ALL LADIES DO IT

(A.k.a. COSI FAN TUTTE; ALL WOMEN DO IT)

Diana (Claudia Koll) is 24 years old and madly in love with her husband Paolo (Paolo Lanza). But, as we learn from a letter she writes to an agony aunt beneath the opening titles, her highly sexed disposition has led to discontent.

It's not she and her husband don't enjoy a healthy sex life, they do - albeit she's the more daring of the two (she wants to have sex in the car, he needs coaxing into doing so, and so on).

But something is lacking for Diana. She longs for spontaneity, for a type of thrill that her otherwise attractive husband seemingly can't provide.

Upon attending an art exhibition, Diana leaves her husband talking to a stuffy guest while she dances with the enigmatic Alphonse (Franco Branciaroli), a Frenchman who boasts of his new home in Venice. She's already hot under the collar following a public reading of an extract from an erotic author's latest novel - Alphonse tips her over the edge by molesting her crotch and telling her what he'd like to do to her derriere.

She excuses herself but Alphonse follows her to the bathroom and, using his skilled fingers and tongue, coaxes her into accepting anal sex. Unfortunately, Paolo turns up at this juncture and the horny couple's tryst is cut short.

Paolo, bless him, is as confused a soul as Diana is. He clearly gets jealous at the thought of his wife betraying him, and yet is aroused by her taunting tales of how she almost cheated - uncertain though he is as to whether she's telling the truth.

A short while later, Diana is at work in a local lingerie store where a well-to-do customer and a colleague try to persuade her that her thoughts are not that uncommon. They reason that, as the film's title suggests, all women indulge in infidelity at some point. They long for the thrill of having sex with a stranger, Diana's assured, and it has no reflection on their feelings for their spouse.

At this point, Diana's boss - having just had his wicked way with her colleague's pretty backside - asks Diana to attend a business meeting in Venice.

Cheekily refusing to promise a worried Paolo that she won't stray while away, Diana swiftly sets off on course for Venice. On the way, she indulges in a spot of fantasising on the train ("my ass is still a virgin!"), snogs an old flame and gets her bum out at every given opportunity.

Of course, once she's settled in Venice it's not long before she rings Alphonse up and makes her way to his penthouse apartment with a mind to fulfilling the promise of buggery.

The director of SALON KITTY and CALIGULA takes a lighter track here in this (very) loose adaptation of Mozart's "Con Fan Tutti".

Clocking at 96 minutes and 37 seconds, I believe this is the full uncut International version of ALL LADIES DO IT. Certainly. it's a fairly hard 'soft porn' offering with plentiful glimpses of full-frontal female nudity, scenes of Diana's pubic hairs being spread apart by lovers' fingers and more than a few moments where her bum cheeks are generously spread too. The sex is pretty obviously simulated, although there are quite a few graphic erections (prosthetic?) on display. The only actual scene of penetration is shown on a TV screen while Diana and Paolo are watching a porno. All of the sex and nudity in the main film is filmed with consummate finesse, which is to be expected from writer-director Tinto Brass.

ALL LADIES DO IT being from 1992 finds Brass indulging heavily in his obsession with the female backside. Almost to the point of self-parody, he zooms in on Koll's arse at every opportunity. Not that I'm complaining. Koll is gorgeous, completely, and also gives a charismatic performance that enables the audience to warm to her despite her character's mercenary ways.

The rest of the cast are incidental: this really is Koll's film. She's physically beautiful, and Brass' camera loves her almost as much as I do.

But what also engages is the playful script which mixes humour and bawdiness with weak but well-intended attempts at understanding the female psyche, which at least shows the director is more interested in his lead character than as being merely a male fantasy figure.

The film often looks pretty, be it the colourful costume designs that Koll gets to wear throughout or the lovely Venice location photography. Art decor is a strong point in the movie, further ensuring that almost every scene is aesthetically pleasing beyond the central attraction of Koll's arse (if you can look past that). Pino Donaggio's score is alternately sexy and cringingly of-its-time (dated electro beats), while a later rave scene is so embarrassing I had to look away. The dancing! The fashions! The sounds! Urgh, was 1992 really this fucking awful? Or is this just what happens when an old guy tries to direct something 'young and happening'?

Brass' storyline isn't up to much but the film does hold the attention throughout and, despite some potentially tasteless moments (Diana's increasingly desperate promiscuity; the mantra that anal sex does not count as infidelity), keeps an agreeable tone for its duration. Even though the denouement is obvious, and typically chauvinistic ...

Arrow Films bring ALL LADIES DO IT to the UK domestic market in a 2-disc blu-ray and DVD combo pack. The region B blu-ray was made available for review purposes.

The film is presented uncut in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio and is 16x9 enhanced. Provided as an MPEG4-AVC file, the transfer graces the film with full 1080p HD resolution and generally looks very good. Detail is upgraded noticeably over previous presentations, especially when you take in the fine hairs and beads of sweat on faces and skin. A fine layer of natural grain ensures the film retains an earthy look. There is, however, a milkiness to proceedings that may jar some viewers. It renders blacks as more of a dark grey (thankfully free from compression issues), but never becomes a major issue. Having been shot by regular Brass cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti, it's been suggested that this look is true to his usual style.

Audio LPCM stereo mixes are available for both the film's original Italian soundtrack and a hideous English dubbed alternative. Both offer clean, clear playbacks. The latter really is terrible - not so much the lip-synching, but the voices used to dub the characters. Still, it might come in handy if you can't be bothered to read while you're wanking.

Each track comes with its own set of optional English subtitles.

An animated main menu page contains pop-up menus, including a scene-selection menu which allows access to the film via 12 chapters.

The only extra feature on the blu-ray disc is a 3-minute theatrical trailer, with English audio, which features some choice scenes and even an introduction from Mr Brass himself.

The DVD, as well as featuring all of the above in standard definition, apparently also features an archive documentary on the making of the film.

Arrow's set is rounded off by double-sided reversible cover art and a collector's booklet containing liner notes by David Flint along with archive production stills.

ALL LADIES DO IT makes a welcome debut on UK blu-ray here. It's a daring release from Arrow, but perhaps a natural progression following on from their first dips in the erotic ocean with the recent Radley Metzger releases (SCORE, THE LICKERISH QUARTET, CAMILLE 2000).

Review by Stuart Willis