Tinto Brass, the veteran journeyman director perhaps best known for directing the infamous 1979 erotic film Caligula, has died.
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The director's family announced his passing in Rome today (Nov. 4) to the Italian press agency Ansa, per Deadline. No cause of death was provided for the 93-year-old.
The Milan native moved to Paris in the late 1950s after studying law in the northern Italian city of Padua. According to Deadline, Brass soon found himself joining the Cinémathèque française. The budding filmmaker was an assistant to Joris Ivens and Roberto Rossellini before going on to helm his first film, 1963's Chi Lavora è Perduto.
Straight out of the gate, Brass clashed with censors over the film. This would become a theme of the director's film career.
His filmmaking career moved to London, with Brass helming Deadly Sweet (1967), Attraction (1969) and Dropout (1970) there.
It was in the 1970s that Brass earned his reputation for directing period-piece dramas with an erotic edge. This includes films like Salon Kitty (1976) and The Key (1983).
Tinto Brass Disavowed the Version of 'Caligula' Originally Released in Theaters
However, it was 1979's Caligula that earned Tinto Brass a place in the pantheon of film directors who pushed the envelope of what could be considered mainstream. With a reported $25 million budget, starring stars like Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, and Peter O'Toole, and penned by Gore Vidal, the film was set to be a traditional historical epic about the rise and fall of Roman Emperor Caligula with a bit of an edge.
That is, until the film's financier/producer, Bob Guccione (the founder of Penthouse), stepped in. After clashing with Brass and Vidal, Guccione dismissed both. He hired another director to do a series of reshoots, which resulted in literal hardcore sex scenes being added to the final edit of the film.
Brass and Vidal both publicly disavowed this version of the film, with Vidal insisting that his name be taken off the project. The uncut version reportedly got banned in several countries.
Finally, in 2023, Caligula: The Ultimate Cut, which excised Guccione's additions to the film played in Cannes Classics.
Meanwhile, Brass managed to have a lengthy career following the Caligula controversy, leaning into his status as an erotic filmmaker. He went on to most recently helm a series of erotic short in the 2000s, such as Monamour, the wonderfully titled Kick the Cock and Hotel Courbet.
Tinto Brass is survived by his wife, Caterina Varzi, and children Bonifacio and Beatrice Brass.
