Cheeky — Cheeky( UHD/ Blu-Ray)
Appearing in the early 2000s Cheeky ( aka Tra(sgre)dire ) was the twenty-first film from cigar-chopping euro auteur Tinto Brass- who made erotically charged, at times arty genre films. The film is a decidedly playful ‘n’ buoyant erotic comedy/drama, which finds an often no underwear-wearing Venetian twentysomething in London, hiring out an apartment & trying to get her conscientious/ studious boyfriend to join her in the UK. Like much of Brass’s work the picture titres on the edge of hardcore, but never fully drives in- instead, it uses fleshy tropes to edge its story.
Here from Cult Films is a recent dual UHD/ Blu-Ray release of the picture- featuring a lush new print, commentary track, a few other things on the discs, and a glossy inlay booklet/art cards.
Cheeky appeared in the year 2000- it was filmed in an apartment in London’s Isle Of Dogs overlooking the Millennium Dome, a few studio sets, and (maybe) some on-location Venetia shots- though it’s difficult to be certain of this. In total Brass has thirty-one titles to his name- with his last credit being his 2023 directors-cut version of Caligula (1979). He is known for his more arty/ stylised take on the adult film genre.
The film kicks off in a decidedly bright, buoyant, and playfully erotically charged manner- as we see our pantie-less/ bra-less lead Carla (Yuliya Mayarchuk) walking through a London park on a summer's day. First, we see a very cliched English policeman saying ‘Who is in charge’, then we see a series of characters in the park as she walks by involved in flashing or other sexual activity, with the scene ending with a brown-coated middle-aged man flashing his member at Carla, who just laughs…this is the first of many fake male members we see in the film.
As things unfold Carla visits an estate agent run by the decidedly randy lesbian Moira(Francesca Nunzi)- who fondles the hairy & pant-less nether regions of Carla. She gets put up in a large dock-side flat, getting a special rate.
There is not a whole lot of plot depth/character development going on in the films one & a half hour runtime. Really it just finds Carla going from one location to the next- and having a sexually charged encounter. She visits a Photoshop, run by the large & Cigar chopping director- who pokes and prods. She goes to an all-female spar/ pool, where everyone is nude. Attends a party- where a line of women are spread out along a couch- their backsides exposed for the guests to rate. We get a few sexually charged flashbacks too- one on a beach, and another in a steamy kitchen.
The main/key plot line, if you can call it that, regards her rather straight-laced/study-focused boyfriend Matteo(Jarno Berardi) planning to join her in London- before he finds love letters/nude pictures from a past lover, and doubts her love for him.
Acting-wise Mayarchuk is fine as our largely bright & buoyant lead- though initially, her English dubbed voice seems a little high & grating( this does resolve/ or I got used to it, as the film progresses). Nunzi as the rather predatory lesbian is effective. And Berardi is ok as the initially straight-laced boyfriend.
The largely bright ‘n’ breezy tone of the film is enhanced by a mellow/ tuneful/ lightly grooving guitar, bass, and synthetic horn score by Pino Donaggio. On the whole, the more arty side of Brass’s work is played down in this film, though there are a few impressive sets- like the decidedly large bathroom in the apartment where the party goes on.
Cheeky is very much switch-off your mind off erotic comedy-drama- that’s certainly very well made & filmed, with a light & playful tone. Sure, as with all of Brass’s work, you'll need to be fine with edging hardcore nudity- but this never becomes too involved/ prolonged.
Moving onto this two-disc UHD/Blu-Ray release. It takes in a new 4k print- this is well-defined and full of great clarity and depth. The UHD disc takes in the film, commentary track, and trailer. On the Blu-Ray we have the film, commentary, and the other extras.
On the extras side, we have a new commentary track from genre experts Eugenio Ercolani & Nathaniel Thompson. They begin by talking about how this is Brass’s first film of the 2000’s, and it very much ushering in a new era for the director. We find out the Italian translation of the film's title is a mix of the words transgress & cheat, and they touch on how the director often played with words with his titles. They comment on notable crew names in the credits, and talk about the scandals/ dodgy dealings regarding the film's producer. Ercolani talks about how he recalls posters for the film all over Rome when the film was released- though he confirms the film's release wasn’t such an event as previously Brass films had been in Italy. The pair discuss how this was the director's last film to not go direct to video. They talk about how this was Pino Donaggio's third & final score for Brass- touching briefly on the sound of the other two scores, as well as giving a potted history of Donaggio scores for erotic films. Later on, they discuss how the film did better on home video than it did in the cinema. They talk about how Ms Mayarchuk sadly didn’t go on too much, unlike many of Brass’s leading ladies. They chat about how the film's male lead is a bit of a jerky, and pounder why Carla would stay with him. Discusses the stand-out beach scene, talk about Brass films that have stood the test of time, and more. This is an excellent track, which I can certainly see myself returning to again- to pick up missed titbits.
The other new extra is a new shot on-film interview with cinematographer Massimo Di Venanzo (37.49)- this is very in-depth, covering not just his work with Brass- but the whole of his career, which was most impressive working with the likes of Bernardo Bertolucci and Federico Fellini.
Otherwise, we have an interview with Brass from around the release of the film(8.16), isolated score, image gallery, and trailer.
The release comes with a slip, four postcards taking in stills from the film, and a twenty-page glossy inlay booklet. The booklet features loads of pictures from the film/its promotion, and a fifteen-page article.
It is excellent to see Cult Epics continuing with its classy reissuing of Tinto Brass’s back catalogue- with a great print, worthy extras, and a glossy booklet, and I certainly look forward to what they put out next. If you enjoy breezy ‘n’ bright comedy/ dramas with a fleshy/ playfully arty edge, then Cheeky will be right up your street.