Customer Reviews

The Tinto Brass Collection

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4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you think that the female posterior goes underappreciated these days, then hurry up and enter the colorful and delightfully voyeuristic world of Tinto Brass, which is firmly ruled by the well-rounded derrieres of voluptuous Mediterranean earth maidens; unconventionally intelligent women all. No plastic skeleton dancers from Hollywood here.
THE KEY; MIRANDA; and ALL WOMEN DO IT; are the offerings in this wonderful set. All three films are sensually engrossing and invigorating to the highest degree, boasting commendable production values and masterful cinematography throughout. Especially, MIRANDA, my favorite among them, should prove to be the most potent tonic for our vital senses in this totally restored (and emphatically uncensored), pictorially perfect DVD release. What could be more fabulously joy inspiring than watching Miranda and the other free-spirited enchantresses get dressed and enticingly undressed again while the developments unfold in these high voltage melodramas?! That is a feast for the eyes, positively so!
The key that stimulates intimate encounters; Miranda's amatory restlessness; and a wife's amorous exploits make up the stories in the collection.
Watching these films will energize the shy peekaboo impulses in even the most seasoned couch potato. Tinto Brass has the men always marching at some eye-appealing distance behind the ladies. That way, the central themes in these films remain sensual and profoundly visual, rather than becoming philosophically profound. Don't be alarmed, Brass is no Antonioni. But still, one occasionally wonders if Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT actually borrowed a few thematic ideas from THE KEY.
Tinto Brass gives us strong-willed, erotically-charged, intensely adventurous and whimsically appealing female characters, who, with calculating wisdom and much humor (sometimes genuine kindness even) proceed to mesmerize the hopelessly fetish-driven men around them. Without the slightest doubt, here the women carry most of the intelligence on their shoulders. All this is such fun to study; in clean, crisp color to boot.
Finally, it might be of minor interest to note that I saw two of these films (THE KEY and MIRANDA) a bit more than a decade ago in Kassel, Germany, at the Erotic Film Festival there. It was on a bitterly cold, stormy February evening. The movie audience was audibly very appreciative of the colorful scenery and the frivolous activities on the screen, while the wind was howling outside.These movies seemed to radiate a needed warmth against the cold at that time in Germany. However, while watching the same films again in my own living room not so long ago (more than 10 years later), in the midst of a tremendous heat wave that had unexpectedly hit the Midwest, I still enjoyed the films. Of course, they did not help to lower the temperature at all. But they did make one aware of life's many perverse little ironies.

As a whole, this package of playfully down-to-earth visual entertainment should make us all end up happy.
Here are 4 stars for the set; and, definitely, an additional bright star to honor MIRANDA's beautifully restored glory. Anything less than that would surely be unkind to our basic instincts.

Please note:
My review is based on the newer (August 31, 2004) release of THE TINTO BRASS COLLECTION boxed set. There is also an earlier set of the same 3 films (released June 17, 2003). The box cover art for both sets is identical. However, MIRANDA's restoration is much less impressive in the earlier (2003) box. So, if you want to own a better looking MIRANDA, avoid the earlier (2003) package.

Cinema critics love to hate Tinto Brass and consider him one of the worst directors of all time, an evaluation that is totally unjustified (besides after Zalman King I don't know why any critic would consider any other director for this unenviable position!)
Tinto Brass, who gained international notoriety, courtesy of Penthouse supremo Bob Guccione with Caligula, his most famous English language film to date, is certainly not your average director. I very much liken him to Russ Meyer, as both men have unapologetically made films that were very personal and did not give any second thought about shocking audiences in the process.
Both men would have been considered 'dirty old men' had they chosen any other profession, but clearly they display through the medium of cinema their love and even obsession with voluptuous female figure that would have made any 16th century artist grab his brush fast, and their obvious fetishes (Meyer for the female 'chest' and Brass for the female 'backside' to put it mildly.)
Yet Brass, who has made around 16 erotic films to date, has a particular style that makes him different from most erotic directors, including Meyer.
1-His films are distinctly Italian, in their settings, the atmosphere,the landscape and the women that ooze femininity.
2-Although erotic films do follow generally one set formula, up to the extent that they all end up looking alike after a while, Brass manages to infuse lots of originality in his films, despite the repetitive plots.
3-The sex scenes are pretty explicit, but more so in his photography of the women in various stages of cloth shedding, lying in bed etc...His appreciation of women, with the focus on a certain anatomy is very obvious. More so, is his choice of actresses, who are mostly newcomers, and who compensate amply their obvious lack of acting talents, with other God endowed 'talents'.
4-It might be hard to believe, but there are some political undertones in some Brass's films, and not unlike many of his contemporaries, his dislike of fascism is clear.
Now to this collection,
it contains three films,
The Key, made back in '83, it stars the gorgeous Stefania Sandrelli, and revolves around the sexual adventures of a couple who read each other's diaries and fantasies, and act them up with different people.
Miranda, done in '85, with the beautiful Serena Grandi, about a married woman for whom the word adventure does not mean bunjee jumping.
And the last is All Ladies Do It, made in '92, is about a married woman who likes it a bit much..er..like the title suggests, and embarks on many adventures that somehow revive her marriage!!(those Italians have a peculiar idea about marriage counselling).
All three films seem the same plot wise, but when you watch them,you will discover a particular and unique flavor in each.
So, if you like erotic films, gorgeous women,an Italian atmosphere, and believe that direction can not possibly get any worse only better after watching any Zalman King film, then this collection is definetely for you.

If you expect great things by way of acting, direction or plot, you've got the wrong movie

Overall not impressive in the slightest... "All Ladies Do It" defines itself as erotica and was supposed to be quite explicit back in the 1970's when it was first filmed... but quite frankly today's modern day movies (Halle Berry in Monster's Ball comes to mind for example) tend to be much more explicit than this particular DVD, which I found to be rather tame and to be honest just plain boring as far as the erotic content was concern... despite the movie's claims that it's "unrated" and "explicit" the sex scenes are far too short, very unrealistic (e.g. unconvincing) and seem to shy away from the really explicit stuff... yes the male appendages are clearly shown in the movie as well as close ups of the female equipment but Tinto Brass somehow seems to feel that flashing close ups of private parts at the audience will substitute for showing, well, "action" for lack of a better word... it doesn't. I was hoping for something like an unrated, uncut version of Wild Orchid (where the camera isn't like a zillion feet away from the action during the sex scenes for example - you know what I mean, when the camera pans so far away you can't clearly see and enjoy what's going on) and was also hoping an import would allow me to circumvent the ridiculous amount of censorship America puts on erotic titles, but no such luck with this particular set of DVD's. I'm not even going to bother showing these DVD's to my wife out of fear of her falling asleep... I was so disapointed that I didn't even bother opening the other movies (The Key, Miranda) that came in this boxed selection, maybe they'll be better but after all the buzz (about how "erotic" it is that is) I heard about "All Ladies Do It" I doubt those two DVD's will be any better. As far as a plotline or actual story in the movie, there is none. I plan on selling this collection of DVD's off online as soon as possible in order to recoup at least some of the money I wasted purchasing it.