Diana loves her husband Paolo of five years but she can’t help but feel adrift and bored with her marriage. In order to inject some thrills into her life, Diana begins having a string of affairs, on a mission to immerse herself in hidden worlds of passion and pleasure wherever she goes. She reveals her dalliances to Paolo in the hopes that he will understand, but is Diana’s hyper-eroticism just too much for Paolo to take?
Director Tinto Brass (Caligula, Salon Kitty) is a butt man. There’s nothing wrong that. In fact, his consistency of vision in capturing the ass in all its globular glory is to be commended. Having said that, his fixation on the derriere does border on parody at a certain point. All that being said, Cosi fan Tutte a.k.a. All Ladies Do It is more than just buxom bottoms (although rest assured, there are plenty of fannies, both US and UK, for those looking for that). Yes, this is a softcore sex comedy (with a couple of scenes that come very close to hardcore), and while some will come to it for the more unseemly aspects of the film, Brass brings more to the table than just titilation. At the core of the film is actress Claudia Koll as Diana. In some ways, this movie actually feels progressive in the way that it has a very sex positive outlook. Diana is not portrayed as a slut who should feel ashamed of her activities. In fact, Brass follows her journey will a refreshingly frank and non-judgmental approach. Koll is ideal in this role. She is able to convey a hidden strength with a coy smile that broadcasts that she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. Coupled with the magnetic lead performance is Brass’s typically great shot composition and production design. These sets are a significant cut above the usual bland, rented hotel rooms of the typical sex film. Brass also has an assuredness behind the camera, able to capture beautiful imagery (although he does get into Jess Franco territory with some uncomfortable extreme close-ups of anatomy that go from sexy to clinical pretty quick). While All Ladies Do It may not be the ideal film for those who are looking for something with a bit more substance in their plot, Claudia Koll’s radiant personality is able to go a long way toward making the film more appealing beyond those looking for a few cheap thrills.
Cult Epics’ new 4K UHD transfer for All Ladies Do It looks amazing. This is definitely the best this nicely photographed film has ever looked. The colors are rich and consistent with a nice level of grain. We have both an English dub and the original Italian audio track, both being made available in DST-HD MA 2.0 Stereo and Mono. For extras, first up is an audio commentary with Eugenio Ercolani (director of several eurocult documentaries like Banned Alive! The Rise and Fall of Italian Cannibal Movies) and Troy Howarth (author of the So Deadly, So Perverse giallo reference books), and it’s a very good commentary with lots of interesting info about the film, about Brass, about actress Koll and other cast and crew involved in the movie. This disc also includes an interview with Brass talking about the film as well as outtakes, several of which were incorporated back into the film. On the physical extra front, we’ve got a set of nice lobby cards that really showcase Claudia Koll’s magnetic personality as well as a booklet that features an essay on Koll’s entire career by Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti. It’s a very good essay that is well worth checking out if you are interested in Koll’s career trajectory.
This spicy softcore sex romp by the legendary Tinto Brass isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, but for those who share Brass’s affinity for the ass, Cult Epics has delivered a very nice package that is well worth picking up for fans of the director and euro sex comedies in general.