Cult Epics
4K UHD Release: April 2nd, 2024
Video: 1.85:1/2160p/Color
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Mono, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Mono
Subtitles: English
Run Time: 96:30
Director: Tinto Brass
Although Diana (Claudia Koll) is happily married to Paolo (Paolo Lanza), both romantically and sexually, she still finds herself searching for erotic encounters outside of her marriage. Whether it's an amorous French antiques dealer (Franco Branciaroli) she meets at an erotic poetry reading or her cousin Marco (Marco Marciani), who she slept with before her marriage, she finds herself surrounded by opportunities for flings that she can't help but consider. Can she find a way to break through Paolo's self-destructive jealousy and remain married without having to repress this other side of herself, or is the couple doomed?
Although there are at least some interesting discussions to extract from All Ladies Do It's exploration of marital boundaries, it's safe to say that the primary reason that most people will watch the film, and no doubt the primary reason it was made, is to bask in the beauty of star Claudia Koll and various other gorgeous Italian actresses. Director Tinto Brass (legendary for movies exactly like this one) wastes no time, having his star strip down to black lingerie that leaves her breasts and crotch uncovered for the movie's opening title sequence, with plenty more scenes featuring Koll in all sorts of states of undress to follow in the subsequent 95 minutes. It's also fair to say that if glamorizing Koll was the goal for both actor and director, she couldn't have picked a better man for the job -- rarely has a movie been quite as in love with its star as this one.
In addition to showing her off visually, Brass and co-writers Francesco Costa and Bernardino Zapponi give Koll a fun character to play. Although there's probably an unspoken assumption that the audience will already be on board with Diana's lust, Koll's playful attitude is infectious in scenes such as a bus ride where she turns the tables on a pair of gropers and sticks her butt in a seminary student's face. Later, in a more wicked scene set on a train, she plays temptress to a pair of random strangers. Despite these and other trysts, Koll projects a sincerity in Diana's scenes with Paolo that make her argument that he should be less jealous relatively convincing. Paolo, on the other hand, seems like a sour-faced spoilsport who gets turned on by the idea of Diana's infidelity but resents the desire that informs the incidents she describes to him.
Beyond showcasing Koll, Brass offers a few unexpected flourishes elsewhere in the movie, mostly through the character of Paolo. While his wife is off with others, Paolo occasionally fantasizes. In one, his wife's bush creeps toward his face (something to see in 4K UHD!), and in another, he and Diana are transported into a sexy filmstrip they've just watched (featuring Diana's sexually adventurous aunt). Later in the film, when he and Diana are on the outs, he goes to a beach to fume, and has an imagined conversation with himself, wearing the costume of a fisherman he can make out on the horizon. The movie even ends with what I have to believe is a sight gag that could arguably have been ripped right out of The Naked Gun.
As far as its examination of relationships goes, All Ladies Do It in 2024 makes for an amusing journey in cultural whiplash. The movie's aggressively sexual nature seems like it could encounter pushback as debates about our increasingly puritanical culture rage online. On the other hand, it makes a reasonably compelling argument for polyamory, and features an unexpected peek at the underground queer scene in '90s Italy, when Diana goes on a girls' night to some sort of rave and/or sex party in the park filled with men and women hooking up in all manner of ways. Then there's the streak of Italian humor that ranges from grossly inappropriate (Diana wakes up Paolo the morning after a sexy evening by play-raping him) to outright bizarre (Diana's blonde coworker explains that she might as well bone their boss for extra perks at work because...it's like fucking her dad?).
Video
This new Cult Epics edition of All Ladies Do It is the film's North American premiere on Blu-ray, and a worldwide premiere on 4K UHD, and for the occasion, the film has been afforded a new 4K scan from the original camera negative. They have also scanned the director's cut, although I have no idea what has been added, as this is the first time I've seen the movie. The result is a distinctly film-like transfer that will frequently allow viewers to see every detail, starting with each individual goosebump on Koll's butt in the movie's title sequence (immortalized on some of the poster art). The color and contrast, while vibrant, appears to have been largely left alone, meaning that temperature and depth can noticeably vary from shot to shot, with shadows on skin sometimes looking a touch greenish and hazy lighting sometimes flattening the image, but this is all inherent to the original photography and not a flaw with the transfer. On the whole, reds and whites have a satisfying crispness that will dispel any concerns about revisionist timing, and which set the disc apart from screenshots available online of the 2013 UK Arrow Blu-ray. If one looks very closely, there are occasional instances of very minor print damage and vertical scratches, but these don't take away from the overall quality of the presentation. For a good example of a scene that really runs the gamut of what the transfer can offer, skip to the scene where Diana arrives at the apartment she inherits. In any case, it's hard to imagine fans of this movie being disappointed by the clarity offered here, especially compared to Cult Epics' own 20-year-old DVD.
Audio
For All Ladies Do It, Cult Epics has included a surprising four audio options: English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio tracks in both 2.0 and Mono. Those who watch Italian films will know that there is no real "original" language, with both options being dubbed to at least some degree. Flipping between the tracks, separation is noticeable on the 2.0 tracks compared to the mono, and the Italian tracks are much more muffled and canned, with the dialogue on the English language track sounding crisp and clear. Music sounds quite nice regardless of which audio option one goes with. Optional English subtitles are also provided.
Extras
Commentary by authors and critics Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth - Ercolani and Howarth focus their track around Brass himself and his career, examining the recurring themes and motifs, including his love of butts, his use of mirrors and dream sequences, his status in his home country and comparisons to other Italian directors, and various movies throughout his career, including touching on many films he made that were not erotic. Those who love Brass will find plenty to enjoy about this track.
Archival interview with director Tinto Brass (15:19) - A holdover from the aforementioned DVD edition from Cult Epics, this interview sits down with Brass to discuss his work, including his thoughts on making adult movies, his working relationship with the actresses in his films, and the ideas that went into All Ladies Do It. Brass has quite a thick accent, and viewers may need to pause and rewind to take in everything he says.
Outtakes (9:57) - Note that some of the material here, again ported from Cult Epics' DVD, have been reincorporated back into the film.
Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer - Not only is a trailer for All Ladies Do It included, there are also trailers for further Brass films available through Cult Epics, including Frivolous Lola, Paprika (1991), P.O. Box Tinto Brass, and Istintobrass.
All Ladies Do It is -- or was -- available in a couple of variations. Genre Grinder was sent the standard edition for review, which includes a booklet with writing by Ercolani and Domenico Monetti, and there are also four Italian lobby card reprints tucked in the case as well. The cover is also reversible, and there is a glossy slipcover with more retailer-friendly artwork on it. Those who ordered via Cult Epics could also choose a site-exclusive edition with an alternate slipcover, but as of this writing, this edition is already sold out.
Conclusion
Those looking for erotic thrills in All Ladies Do It will have nothing to complain about, as Tinto Brass turns his leading lady into the movie equivalent of a Greek goddess. The movie is relatively breezy and playful despite some very bizarre jokes, and the new Cult Epics 4K UHD of the film offers a presentation that makes Brass' showcase of Koll as visually stunning as possible, and the overall package, even the standard edition, is quite nice.
The images on this page are taken from the Blu-ray and sized for the page. Larger versions can be viewed by clicking the images.