Giovanni Tinto Brass(Il Maestro) was born on Sunday, 26 March 1933 into the family of a famous artist, Italico Brass, who was his grandfather. Italico gave his grandson a nickname "Tintoretto," which Giovanni later adapted into his cinematic name, Tinto Brass. He was a Member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1972. His spouse Carla Cipriani(Tinta) born on 3rd March, 1930, veronica, Italy who helped him a lot in his filmography and also gave birth of 2 children.
Tinto inherited his grandfather's artistic skills, but he applied them to film instead of canvas. When he joined the Italian film industry, he worked with such famous directors as Federico Fellini (his idol) and Roberto Rossellini.
In 1963 he directed his first film, "Chi lavora è perduto (1963)." Afterwards, he went on to make such avante garde art films as "Nerosubianco" and "L'Urlo."
He was approached in 1976 to directed a sexploitation quicky "Salon Kitty," but Tinto wisely chose to have the script rewritten, turning it into a dark, political satire.
The success of “Salon Kitty” leads the Penthouse owner Bob Guccione to choose Tinto Brass to helm the big budget adaption of Gore Vidal's "Caligula." Tinto finished the shooting the film, but when he refused to convert it into a pointless flesh flick and include Bob Guccione's re-shoots consisting of Penthouse centre-folds making out and romping, he was fired and locked out of the editing room. Tinto later disowned the film when he saw the botched editing (the film was spliced together amauterly from outtakes and rehearsal footage) and Bob Guccione's scenes spliced in with his work. Ironically, "Caligula" remains Tinto's most famous film.
After "Caligula" became a huge international box office hit, Tinto was hired to shoot a spy thriller "Snack Bar Budapest."
Afterwards, he decided that he should focus on erotica, in a way to rebel against the hypcracy of censors, explaining that sex is a normal part of life and we should just deal with it.
With his latest films "Senso '45" (an update of the classic novella "Senso") and an erotic comedy "Fallo!," Tinto cemented his reputation of an undisputed master of erotica and avante-garde art films.
Few Contributions of Tinto Brass -
1. Chi lavora è perduto (1963)
2. Ça ira (Il fiume della rivolta) (1964)
3. La mia signora (1964)
4. Il disco volante (1964)
5. Yankee (1966)
6. Col cuore in gola (1967)
7. Nerosubianco (1969)
8. L'urlo (1970)
9. Drop-out (1970/I)
10. I Miss Sonia Henie (1971)
11. La vacanza (1971) [Vacation]
12. Salon Kitty (1976)
14. Action (1980)
15. La chiave (1983) [The Key]
16. Miranda (1985)
17. Capriccio (1987)
18. Snack Bar Budapest (1988)
19. Paprika (1991) [Life in a Brothel]
20. Così fan tutte (1992) [All Ladies Do It / All Women Do It]
21. L'uomo che guarda (1994) [The Voyeur]
22. Fermo posta Tinto Brass (1995) [P.O Box Tnto Brass]
23. Monella (1998) [Frivolous Lola]
24. Trasgredire (2000) [Cheeky]
25. Senso '45 (2002) [Black Angel]
26. Fallo! (2003) [Private / Do It!]
27. Monamour (2005)
The Review of some films -
Following the scandalous release of Caligula, Italian erotica auteur Tinto Brass has been completely ignored in the United States, presumably due to his increasingly personal cinematic odes to the female derriere. Hard to believe, but Brass was at one time held in relatively high esteem as a pioneering director thanks to such stylish fare as Nerosubianco and L'Urlo. However, all that began to change in 1975 with the release of the opulent and shocking Salon Kitty, an explicit riff on Luchino Visconti's The Damned starring Helmut Berger as a Nazi entangled in all manner of sexual depravity. His notorious Caligula assignment led to a string of saucy European romps continuing to this day, in which the director himself often makes at least a lecherous cameo appearance as he turns his camera to a seemingly endless parade of European beauties.
In 1983, Brass returned to Italian films with The Key, a visually refined softcore opus which set the pattern for his raunchy epics to come. Starring one of his biggest name actresses, Stefania Sandrelli (who had already worked for Bernardo Bertolucci and went on to international hits like Jamon Jamon) and based on a melodramatic novel by Junichirô Tanizaki (Manji), this soapy tale follows the sexual adventures of Teresa Rolf, whose much older husband, Nino (British film vet Frank Finlay), encourages his aging libido by pushing his wife into an affair with their studly future son-in-law, Laszlo (Franco Branciaroli). Needless to say, Nino's naive daughter, Lisa (Stage Fright's Barbara Cupisti), is no match in the sack for her lusty mother-in-law. Arguably the classiest of Brass' post-Caligula films, The Key sports a lush period setting in pre-World War II Venice, with Mussolini's rise to power mirroring the increasing decadence of the characters. Brass had already tread this area far more viciously with his orgiastic Nazi yarn, Salon Kitty, and he would return to the '40s and '50s in his later work with increasingly benign results. The visual slickness is enhanced by Sandrelli, giving her all with an uninhibited and often undraped performance, and a catchy Ennio Morricone score that set the tone for future bouncy Brass music to come. The film was available on DVD in virtually identical transfers in both the U.S. and U.K., letterboxed at 1.66:1. A big improvement compared to the overmatted, optically censored Japanese version which most fans had to endure for years. For some reason both DVDs claim to be 16:9 enhanced, but neither actually were. However, the U.S. disc from Cult Epics comes out the clear winner for two reasons. Significantly, the US transfer incorporates about 12 minutes of Italian dialogue which was trimmed from English prints; left confusingly unsubtitled in the UK version, the footage is presented with yellow English subtitles on the US disc. Secondly, the Cult Epics disc contains a hefty 17-minute video interview with Brass, a photo gallery, filmographies for Brass and Sandrelli, and the original European trailers for this film, Miranda, and All Ladies Do It, the last of which is mostly a very funny conversation between Brass and his leading lady. (More on that one later.) However, The Key was released by Cult Epics again with the same catalog number as part of the Tinto Brass Collection box set; more on that below...
The Key's 1985 follow-up, Miranda, pushed Brass' boundaries just up to the verge of hardcore without losing any of the director's trademark compositions. Topheavy Serena Grandi (The Grim Reaper, Lambero Bava's Delirium) stars in the title role as a lusty tavern owner carrying on an affair with the local village stud (Andrea Occhipinti of New York Ripper / A Blade in the Dark fame), all the while scouting around for a suitable lifetime mate. Among her conquests are a middle aged politician, Norman (Andy J. Forrest), and a visiting American soldier with peculiar outdoor bathroom habits. Meanwhile she uses her wiles to torment her sexually frustrated waiter/bartender, Carlo (Franco Branciaroli), and must eventually decide with whom she will spend the rest of her life. One of Brass' wittiest films, Miranda benefits from a sharp, pun-laden script lifted from a farcical Carlo Collodi play. Meanwhile, Grandi lets loose with a completely uninhibited performance, her look changing from one sequence to the next in an amazing succession of glamorous, sexy set pieces. The cropped, full frame British DVD from Arrow is plagued by distracting compression artifacts and pale contrast; however, the film is completely intact (including some shots that must have flickered by when the BBFC wasn't looking) and includes both the trailer and the aforementioned Brass interview. However, the same extras can be found on the U.S. disc in not one but two 16:9 transfers, which restore important peripheral information and generally look much crisper. All contain the English dubbed version. Both 16:9 versions bear the same catalog number from Cult Epics, but the second one contained in the Tinto Brass Collection box set is a significant improvement with far fewer compression artifacts and better black levels.
Deriving its humorous title from Mozart's famous comic opera, Cosi Fan Tutti, the 1993 romp All Ladies Do It (Cosi Fan Tutte) is one of Brass' lightest, fluffiest films. Most likely influenced by the growing European popularity of Pedro Almodovar, Brass spends just as much time leering on women's posteriors but also devotes more attention than usual to the intricacies of his decors and some delicious background details. This time our rump-heavy heroine is Diana (Claudia Koll), a happily married woman who nevertheless spends her time romping with a number of men. Fortunately her husband, Paul (Paolo Lanza), doesn't mind her little escapades; in fact, he rather enjoys hearing about them. Things get out of control, however, when Diana has a fling with an ass-obsessed poet named Alphonse and takes off to a wild jet-set, omnisexual outdoor party, where literally anything goes. With this film Brass teams up for the first time with the gifted Venetian composer, Pino Donaggio, best known for his Brian De Palma scores. The music here adds a considerable flourish to the proceedings, working in pop motifs and lifts from Mozart with equal aplomb. The first DVD transfer - identical in the U.S. and U.K. - was open matte, meaning it's mostly letterboxed except for the full frame opening titles. The previous Dutch DVD release (from Dutch Filmworks) was dubbed, as are the U.K. and U.S. variants, but had optional English subtitles as well. The Italian DVD revealed that Brass originally shot the film in a much harder version, filled with his trademark prosthetic phalluses bobbing around in numerous scenes. His original cut, running five minutes longer than the 87-minute English version, finally made it to U.S. DVD in a revised edition from Cult Epics, featuring the superior Italian audio with optional English subtitles. Best of all, the anamorphic transfer looks splendid with exceptionally clean shades of red filling almost every shot. While the film borders on hardcore (with one very realistic shot of a partygoer orally servicing a phony organ), this is still technically not XXX material. The extended U.S. disc is also available in a boxed set with remastered versions of Miranda and The Key as noted above; the latter is an especially noteworthy improvement and blows away all previous editions with a sparkling, richly detailed 16:9 transfer and optional subtitles for the Italian language segments. All three discs also feature Brass interviews, stills galleries, and trailers; All Ladies Do It also features 10 minutes of outtake footage, showing the cast clowing around during shooting.
One of Tinto's most popular titles, The Voyeur (L'Uomo che Guarda) is in many ways his definitive directorial statement. Dodo (Francesco Casale), a university professor, languishes in his posh penthouse where he obsesses over the unusual habits of his luscious wife, Sylvia (Katarina Vasilissa), who comes and goes at odd hours day and night. Thanks to a handy peephole in the bathroom, Dodo also observes the carnal habits of his father, Alberto (Franco Branciaroli), who cavorts with his nubile nursemaid, Fausta (Cristina Garavaglia). Dodo becomes increasingly frustrated and excited as flashbacks and fantasy collide before the entire complex web of characters finally resolves itself in the tidy (and hot) finale.
Beautifully scored by the reliable Riz Ortolani, The Voyeur is a good example of how structure and photography can make a softcore film gripping even during the long stretches when the characters aren't copulating, and Euro film buffs will probably savor what is most likely the closest
Brass has come to the aesthetic heights of Radley Metzger and Walerian Borowczyk. Unfortunately Brass' intentions were muffled somewhat when the film was prepared for its English language release, which not only excised his now-trademark fake phalluses (a staple he adopted in the wake of the brutal English censorship of All Ladies Do It) but much additional erotic imagery, such as some graphic romping during the hilarious beach finale and a startling sequence with Casale becoming aroused on-camera while peeping through a wall. The first English-friendly release from Britain is very slightly letterboxed with a colorful but washed-out transfer and, like other Brass DVD releases, comes outfitted with a juicy still gallery. The BBFC reported an 8 second trim from the film, which was made in addition to the considerable amount already trimmed compared to the longer Italian original.
English-speaking Brass fans had to wait a long, long time to see the complete version, but fortunately patience paid off with Cult Epics' handsome release, which presents a much-needed anamorphic overhaul on the film in a sparkling, clear transfer. (The compositions are slightly reframed from 1.66:1 to 1.78:1, but the adjustment doesn't seem to affect the film.) Color and detail are excellent, and the film here is not only completely uncut but retains the vastly superior Italian audio track with optional English subtitles. Easily a must for Brass fans, the disc also comes with a new half-hour Brass interview in which the gravel-voiced director talks about making the film and his work with the actors, including his statement on sexual morality in this case which falls perfectly in line with the philosophy behind his subsequent features. The disc also includes a very funny Italian trailer with exclusive footage of Brass himself (and nothing from the film), as well as trailers for many of the company's other Brass releases.
Spurred on by the success of The Voyeur, Brass churned out his next epic, P.O. Box Tinto Brass, a random collection of vignettes strung together by the framing device of Brass himself reading letters detailing the erotic tales sent in by avid viewers. A jealous housewife, a woman's fascination with her new bidet, and various other situations round out an amusing but generally slapdash concoction which aims more for shock value than cinematic craftsmanship. Ortolani's Voyeur score is clumsily recycled here, and while some of the visuals are typically erotic, the overall impression is that of a man biding time while he decides on his next real script. The Dutch DVD release (later imported into the U.K.) is full frame, just like the Italian prerecord version, indicating Brass probably intended this one to go quickly to the video market in the first place. The compositions may be slightly sheared off at the sides, but it's hard to say for sure given the arbitrary camerawork. The stereo soundtrack is mostly confined to the music, while the disc also includes a still gallery and the Italian theatrical trailer. The disc also contains Dutch subtitles, which are removeable.
With Frivolous Lola (Monella), Brass was back to more familiar territory with what amounts to a sillier '50s spin on Miranda. Cute young Lola (Anna Ammirati) speeds around the Italian countryside on her bicycle, often flashing her fanny for the passing clergy and attracting the attention of randy young men along the way. She entertains a group of soldiers to a jukebox dance (one of Brass' most memorable scenes), accompanied all the way by another jaunty, pop-flavored Donaggio score. Here Brass reels back a bit from the more hardcore direction of his past two films, focusing more on his heroine's public flashing and the sexual playfulness of the various characters. The provincial Italian setting is vividly rendered, with the community frequently gathering to celebrate life, love, and food, a spectacle that will leave viewers feeling more than a tad bloated. The letterboxed transfer on this Dutch DVD looks good despite the low budget origins, while the stereo soundtrack is more ambitious than usual, spreading out both Donaggio's score and ambient sound effects to the rear speakers. The English dubbing is much worse than usual, however, making the absence of the Italian track especially irritating. As such, English-speaking fans will fare better with the Cult Epics disc, which offers the Italian track with English subtitles as well as a longer director's cut complete with jolting material including frontal nudity of male star Max Parodi and a graphic scene of Ammirati relieiving herself outdoors.
A perfect example of Brass' later post-2000 style, Cheeky (original title: Trasgredire) comes off like a sweet-natured hybrid between his elegantly mounted skinfests and a slick Penthouse video. The narrative jumps back and forth between London and Venice, as sexy young Carla (Yuliya Mayarchuk) saunters through the British streets hunting for an apartment she can share with her boyfriend, Matteo (Jarno Beradi). While absence may make the heart grow fonder, it also lands both lovers in a lot of trouble as they're tempted by a parade of potential conquests. Which will win out... the heart or the loins? Buoyed by yet another infectious Donaggio score, Trasgredire is good, ribald fun, neither his best nor his worst film. Interestingly, his fanny fetish seems to receding with this film, as he lavishes more intention on the comparatively slimmed-down female star's athletic figure. Monella star/male model Max Parodi (who appears in most of Brass' subsequent films as well) pops up briefly in an orgy scene for more fake-phallic romping. This is by far the most successfully presented Brass film on DVD in all its incarnations thanks to a stunning, colorful anamorphic transfer and a rich 5.1 mix, all of which make one wish his earlier films could have received the same treatment. The original Italian and dubbed English audio tracks are included on the Italian DVD, along with the Italian theatrical trailer. The U.K. DVD, entitled Cheeky, ports over the same nice transfer but only features the lackluster English dub. The best viewing option would have to be the American disc from Cult Epics, which offers English subtitles for the superior Italian track and, in addition to the trailer, adds an image gallery and a nice behind-the-scenes documentary focusing on Brass' direction of the steamy all-girl sauna encounter.
Returning to the anthology format of P.O. Box Tinto Brass, the director finally plunged with a hesitant toe into the pool of hardcore with Fallo! ("Do It!"), retitled Private for the English market. Dispensing with anything resembling a common theme or historical context, he offers up six comedic/sexy tales of interchanging lovers in a variety of mundane settings, ranging from bedrooms to steam rooms to kitchens. First up, "Alibi" depicts a couple's anniversary vacation in Morocco which turns kinky when a spying bellboy is invited to join in on their budoir activities. Then in the most structurally elaborate, "Double Trouble," two pairs of spouses switch partners (at the office and after a tennis match), then resolve everything in a cheeky fashion that night. (This one features the unsimulated bits with Andrea Nobili being orally pleasured, excised from the softcore British DVD edition; however, as the making-of reveals, the other actor, Brass regular Max Parodi, wasn't entirely simulating his performance either.) "Two Hearts and a Hut" takes a page from Brass' Senso 45 with its dark and stylish visuals, but otherwise it doesn't make a whole lot of sense as a young chambermaid earns some spare cash playing around with a married couple but finds her not-as-kinky boyfriend a bit upset. In "Jolly Bangs," a topless wife at a beach gets her husband worked up by telling him about her past dalliances, and "Evil to Him" finds a reluctant engaged woman overcoming her phobia of anal sex by getting a hands-on demonstration from another couple. Finally, "Call Me a Pig, I Like It!" follows a married couple whose voyeuristic neighbor's activities are a naughty little secret -- or are they?
Despite the graphic imagery and wider-than-usual variety of body types and ages, Private feels very much like the kind of movie you'd stumble on late at night on TV during the '80s; the goofy humor and genial sex scenes have a dopey and strangely innocent charm, even when the participants are flinging their legs apart for the camera. None of the actors really get to make a tremendous impression in their limited screen time, but Brass keeps things bubbly and pleasant enough from start to finish. The colorful photography is impeccable as usual, with Brass' penchant for oddball framing and colorful interior decor making this several cuts above your average Euro-sex flick. Cult Epics' version is available both in the uncensored "director's cut" as well as the alternate "producer's cut" version seen in the UK, which uses a few milder angles and drops the aforementioned hard stuff. The DVD also includes an 18-minute "making of" featurette with Brass and the actors cavorting and preparing for each of the sequences (carried over from the Italian DVD edition), plus trailers for Cult Epics' other, highly recommended Brass releases. The anamorphic transfer looks fantastic throughout (as good as the Italian version), with optional English subtitles.
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