Italian filmmaker Tinto Brass, best known for directing the 1979 film Caligula, died Wednesday in Rome, his family announced. He was 93.
Starring Malcolm McDowell as the Roman emperor, Caligula was written by Gore Vidal and produced by Penthouse founder Bob Guccione. Helen Mirren, Peter O’Toole and John Gielgud also appeared in the film, which was sharply criticized after its release. Brass and Vidal clashed during production: Brass objected to the editing, which was completed after he was fired, while Vidal disagreed with changes to his script. The film later developed a cult following, and a 178-minute “ultimate cut” was presented at Cannes in 2023.
Brass began making avant-garde films in the 1960s before turning to erotic cinema. His other films in the genre included Salon Kitty (1976), The Key (1983), Paprika (1991), All Ladies Do It (1992), Frivolous Lola (1998) and Cheeky (2000). He also won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for his surrealist comedy The Howl, which he wrote and directed.
Born Giovanni Brass in Milan on March 26, 1933, he grew up in Venice, earned a law degree and worked as an archivist at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris. He later served as an assistant director to Roberto Rossellini and Alberto Cavalcanti.
His feature debut, Who Works Is Lost, screened at the Venice International Film Festival in 1963. His subsequent films included the Western Yankee (1966) and the murder mystery I Am What I Am (1967), starring Jean-Louis Trintignant.
Brass is survived by his second wife, Caterina, whom he married in 2017, and his children, Bonifacio and Beatrice. He was married to his first wife, Carla Cipriani, from 1957 until her death in 2006.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter.