Tinto Brass

Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the erotic genre, with films such as Caligula, Così fan tutte (released under the English title All Ladies Do It), Paprika, Monella (Frivolous Lola) and Trasgredire.

Career Avant-garde cinema In the 1960s and 1970s, Brass was considered a promising experimental and avant-garde director, and his debut film Who Works Is Lost got very favorable reviews after screening at Venice Film Festival 1963. In 1964, he was commissioned by Umberto Eco to create two short films experimenting with visual language for the 13th Triennale di Milano – Tempo Libero and Tempo Lavorativo. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Brass directed films in many genres, including western (Yankee) and crime (Col cuore in gola), all using a very experimental editing- and camera-style. In 1968, Warner Bros. offered Brass the job of directing A Clockwork Orange, which did not happen due to scheduling conflicts, and eventually Stanley Kubrick was given the job. In an article about the filming of Dropout from 1970, he was called the "Antonioni of the 70s". His early period has been referred to as ", anarchistic and experimental".

L'urlo was shown in competition at Berlin Film Festival 1970. La Vacanza, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero won the prize of the film critics for the best Italian film at 1971 Venice Film Festival. In 1972, Brass was a member of the jury at the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.

Erotic cinema After Salon Kitty (1976) and Caligula (1979), the style of his films gradually changed towards erotic films. Caligula was originally supposed to be a satire on power instead of an erotic film, but the producers changed and re-edited the film entirely without Brass's consent, removing many political and comical scenes, and shooting sexually explicit sequences, to make the film a pornographic drama. The director demanded that his name be stricken from the credits, and he is only credited for "Principal Photography". Despite this, the film remains his most widely viewed work (and the highest-grossing Italian film released in the United States). Other notable works of Brass's later period include The Key (1983) and Senso '45 (2002). He was making films into his seventies.

Personal life

Brass' nickname Tintoretto (later shortened to Tinto) was given by his grandfather Italico Brass, a renowned Gorizian painter.

He was married to Carla Cipriani (b. 1930, nicknamed "Tinta"), from 1957 until her death in 2006. Carla was the daughter of Harry's Bar founder Giuseppe Cipriani, who managed the restaurant Locanda Cipriani on the Venetian island of Torcello and also collaborated as a screenwriter in Brass's films. The couple had a daughter, Beatrice, and a son, Bonifacio.

After his wife's death, Brass began a relationship with lawyer Caterina Varzi (b. 1961) who starred in his 2009 short film Hotel Courbet. They married in 2017.

As of 2010, Brass is politically affiliated with the Italian Radicals.

On 18 April 2010, he suffered an intracranial hemorrhage.

Retrospectives In 2012, Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival did a retrospective on Brass' early 1960s and 1970s films, screening newly restored versions.

Filmography Year Original title International title Note 1963 Chi lavora è perduto In capo al mondo 1964 Ça ira – Il fiume della rivolta Thermidor Documentary La mia signora My Wife Segments: "L'uccellino", "L'automobile" Il disco volante The Flying Saucer 1966 Yankee 1967 Col cuore in gola I Am What I Am 1968 L'urlo The Howl 1969 Nerosubianco Attraction 1970 Dropout 1971 La vacanza The Vacation Also producer 1972 I Miss Sonia Henie Short film 1976 Salon Kitty 1979 Caligula 1980 Action 1983 La Chiave The Key 1985 Miranda The Mistress of the Inn 1987 Capriccio Love & Passion, Capri Remembered 1988 Snack Bar Budapest 1991 Paprika 1992 Così fan tutte All Ladies Do It 1994 L'uomo che guarda The Voyeur 1995 Fermo posta Tinto Brass P.O. Box Tinto Brass Also actor 1998 Monella Frivolous Lola 2000 Trasgredire Cheeky 2001 SCTMV (Sono come tu mi vuoi) Know what this is about? Short film; producer only 2002 Senso '45 Black Angel 2003 Fallo! Do It!, Private 2006 Monamour 2008 Kick the Cock Short film 2009 Hotel Courbet Short film; also producer

Filmography as actor Ultimo metrò, dir. Andrea Prandstraller (1999) Impotenti esistenziali, dir. Giuseppe Cirillo (2009) Canepazzo, dir. David Petrucci (2012)