All Ladies Do It (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: May 15, 2024
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Tinto Brass

Release Date(s)

1992 (April 2, 2024)

Studio(s)

Faso Film/San Francisco Film (Cult Epics)

Film/Program Grade: N/A
Video Grade: A
Audio Grade: A+
Extras Grade: A-

Review

Tinto Brass’ name was certainly stewed in controversy by the time the 1990s rolled around, most notably due to his association with Caligula over a decade prior. But once films like Paprika, All Ladies Do It, and Monella (Frivolous Lola) were released in 1991, 1992, and 1998 respectively (among others), he had firmly established himself as one of the masters of erotic filmmaking, at least to those who could look past the nudity and see the quality of the filmmaker.

All Ladies Do It (aka Così fan tutte) saw Tinto Brass exploring unconventional notions about marriage and relationships. The beautiful Diana (Claudia Koll, in a career-defining performance) is in a happy marriage with her straight-laced husband Paolo (Paolo Lanza), but lately she feels that there’s more out there to experience sexually. Inheriting an apartment in Venice from her recently-deceased aunt, she discovers photos and film reels of her aunt having any number of private encounters with various people, spurring her into doing the same. Though reluctant at first, she finds liberation in sex with others, but after telling Paolo about it, their marriage and their love for each other becomes jeopardized.

As per usual, Tinto Brass is not shy about the heaping amounts of nudity from both sexes, but mostly women, especially their bare bottoms (his trademark). In this film’s version of society, women are fully open with their sexuality, even in their normal, day-to-day activities. Everybody is sleeping with each other, to some degree, and many women walk around with their breasts fully exposed. In this environment, Diana seeks more from life, and finds it by not just sleeping with other men, but allowing them to do things to her that are considered taboo or immoral by many, including her husband. Normally, this sounds like nothing more than a setup for a pornographic plot, but the key difference is that there’s a bit of role reversal going on at the outset. In this world, the married women are free sexually and see no reason why they shouldn’t be, while the married men traditionally stick to monogamy. Not only that, but the men must be convinced and be okay with sex not necessarily being about love, but about fulfilling personal desires. After all, all ladies do it.

Tinto Brass himself is a believer in non-monogamous relationships, believing that culture and religion are to blame for suppressing sexual desire. We see this in full view in All Ladies Do It, specifically through Diana, who’s taken aback by her husband not understanding her needs. And by the end of the film, she gets what she wants, and her husband appears to be having a personal awakening of his own. Will he be liberated by his own secret desires, and will Diana be receptive to them? It’s not exactly clear, but the idea that something more will happen offscreen certainly is.

Above all else, All Ladies Do It is hyper-charged erotica with a bit of humor and something on its mind that speaks to human desire more than just showcasing scenes of hardcore sex. It’s actually far from hardcore, nor could one consider it softcore, and if the term existed, it would me more akin to “mediumcore,” meaning that you’re going to see plenty of nudity, and maybe occasional sex, but not always to be titillated by it or for it to be the star attraction. Believe it or not, Tinto Brass is telling a very personal story, albeit in highly sexualized and sometimes overtly amusing ways, and that’s certainly worth pursuing.

All Ladies Do It was shot by cinematographers Silvano Ippoliti and Massimo Di Venanzo on 35mm film, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Cult Epics brings the film to Ultra HD for the first time in its “Uncut and Uncensored Director’s Cut” from a 4K restoration of the original camera negative, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. It’s a highly organic presentation with outstanding clarity and bitrates that sit primarily between 80 to 100Mbps. Medium grain that’s refined throughout is present, becoming slightly uneven during the opening and closing titles where post-negative elements were used. There’s some mild speckling and occasional signs of restoration, but mostly just faint signs of scratches having been removed digitally. It also features gorgeous color, fully enriched by the HDR grade, with excellent contrast and deep blacks. Needless to say, it’s a beautiful presentation.

Audio is included on four tracks: English and Italian 2.0 mono and 2.0 stereo, all DTS-HD Master Audio, with optional subtitles in English SDH. The English tracks are a bit thin and the dubbing itself is not all that great, but they’re both clean with good support for the various elements. The Italian stereo is a bit overbearing when it comes to Pino Donaggio’s score, and highlights more of the mono’s lesser qualities. The Italian mono has mild hiss, but it’s better-balanced, and like the stereo, contains the best performances. It’s the most natural of the four options, making it the clear winner (as well as my own preferred listening option).

All Ladies Do It on 4K Ultra HD sits in a black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray containing the film and additional extras. Also included are four lobby card reproductions and a 20-page booklet containing From Demon to Saint: The Career of Claudia Koll by Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti. The double-sided insert features the original Italian theatrical artwork on one side, and a censored version on the other with the All Ladies Do It title. Everything is housed in a slipcover featuring a still from the film. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE (UHD)

Audio Commentary with Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth
Tinto Brass Trailers:
- All Ladies Do It English Language Trailer (UHD – 3:21)
- Frivolous Lola (Monella) Italian Trailer (UHD – 2:17)

DISC TWO (BD)

Audio Commentary with Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth
All Ladies Do It 2001 Interview with Tinto Brass (SD – 15:19)
Outtakes (Upscaled SD – 9:57)
Still Photo Gallery (HD – 25 in all – 2:05)
Tinto Brass Trailers:
- All Ladies Do It English Language Trailer (UHD – 3:21)
- Frivolous Lola (Monella) Italian Trailer (UHD – 2:17)
- Paprika Italian Trailer (HD – 1:11)
- P.O. Box Tinto Brass Italian Trailer (HD – 1:05)
- Istintobrass Trailer Italian Trailer (HD – 4:13)

In the new audio commentary with filmmaker and documentarian Eugenio Ercolani and Italian film historian and author Troy Howarth, they discuss the scope of Tinto Brass’ career and the different genres that he tackled before settling comfortably into making erotic films, while also highlighting many of the film’s key players, and its use of fantasy and humor. In the vintage 2001 interview with Tinto Brass (first included on the 2004 Cult Epics Special Edition DVD release), he discusses his ideas for the film and its origins, including its title, and further discusses his belief that chastity, virginity, and fidelity are all imposed upon people by culture. He also talks about his actors and how he chooses them, his shooting locations, his career, and the censorship of his films in different territories. The Outtakes are uncensored and feature on-set audio in most cases, while running silent in others. The Still Photo Gallery contains 26 behind-the-scenes and promotional images. Last is a set of trailers for other Tinto Brass films. All of these bonus materials are worth your time, but it’s a shame that Claudia Koll, who left the industry long ago, could not have participated in them somehow.

One’s reception to All Ladies Do It will certainly depend upon their own open-mindedness. It’s not something you put on for simple, light entertainment value, and one’s initial reaction to something that mixes constant nudity and sex with humor and an underlying message may not be to everyone’s taste. It’s challenging cinema, but if that sounds like your cup of tea, All Ladies Do It on 4K UHD is certainly the way to go, with a gorgeous presentation and an informative set of bonus materials.

- Tim Salmons

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