Venice Film Festival to Open with World Premiere of Restored Tinto Brass Cult Classic ‘Deadly Sweet’
The Venice Film Festival has announced that the pre-opening event of its upcoming edition will feature the world premiere of the newly restored 4K digital version of the 1967 cult film Deadly Sweet (originally titled Col cuore in gola). Directed by Tinto Brass, who would later gain international notoriety as a master of Italian softcore erotica, the film is a vibrant, pop-art thriller. The restoration, spearheaded by Rome’s prestigious Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (CSC) - Cineteca Nazionale, highlights the festival's ongoing commitment to preserving and celebrating classic Italian genre cinema.
Deadly Sweet represents a pivotal moment in Brass’s early career, long before his transition to controversial erotic dramas such as Salon Kitty (1976) and Caligula (1979). Released in 1967, the film is a highly stylized, giallo-inflected thriller heavily influenced by the French New Wave, British "Swinging London" aesthetics, and pop-art comic strip layouts. The film stars French acting icon Jean-Louis Trintignant as Bernard, an actor who becomes entangled in a dizzying murder mystery, alongside Swedish starlet Ewa Aulin. Cinephiles have long celebrated the movie for its frenetic editing, innovative framing, and psychedelic color palette.
Key Details of the Restoration and Cast:
- Director: Tinto Brass
- Lead Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant and Ewa Aulin
- Original Release Year: 1967
- Restoration Entity: Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia - Cineteca Nazionale, Rome
- Format: 4K Digital Restoration (sourced from the original 35mm camera negatives)
The new 4K digital restoration was meticulously completed to bring back the vivid primary colors and sharp contrasts that defined the film's distinct visual language. Film historians and festival organizers note that showcasing Deadly Sweet serves not only as a tribute to the versatile career of the 91-year-old Brass but also as a reminder of the rich, avant-garde experimentation that characterized Italian cinema in the late 1960s. Representatives from the Cineteca Nazionale emphasized that restoring such genre-bending works is crucial to fully understanding the evolution of Italian filmmaking.
The pre-opening screening will take place at the Sala Darsena on the Venice Lido, ahead of the festival's official opening ceremony. This slot has historically been reserved for residents and film enthusiasts, offering a nostalgic look back at cinematic history. By placing Brass’s early thriller in the spotlight, the Venice Film Festival successfully bridges the gap between high-art cinema and cult genre filmmaking, setting a vibrant, retro tone for the prestigious festival's upcoming lineup.