Private Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Private Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 22, 2014

Tinto Brass' "Fallo!" a.k.a. "Private" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent U.S. distributors Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; standard making of featurette; and a gallery of stills. In Italian or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Unbelievable...

Private a.k.a Do It! is a zesty erotic comedy comprised of six different episodes, each written, directed and edited by Italian maestro Tinto Brass. The film was released in Italy in 2003 as Fallo!, but outside of its native country it was distributed with a number of alternative titles, including the misleading All Ladies Do It!, which is in fact the original English-language title for an entirely different Brass film.

The structure and tone of Private imitate that of the popular classic sexy Italian comedies from the mid ‘60s. For example, Ettore Scola’s Se permettete parliamo di donne a.k.a. Let’s Talk About Women (1964) and Le bambole a.k.a. The Dolls (1965), which is comprised of four episodes directed by Dino Risi, Franco Rossi, Luigi Comencini and Mauro Bolognini, cover essentially the same material Private does. The only notable differences are the clearly better writing for the classic films -- Let’s Talk About Women was scripted by Scola and Ruggero Maccari (Il Sorpasso, La Visita), while Le Bambole was scripted by Rodolfo Sonego (The Queens, The Girl With A Pistol) -- and more glamorous cast (the two classic films teamed up such stars as Elke Sommer, Virna Lisi, Gina Lollobrigida, Monica Vitti, Jean Sorel, Sylva Koscina, Giovanna Ralli, Nino Manfredi, and Eleonora Rossi Drago). In Brass’ film, the lovemaking scenes are also more explicit.

Alibi - While on vacation in Casablanca, Cinzia and Gianni decide to have a true exotic experience with a young Moroccan bartender. Shortly after midnight, the bartender, who can’t believe his luck, arrives in Cinzia and Gianni’s hotel room with a bottle of expensive champagne. Starring Sarah Cosmi, Massimiliano Caroletti, Guglielmo Aru, and William De Vito.

Double Trouble - The CEO of a large TV station seduces the wife of an ambitious director looking for a promotion. In the meantime, the CEO’s wife seduces the director. At the end of the day, while lying in bed the CEO and his wife praise the director and his wife for all the wrong reasons. With Silvia Rossi, Max Parodi, Federica Tommasi, and Andrea Nobili.

Two Hearts and a Hut - In a secluded hotel somewhere in the Sella Mountains, a kinky couple seduces an unusually friendly maid who loves to play kinky games. The maid then tells her boyfriend, a poor cook, about her experience and he gets upset. He begins to feel a lor better when the maid also reveals to him that she was tipped 300 Euro. With Raffaella Ponzo, Virginia Barrett, Stefano Gandolfo, and Leo Mantovani.

Jolly Bangs - While sunbathing, a young and very beautiful woman tells her husband about a wild sexual experience she had with an old friend. The husband has a hard time believing that his wife had that kind of an experience. With Angela Ferlaino, Daniele Ferrari, Federico Cesareo, Elizabetta Todde, Lorenzo Vitturi, Andrea Ravera, and Vito Oliva.

Evil to Him Who Thinks Evil - A photographer and his girlfriend are invited to visit the home of an English couple living on the Cote d´Azur. Before they go, they promise each other not to cheat. Later on, they change their minds. With Maruska Albertazzi, Ricardo Marino, Antonio Salines, Grazia Morelli, and Vasco Montez.

Call Me Pig, I like It - An Italian couple visiting London gets an extra dose of inspiration while lingerie shopping. With Federica Palmer, Roberto Giulianelli, and Lyudmila Derkach.

Private Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tinto Brass' Private a.k.a. Fallo! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.

I have the Italian R2 DVD release of Fallo! which has the film framed in 1.66:1. While there are some minor discrepancies, the framing on the Blu-ray release actually seems better during a number of different sequences. In other words, there is some reframing on the Italian DVD release as well. (I have included three upscaled screencaptures from the Italian DVD release at the end of our review for you). On the Blu-ray release the improvements in definition and clarity are substantial. Close-ups, in particular, boast very good depth, though there are some minor fluctuations during the darker footage. Generally speaking, contrast levels are stable. Color reproduction could have been better. The blacks, in particular, should be better saturated. The good news here is that the heavy edge enhancement that is present on the DVD release has been eliminated. Some light denoising has been applied, but detail remains mostly decent. Finally, there are various scratches, specks, and tiny dots that pop up on the DVD release but are not present on the Blu-ray release. All in all, while far from perfect the Blu-ray release very clearly represents a good upgrade in terms of visual quality over the Italian DVD release of Fallo!. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Private Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Cult Epics have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The Italian DVD release has two tracks: Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 and Italian Dolby Digital 2.0. The 5.1 track is quite good but it is PAL-adjusted (incorrect pitch). Needless to say, even though a lossless track on the Blu-ray release would have been preferable, the lossy Italian 2.0 track is undoubtedly superior when compared to the two tracks from the DVD release. In fact, I even like its dynamic range better. The English translation is very good.

Private Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Private - raw footage from the shooting of Private with short cast and crew comments. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (18 min, 480/60i).

• Photo Video Gallery - a collection of stills from the film. With music. (2 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - original Italian trailer for Private. Music only. (2 min, 480/60i).

Private Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fallo a.k.a Private is a light and very entertaining sexy comedy that should appeal primarily to fans of Tinto Brass' later films. Though the film's technical presentation is far from perfect, the Blu-ray undoubtedly represents a strong upgrade in quality over previous DVD releases, including the uncut Italian DVD release. RECOMMENDED.