie itself is solid, not Brass' best but a worthy entry in his filmography - definitely recommended for fans of his work.
Click on the images below for full sized (and NSFW) Blu-ray screen caps!
