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Released by: Cult Epics
Released on: August 12th, 2014.
Director: Tinto Brass
Cast: Anna Galiena, Anna Jimskaia, Yuliya Mayarchuk, Franco Branciaroli
Year: Various
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The Movies:
Cult Epics bundles three of their previous Tinto Brass Blu-ray's with the recently released Black Angel Blu-ray (available separately) and throws in an exclusive documentary and insert booklet to create the Tinto Brass: Maestro Of Erotic Cinema collection. Here's what you'll find inside…
Cheeky!:
While probably best known to most people for darker fare like Caligula and Salon Kitty, Tinto Brass has pumped out some lighter material as well, and 2000's Cheeky! is a shining example of just how well he can combine comedy with eroticism. All the heat you'd expect from some of his better films like Frivolous Lola is present, and it mixes with some clever and very humane humor to make for a thoroughly enjoyable film that doesn't in the least skimp on what Brass is known for (and that would be beautifully shot booty).
Like many of his films, this one tells the story of a woman with a taste for the carnal. This time around her name is Carla (played by the lovely and ever so curvy Yuliya Mayarchuk), a young woman who has just arrived in London where she'll be working as an intern for a month much to the dismay of her boyfriend, Matteo (Jarno Berardi). He doesn't cope well with the idea of his foxy lady spending time alone in the big city without his watchful eye around to keep her out of trouble and so he arranges to head to London himself shortly after she arrives, just to make sure she behaves.
The rest of the movie more or less follows Carla as she meets one man after the other and even a few women, during her travels around town, most of which end in the same way time after time - with Carla tempted to give in to what her mind knows she shouldn't indulge in but which her body tells her to go for! Matteo is never too far behind though, and she finds herself in a bit of a dilemma as she truly wants to stay true to him, or at least she thinks she does, but it's proving to be very difficult what with so many willing playmates throwing themselves at her feet. Matteo, on the other hand, is starting to find out for himself just how tempting love can be when offered without consequence.
Brass' strong points lay in the cinematography that is always such a staple of his films. Known for lush settings, soft lighting, and, like Russ Meyer, showing just enough to get us interested without going for full out hardcore, his movies always look classy and slick. With that in mind, there are moments in Cheeky! that rival anything he's shot in terms of composition and flat out style, and at times it almost seems like he's raised his own bar - this movie looks absolutely fantastic. Just check out the scene with the ladies in the sauna room, how the steam glistens against the tiles and the flesh and note how the camera captures all of it.
The movie also has a very playful side to it that makes it a lot of fun. Carla is a free spirited character, we learn this early on when she reacts to a flasher by responding in kind, double fold, and it's an attitude she keeps up as the story progresses. We see through her interactions with her real estate agent friend and her randy ex-husband that she's not intimidated by strangers (to put it mildly) nor is she anything even remotely resembling shy in the least. As such, she stumbles through the film with such enthusiasm that you can't help but be at least partially charmed by her, and the character is made all the more appealing by Yuliya Mayarchuk's natural good looks and physical presence (which of course, Brass accentuates through his lighting and camera work, both of which typically fetishize the ass, as is his way).
The whole sexy comedic soap opera plays out against a bouncy soundtrack courtesy of Pino Donaggio that fits the mood and the tone of the film perfectly. The film seems to be a celebration of physical love and the joys that it can bring to a man or a woman should they shed themselves of the guilt that society, particularly a Catholic society such as Brass' native Italy, can shoulder upon someone. It doesn't preach, nor does it necessarily make a case for the hippy ideal of free love, it simply follows a pretty girl as she does some experimenting of her own free will and for the benefit of herself and no one else. Look for Brass himself to show up in an amusing cameo appearance in the later part of the movie.
Click on the images throughout this review for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
Black Angel:
Directed by Brass in between two fairly lighthearted sex comedies in 2002, Black Angel (or, if you prefer, Senso 45), is a period drama based on the novel by Camillo Boito. Set during the Second World War, the plot of the film revolves around a woman named Livia Mazzoni (Anna Galiena), the beautiful wife of an important government official. We learn early in the film that she is unfaithful to her husband when we see her take a drive with a lawyer named Ugo Oggiano (Franco Branciaroli), one of her husband's confidants.
He's taking Livia to Venice where she'll meet with her lover Helmut Schultz (Gabriel Garko), a German lieutenant - the two are obviously involved in a clandestine affair. As Livia goes about her travels, we see through flashbacks how and why she's wound up in the situation she is in, how her life has become ruined despite her obvious privilege and why she must travel to Venice. As to the city itself, it's a hot bed of corruption and political turmoil as the war ravaging Europe seems to be coming to a close. All of this comes to a close as we learn what Livia has been willing and able to do to get what she wants while Helmut's influence over the occupying SS forces in Italy grows, allowing him to manipulate some pawns in a very dangerous political chess game.
Featuring some interesting book end segments shot in stark black and white and giving the movie a noirish feel at times, Brass' take on Senso once again finds him working in the setting of the Second World War (he'd done this previously in Salon Kitty to nice effect). As fans are apt to expect from his later period work, the film allows him to really go to town with the camera work, using painterly compositions and carefully constructed angles to accentuate mood, atmosphere, tension and frequent bouts of intense sexuality. Considerably heavier on drama and character development than many of the lighter films that he made in the decade before, Black Angel has a tendency to steer towards darkness but not at the cost of the eroticism you'd anticipate would be such a focus of a Tinto Brass picture. There's a lot of sex here, frequent nudity, and a debauched orgy scene that flirts dangerously close to hardcore but the story frames it all in such a way that it never takes you out of the movie.
The performances here are all quite strong. Gabriel Garko plays the SS officer well, showing some range as the conflict that his character experiences starts to take a toll on him. He looks the part, and Brass is not afraid to play up his good looks even if he is strutting about in fascist garb. Beautiful and voluptuous, Anna Galiena really steals the show here. She's got a remarkably natural beauty to her, the kind that not only makes her easy on the eyes but which also grounds her in reality. Brass and company ensure that she always looks fantastic here, she's consistently dressed to the nines and they really bring out not just her good looks but her impressive screen presence as well. She's more than just a pretty face and a pair of long legs though, she shows excellent ranger throughout the film and handles the emotional side of her character just as well as the sexualized side.
Private:
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.
Mon Amour:
Tinto Brass' 2005 ode to promiscuity and ladies' asses begins with a nice opening shot of a painting on display in the city of Mantua where we are soon introduced to a beautiful young woman named Marta (Anna Jimskaia) whose marriage to husband Dario (Max Parodi) isn't going so well. When we met this couple he's just finished himself off in bed, leaving her unfulfilled and having to take matters into her own hands - which is exactly what she does when she heads out for the day to visit an art gallery. Here she meets Leon (Riccardo Marino), a suave Frenchman who shows and instant attraction to her, something she doesn't get with her husband. They talk and she learns that he's a writer in town for a festival of erotic literature (presided over by the director himself!) and then go at it right there in the gallery. After the pair attend, she gives into Leon's charms and sleeps with him again.
Having had a sexual reawakening of sorts, Marta starts keeping a diary of her exploits and rendezvous' with her new French friend, which ultimately lands her in some hot water with her husband who responds by basically forcing himself on her in an attempt to prove himself to her - something to which she responds quite amiably. Marta soon has to figure out if she really loves Dario and if these selfish mind games she's playing with him are worth continuing or if she wants to end her marriage and move on.
If Brass' films aren't always high on plot, they make up for that with steamy and genuinely erotic sex scenes helped by beautiful compositions, classy camerawork and frequently impressive musical scores. In this department, Monamour is typical Brass fare, but where it differs is with its central female protagonist. Marta isn't a particularly likeable woman - she's selfish and childish and immature and while Dario does indeed mistreat her with his neglect (he should be so lucky to have her!) her behavior often comes across as unjustified and obnoxious. Thankfully, those dependable Brass qualities are here in abundance and so we can look past the fact that Marta is a brat and appreciate the fact that she's gorgeous and seemingly insatiable. While the film stays safely in the realm of softcore erotica, there are times where it pushes a bit and the sex is certainly explicit by North American standards, going far past what would garner and R rating with some exposed genitalia and simulated oral sex (Brass' movies are somewhat notorious for using latex penis' instead of the real thing and this one is no exception).
Beautiful blonde Anna Jimskaia is the real reason to watch this movie and Brass' camera adores her, whether she's having sex on the sly in an art gallery, masturbating with some help from a water tap or trying out lesbian sex with a friend in a massage parlor for the first time. She keeps things hot and heavy and is always framed impeccably so that we can see enough of her to at least let us understand why Leon lusts for her the way that he does. She is, like most of Brass' leading ladies, a stunning natural beauty and her presence, combined with some legitimately effective humor, keep Monamour afloat when it otherwise might start to bog down a bit.
Ultimately the film is a fairly superficial one with a rather mixed up message about how women want to be treated by their men - but it's shot with such flair and features so much glorious cheesecake that you can't help but enjoy it for the sexy (if frequently sexist) take on relationships that it is. Brass has made better and more interesting films to be sure, but Monamour will certainly hold your attention.
Video/Audio/Extras:
All four films are presented on their own disc in AVC encoded 1080p high definition with Cheeky!, Black Angel and Private framed at 1.78.1 widescreen and Mon Amour framed at 1.85.1 widescreen. The transfers in this set are vastly improved over the previous DVD releases. Detail is considerably better here, you'll notice a lot more in the close ups and in the medium and long distance shots. 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 films while color reproduction is more natural and well defined than it ever was on the DVD releases. 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 and it really helps you to appreciate just how nicely put together Brass' movies are.
Audio options are provided as follows:
Cheeky!: Italian language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Black Angel: Italian language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Private: Italian language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Monamour: Italian language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles are offered up in English only for all four discs, there are no lossless audio options provided. Across the board all of the tracks are well balanced, clean and clear. In every single case, the films play out better in Italian (English subtitles are included) but for those who want the English dubs, they're included here and they sound fine. 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 these tracks pretty decent even if some will understandably be irked by the lack of lossless audio.
The extras in this set are spread across the four discs as follows:
Cheeky!:
The main extra feature on this release is a fantastic (standard definition - it's carried over from Cult Epics' previous DVD release) eight minute interview with the cigar chomping director himself entitled Backstage With Tinto Brass. Here he talks quite openly about what he likes in an erotic film, what he thinks works and doesn't work, and how he goes about capturing that very specific viewpoint on film in his work. There's plenty of great behind the scenes footage here including plenty of clips of the fine female cast in undress, as well as some nice clips in which we see Brass actually at work on the set making the film. The only complaint about this piece is that it's too short and it leaves us wanting more. Aside from that, we get a trailer for the film in high definition, and a still gallery in addition to the expected menus and chapter selection options.
Black Angel:
Extras start off with a twenty-five minute long Making Of Black Angel featurette which features plenty of input from the cigar chomping director himself. He discusses the source material, how he took the novel and re-wrote it to work in the historical context of the Second World War, and what it was like working with the different cast and crew members, Anna Galiena in particular. The principal cast members show up here as well and discuss their thoughts on the film, Brass' directorial style, and their characters.
The disc also contains an eight minute promotional segment that is basically an advertisement meant to generate sales, an Italian language theatrical trailer, a decent sized still gallery and the option to listen to the excellent Morricone on its own without any dialogue. Menus and chapter stops are also included.
Private:
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.
Mon Amour:
As far as extras go, Monamour gets a decent, if a bit brief, Making Of Featurette that clocks in at just almost sixteen minutes and includes some footage of the shoot and interviews with the cast and crew in which they discuss their work on this project. Rounding out the extras on the first disc is a trailer for the film, animated menus and chapter stops. The standalone Blu-ray release of Mon Amour included a bonus disc with Brass' short film Kick The Cock (and a few related extras) on it. Unfortunately that disc is not included in this set.
In addition to the four Blu-ray discs, Cult Epics has included exclusively with this boxed set containing the feature length ninety-five minute long documentary, Tinto Brass: Maestro of Erotica Cinema. Made up primarily of a lengthy interview with the man himself conducted by Cult Epics' Nico B., this piece lets him talk about how he got into filmmaking, where a lot of his inspiration came from, how he transitioned from the films he made in the early part of his career to the erotic pictures he became known for and much more. He goes into quite a bit of detail about how important the editing process is to him, he dishes some dirt about his work on the controversial production of Caligula and offers insight into pretty much all of his major productions. Brass also goes into quite a bit of detail here regarding his creative process, his casting and his style and plenty of appropriately complimentary clips and stills are used throughout to illustrate the discussion quite nicely.
Some images from the DVD…
The five discs come housed inside a Blu-ray flipper case that fits inside a cardboard slipcover. Also included inside the Blu-ray case is a full color insert booklet loaded with some great artwork and stills. The booklet contains an essay on Brass' work as well as a lengthy career-spanning interview with him in which he talks about the perfection of the female ass, the work of Russ Meyer and much, much more (it covers much of the same material as the interview). On top of that we also get a very detailed Brass filmography including plenty of details not only on his popular films but many of his more obscure pictures as well.
The Final Word:
Cult Epics have given four of Tinto Brass' later era works some very nice releases and this set compiles them in a slickly packaged boxed set along with a really interesting feature length documentary and an impressive booklet. The transfers are quite strong and despite the lack of lossless audio, the discs are solid and contain quite a few welcome extra features as well. Those with an interest in the director's work or quality softcore films featuring beautiful women and lush production values will definitely appreciate this release.