Erotic film director Tinto Brass dies in Italy at age 93 — ANSA English

Italian director Tinto Brass, known primarily for his work in the erotic film genre, has died in Rome at the age of 93. The director's wife, Caterina Varzi, and his children, Bonifacio and Beatrice, told ANSA about his death on the morning of November 4. The funeral will be held in a strictly private format.

From avant-garde to erotic cinema

Tinto Brass, whose real name was Giovanni Brass, was born on March 26, 1933, in Milan. After obtaining a law degree, he moved to Paris in the 1950s, where he worked as an archivist at the French Cinémathèque and was an assistant to directors Alberto Cavalcanti and Joris Ivens.

After returning to Italy, Brass worked as Roberto Rossellini's assistant in 1959 on the films India and General Della Rovere. His directorial debut in 1963 was Chi lavora è perduto, a critique of alienated labor that attracted the attention of censors.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Brass made a number of avant-garde films in various genres. His works from that period include Col cuore in gola, L’urlo, Nerosubianco and La vacanza. La vacanza, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero, won the jury prize at the 1971 Venice Film Festival.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Best-known works

Brass is best known for his later erotic films La chiave, Così fan tutte, Paprika, Monella and Trasgredire. His films featured Serena Grandi, Deborah Caprioglio, Francesca Dellera, Anna Ammirati, Anna Galiena and Claudia Koll.

The director's filmography also includes Salon Kitty, Caligula, Miranda, Capriccio, L’uomo che guarda, Fermo posta Tinto Brass, Senso ’45 and Fallo!. His final work was Monamour, made in 2005; it was Brass's first film created in digital format.

After suffering a stroke in 2010, the director used a wheelchair. At the recent Venice Film Festival, Caterina Varzi read out his address before the world premiere of a restored 4K version of Col cuore in gola.