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Review
by
Troy Howarth
Film:7
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DVD:8
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| Tinto
Brass presents a series of erotic vignettes... In the first story,
Gianni (Massimiliano Caroletti) and Cinzia (Sara Cosmi) are on
holiday in Morocco; worried that the zest is leaving their sex
life, Gianni arranges for Cinzia to have an affair as he watches.
In the second story, Stefania (Silvia Rossi) has sex with Bruno
(Max Parodi), in order to get back at her husband (Andrea Nobili)…
who is also screwing Bruno's wife (Federica Tommasi) behind his
back. The next tale depicts an ambitious maid, Katarina (Raffaella
Ponzo), who sleeps with the clients at her hotel in exchange for
tips. The next segment sees Rafaela (Angela Ferlaino) cheating
on her husband, Ugo (Daniele Ferrari), because he secretly enjoys
hearing about her trysts. Next up, Franco (Riccardo Marino) wants
nothing more than to have anal sex with his girlfriend, Anna (Maruska
Albertazzi), but she insists on keeping the back door closed until
they're married. And in the last, Rosy (Federica Palmer) and Oskar
(Roberto Giulianelli) have sex for the benefit of a secret voyeur,
whose real identity is finally revealed at the end. |
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Giovanni
"Tinto" Brass made his first foray into experimental
cinema in 1958; after that, he tried his hand at a variety of
popular genres (gialli, with Deadly
Sweet, 1968; spaghetti westerns, with Yankee,
1966), but his forte was soon established with erotica. Though
many of his early works had ample doses of sex and nudity, it
was Salon
Kitty (1976) which sealed his fate as a purveyor of artfully
composed smut. Make no mistake — Brass is no 'mere' pornographer,
but the director has long admitted that the difference between
respectable erotica and flat-out hardcore porn is tentative at
best. Private (originally Fallo!,
a play on "Do It" and the phallic symbol) is one of the director's
more recent films, and it pushes the boundaries between softcore
and hardcore in an aggressive manner. Yes, much of the sex is
simulated. Yes, most of the (imposing) boners on display are prosthetics.
But for all that, there's ample graphic interplay on display —
and at least one authentic blowjob. |
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The
segments vary in effectiveness, but the film is never dull. There
are numerous reasons for this. For one, the actresses on display
are terrific to look at and they all enter into the spirit of
the thing with ample enthusiasm. For another, Brass never allows
the action to get too repetitive. There's a little something for
just about everybody here: lesbianism, breast/ass/foot fetishism,
S&M, etc, etc. Like all good directors of erotic cinema, Brass
understands tempo and pacing — he shows just enough to get the
juices flowing, but he pulls back from going too far. There's
no doubt this qualifies as hardcore, but there are no (real) ejaculations,
and penetrations are implied rather than graphically shown. On
top of all this, the film simply looks wonderful. Brass is a great
stylist — he knows how to use color, composition, camera movement
and music to create the right rhythm. Even at its weakest — and
I would argue that the second story is distinctly less impressive
than the rest of the material, even if it is the one that contains
the most graphic sex (including the aforementioned oral number)
— the film holds one's interest and moves along at a good pace. |
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The
performances are in synch with the film's light, playful mood.
It's truly hard to narrow down the actresses in terms of sheer
aesthetic value, but certainly Sara Cosmi, Raffaella Ponzo, Maruska
Albertazzi, Federica Palmer and Angela Ferlaino are all stunning
beauties in their own right. Many of these actresses have worked
with Brass on other occasions (Cosmi made her debut in P.O.
Box Tinto Brass, 1995, for example) but few of them are
recognizable outside of the Euro-Erotica context. Raffaella Ponzo
did have a bit part in Martin Scorsese's Italian-lensed epic Gangs
of New York (2002), but she surely had better opportunity
to show off her assets under Brass' tutelage! |
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Ultimately
the film may be rather minor compared to its director's major
works (Salon Kitty, 1983's The
Key) but it's still a fun and stylish slice of erotica.
In a genre overrun with cheap trash, it's wonderful to have a
serious artist who takes the genre seriously — while at the same
time possessing enough humor to keep things light and playful. |
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| Cult
Epics has released both the uncensored director's cut and the
R-rated producer's cut of Private;
the version under review here is Brass' cut. The 1.85/16x9 transfer
looks wonderful. Colors are vivid, detail is very strong, and
print damage is negligible. The film is fully uncut, and the mastering
job is topnotch, with only some minor shimmering in evidence.
The Italian soundtrack is full blooded, preserving all the heavy
breathing. Extras include a fun behind the scenes featurette (seeing
Brass cavort with his actresses just makes one realize what a
lucky old guy he really is!), a trailer, and two stills galleries
— one dedicated to the 'X rated' images in the film.
10/21/10 |
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UPDATE
This title seems to have been pulled from the market in February
2011.
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