The name Tinto Brass may not be familiar to most people, but he was an incredibly prolific Italian filmmaker who specialized in erotic cinema. During his early career in the ’60s and ’70s, he worked in avant-garde films before switching to more titillating work. His most famous work is 1979’s Caligula with Malcolm McDowell, a film he wanted his name removed from after Penthouse founder and producer Bob Guccione had more explicit content shot after production had ended and inserted into the finished film.
Now, Cult Epics is going to great lengths to preserve his work and has released All Ladies Do It (1992), aka Cosi fan tutte, on Blu-ray and 4K. I saw the film once over twenty years ago and here I am, revisiting it in 4K, something I never imagined would happen.
Diana (Claudia Knoll) is young, beautiful, and married to Paolo (Paolo Lanza) but has very few reservations when it comes to sex. Her curiosity and need for exploration are brewing to the point of overload, which leads her to search elsewhere for fulfillment. Their needs are in two different places, but she quickly learns that when she confesses her escapades to him, he grows insanely jealous.
It’s not a jealous rage; Paolo’s is more of a jealous excitement, and they use it to spark their relationship. But is there a line that shouldn’t be crossed? Will they be able to sustain their marriage through the infidelity? It’s a dangerous and pleasurable world to play in and navigate through.
If you’re familiar with Brass and his style of filmmaking, you’ll most certainly enjoy every minute of All Ladies Do It. These aren’t the type of films I watch anymore, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy taking the trip down memory lane. By the title, most would assume it’s just a porn flick, but that’s not the case at all. Brass has always had an artistic flair with some beautiful visuals and a true cinematic look. It’s high-end European erotica that exposes an awful lot of skin (and shows off a handful of prosthetic penises) but never crosses the line into hardcore pornography.
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The real star of the show here is the stunning new 4K transfer from the original negative. It’s crisp and colorful and retains just a hint of grain, making the presentation a delight to watch. A few scratches pop up from time to time, but nothing is really noticeable.
Along with being released as the 2-disc 4K edition, a single-disc Blu-ray version is available as well. The 4K package is fantastic, with disc one being the 4K version containing a pair of trailers (All Ladies Do It and Frivolous Lola) and a commentary track by Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth, with stereo audio of the film in English and Italian (with subtitles of course).
Disc two (Blu-ray) contains the same content but also includes a 2001 interview with Tinto Brass, outtakes, and a photo gallery. The package also contains a 20-page illustrated booklet with liner notes by Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti, a slipcase, a double-sided sleeve with original uncensored poster art, and four reproductions of the Italian Lobby Cards, which are limited to the first pressing.
All in all, a really wonderful set for a film that certainly has a very niche audience. If you have a fondness for the type of fare you could only find on late-night Cinemax in the ’80s and early ’90s, then All Ladies Do It is the perfect cult film for you.
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