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Released by: Cult Epics
Released on: October 22nd, 2024.
Director: Tinto Brass
Cast: Yuliya Mayarchu, Jarno Beradi, Francesca Nunzi, Max Parodi
Year: 2000
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Cheeky! – Movie Review:
While probably best known to most people for darker fare like Caligula and Salon Kitty, Tinto Brass has pumped out some lighter material as well, and 2000's Cheeky! is a shining example of just how well he can combine comedy with eroticism. All the heat you'd expect from some of his better films like Frivolous Lola is present, and it mixes with some clever and very humane humor to make for a thoroughly enjoyable film that doesn't in the least skimp on what Brass is known for (and that would be beautifully shot booty).
Like many of his films, this one tells the story of a woman with a taste for the carnal. This time around her name is Carla (played by the lovely and ever so curvy Yuliya Mayarchuk), a young woman who has just arrived in London where she'll be working as an intern for a month much to the dismay of her boyfriend, Matteo (Jarno Berardi). He doesn't cope well with the idea of his foxy lady spending time alone in the big city without his watchful eye around to keep her out of trouble and so he arranges to head to London himself shortly after she arrives, just to make sure she behaves.
The rest of the movie more or less follows Carla as she meets one man after the other and even a few women, during her travels around town, most of which end in the same way time after time - with Carla tempted to give in to what her mind knows she shouldn't indulge in but which her body tells her to go for! Matteo is never too far behind though, and she finds herself in a bit of a dilemma as she truly wants to stay true to him, or at least she thinks she does, but it's proving to be very difficult what with so many willing playmates throwing themselves at her feet. Matteo, on the other hand, is starting to find out for himself just how tempting love can be when offered without consequence.
Brass' strong points lay in the cinematography that is always such a staple of his films. Known for lush settings, soft lighting, and, like Russ Meyer, showing just enough to get us interested without going for full out hardcore, his movies always look classy and slick. With that in mind, there are moments in Cheeky! that rival anything he's shot in terms of composition and flat out style, and at times it almost seems like he's raised his own bar - this movie looks absolutely fantastic. Just check out the scene with the ladies in the sauna room, how the steam glistens against the tiles and the flesh and note how the camera captures all of it.
The movie also has a very playful side to it that makes it a lot of fun. Carla is a free spirited character, we learn this early on when she reacts to a flasher by responding in kind, double fold, and it's an attitude she keeps up as the story progresses. We see through her interactions with her real estate agent friend and her randy ex-husband that she's not intimidated by strangers (to put it mildly) nor is she anything even remotely resembling shy in the least. As such, she stumbles through the film with such enthusiasm that you can't help but be at least partially charmed by her, and the character is made all the more appealing by Yuliya Mayarchuk's natural good looks and physical presence (which of course, Brass accentuates through his lighting and camera work, both of which typically fetishize the ass, as is his way).
The whole sexy comedic soap opera plays out against a bouncy soundtrack courtesy of Pino Donaggio that fits the mood and the tone of the film perfectly. The film seems to be a celebration of physical love and the joys that it can bring to a man or a woman should they shed themselves of the guilt that society, particularly a Catholic society such as Brass' native Italy, can shoulder upon someone. It doesn't preach, nor does it necessarily make a case for the hippy ideal of free love, it simply follows a pretty girl as she does some experimenting of her own free will and for the benefit of herself and no one else. Look for Brass himself to show up in an amusing cameo appearance in the later part of the movie.
Cheeky! – UHD Review:
Cheeky! arrives on UHD in an HEVC encoded 2160p and framed in its proper original widescreen 1.85.1 aspect ratios with HDR and it looks really strong. Colors pop without looking boosted or oversaturated and skin tones look natural throughout, never too pink or too orange. We get nice, deep black levels and an impressive level of detail, depth and texture evident throughout pretty much the entire film, though keep in mind that most of the movie is shot in a hazy, soft style so for that reason it doesn’t quite pop the way other movies might on the format. Overall, however, seeing this in 4k really brings out the quality of the camerawork in the movie, while the transfer avoids compression artifacts or any overly aggressive sharpening or smoothing of any kind. You’ll be hard pressed to notice any print damage, dirt or debris at all, the image is pretty much spotless through and through. The picture always looks like it was taken from a legitimate film source, meaning it never looks especially digitized or manipulated. All in all, the picture quality here is really strong and this is quite a bit upgrade over past editions.
English and Italian language options are provided in 24-bit DTS-HD 5.1 Surround Sound and 24-bit DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo, with optional subtitles provided for both tracks in English only. The film plays better in Italian but the English dubbed track isn’t awful at all, so go with whatever option you prefer. The 5.1 mixes spread things out into the rear channels nicely, most the score but occasionally effects and dialogue as well. Audio quality is also quite good, with the dialogue always up front in the mix and never overpowered by the use of music in the film. The performers are always easy to understand and follow and neither mix has any hiss or distortion to complain about.
Extras start off with a new audio commentary by Eugenio Ercolani and Nathaniel Thompson that goes over where Brass' career was at this point in time, changes that had occurred in his work over the years, details on the cast and crew and the various people that Brass collaborated with on the film, Mayarchuk's work in the film, how the feature length film compares and contrasts to some of the shorts that Brass had made around this period, outside influences that worked their way into the movie, the state of softcore versus hardcore and how Brass' work walks the line and quite a bit more.
We also get a new Interview with cinematographer Massimo Di Venanzo titled Brassgressions and Other Diversions. Here, over thirty-eight minutes, he speaks about how he got into the film business and some of the connections that he made along the way, how he worked his way up the ladder, some of the people that he worked with along the way, people that he considers mentors and what he learned from them, connecting with Brass and how he came to work with him in the first place and details on the different films that they've made together over the years.
Also new to this release is the option to listen to Pino Donaggio’s score as a forty-one minute isolated audio track that plays out over a still from the feature.
Carried over from the older DVD edition is an eight minute interview with the cigar chomping director himself entitled Backstage With Tinto Brass. Here he talks quite openly about what he likes in an erotic film, what he thinks works and doesn't work, and how he goes about capturing that very specific viewpoint on film in his work. There's plenty of great behind the scenes footage here including plenty of clips of the fine female cast in undress, as well as some nice clips in which we see Brass actually at work on the set making the film. The only complaint about this piece is that it's too short and it leaves us wanting more. Aside from that, we get a trailer for the film in high definition, and a still gallery in addition to the expected menus and chapter selection options.
Finishing up the extras are some theatrical trailers (one for the feature and bonus trailers for Frivolous Lola, All Ladies Do It!, Paprika, P.O. Box Tinto Brass and istintobrass?), a still gallery, menus and chapter selection options.
As to the packaging, Cult Epics includes a double-sided sleeve with original uncensored Italian poster art on one side and a slightly less risqué option on the other. The two discs in the set also come packaged with a twenty-Page illustrated booklet with liner notes by Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti titled ‘The Cheeks Of Controversy: Yuliya Mayarchuk And Tinto Brass’ as well as a set of four postcard-sized lobby card reproductions and a slipcover.
Cheeky! - The Final Word:
Cheeky! remains one of Tinto Brass' better later period films. It's an enjoyable sexy and playful picture with some truly memorable and scintillating set pieces, a remarkably beautiful leading lady and some gorgeous cinematography. The story won't melt your mind but it's fun and enjoyable and as such, for fans of European erotic cinema, this is one well worth seeing. Cult Epics' UHD/Blu-ray reissue looks and sounds great and it contains a nice selection of extras features as well. Highly recommended!
Click on the images below, or right click and open in a new window, for full sized screen caps from the Cheeky Blu-ray!
