*salon kitty* a film by tinto brass (1975/6) . italian and english . inspired by a true story from Schlock on Veehd.
Salon Kitty has been brought to us by the ever so wonderful Bill Lustig and his company Blue Underground. Limited to 20,000 copies, Salon Kitty is presented with a two disc DVD set, totally uncut and uncensored for the first time ever. I’ll be examining both disc starting with the first which contains the film in its entirety, two theatrical trailers, one international and one United States trailer which portrays the film under its secondary title Madam Kitty and a wonderfully written biography on Director Tinto Brass.
On the second disc I began with the comprehensively fascinating interview with director Tinto Brass. Words cannot illustrate just how much of a genius Mr. Brass is, and although this interview is able to depict him in such a state of sophistication, I feel as a viewer there’s far more than meets the eye and fills the ears. The discussion concentrates on Tinto as a whole rather than using him as a sub to other background information. He focuses on explaining his film and why he chose specific actors and actresses to play such fundamental roles. He continues to express his love for the motion picture and his much admired appreciation for the great accomplishments of the set designer and everyone involved in this particular movie. The interview runs around fifteen minutes long and is best summed up as a thoroughly engaging and often intellectually constructed look at one man’s vision through his eyes alone. (This interview uses subtitles, as Tinto Brass speaks in his native Italian language.)
The next outstanding supplement I’ll be taking a look at is an interview with Salon Kitty’s very own set designer, Ken Adams. Shall I begin, not by words of deception or fiction, but mere fact? What shall I speak of first, the luscious marble coated inclined floors, the colorful pained glass windows, or perhaps the bleak confinement cells? All of the above and more can be heard talked about in this immense discussion told straight from the mouth of the man who envisioned them, Ken Adams.
The second disc continues with great photos of Ken Adams’ production designs and Jost Jakob’s costume designs. Both entries are hand sketched drawings and are terrific assets when compared to the final work presented on film. Closing out the second disc we have a splendid posters and still gallery accompanied by three radio spots and "The Story of Salon Kitty" only on DVD-ROM. Directed by Tinto Brass
Written by Ennio De Concini, Maria Pia Fusco, and Tinto Brass
1975, Region 0 (NTSC), 133 minutes, Not rated
DVD released on June 24th, 2003
Starring:
Helmut Berger
Ingrid Thulin
Teresa Ann Savoy
John Steiner
Sara Sperati
John Ireland
Tina Aumont
Stefano Satta Flores
Bekim Fehmiu
