Erotic Cinema Master Tinto Brass Dies at 93; His Books Include ‘In Praise of the Behind’

A gaze exploring human nature and desire, and a lasting mark on the screen

Director Tinto Brass, regarded as a master of Italian erotic cinema, has died at 93. Italian media outlets, including the ANSA news agency, reported on the 4th (local time) that he died in Rome. His family said his funeral would be held privately, in accordance with his wishes.

Born in Milan, Italy, in March 1933, Tinto Brass made a striking debut on the international film scene in 1963 with Who Works Is Lost, which he presented at the Venice International Film Festival. In his early work, he was sharply critical of the established order and strongly inclined toward avant-garde experimentation. Over time, however, he focused increasingly on human sexual desire and its depiction, forging a distinctive body of work.

He is widely regarded as having mocked the solemnity of the older generation and boldly challenged social conventions through his extensive use of extreme close-ups and zoom shots. Among his best-known films, which reflect his distinctive artistic vision, are All Ladies Do It, a provocative reimagining of Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte, and Caligula, which graphically depicts the madness and sexual deviance of the Roman emperor.

Alongside his work as a filmmaker, he contributed columns to the men’s magazine Penthouse and pursued an active writing career, publishing books including In Praise of the Behind. After suffering a stroke in 2010, he lived in a wheelchair. More recently, he also sent a special message to an event at the Venice International Film Festival screening 4K restorations of his early films.

In his message at the time, he reflected, “My work is bizarre, paradoxical, rough and exaggerated, and at the same time surreal,” adding, “Throughout my life in film, there was always an aesthetic quest, experimentation and a firm choice in favor of freedom.”