Miranda – Cult Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1985
Director: Tinto Brass
Writer: Tinto Brass
Cast: Serena Grandi, Andrea Occhipinti, Franco Interlenghi, Andy J. Forest, Franco Branciaroli, Malisa Longo, Jean-René Lemoine

Release Date: November 10th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 44 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Northern Italy, the Po Valley, in the raw years after World War II. The countryside is slowly shaking off the dust of the conflict, and along a quiet road stands a modest inn run by Miranda (Serena Grandi, The Great Beauty), a warm, full-blooded young woman with a laugh that fills the room and an appetite for life that the war never managed to dampen. She keeps the place going while she waits for her husband, a soldier who left for the front and has not come home. Word of him has gone silent. Miranda tells herself she is still waiting, yet as the seasons turn she begins to wonder whether she is holding a place for a man who may already be gone for good.

The inn is busy, and Miranda is very much its heart. Three very different men circle her, each hoping to win more than a room for the night. There is Berto, the devoted farmhand who has loved her quietly for years and asks for nothing but a chance. There is a well-off, older suitor who can offer her comfort, security and a way out of the daily grind. And there is a charming American, easy and worldly, who brings the promise of somewhere far beyond these fields. Miranda is in no hurry to choose. With open curiosity and a healthy love of pleasure in her own body, she tastes what each of them has to offer, weighing tenderness against wealth against adventure, before deciding whether any single one of them is worth keeping." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Global first Hi-Definition Blu-ray Release."

Miranda comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36 GB

Feature: 28.6 GB

While this release touts that it's Miranda’s first high-definition presentation globally, the result is underwhelming, especially when compared to the Tinto Brass films that have made their way to 4K UHD. That said, the Cult Films Blu-ray presentation does look better than previous North American DVD releases.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish. All tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Italian and Spanish tracks sound more robust than the English-language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track and removable English SDH for the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an English-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an Italian-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 2 seconds, LPCM mono Italian, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Tinto Brass (13 minutes 1 second, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, and a slipcover.

Summary:

Tinto Brass directed Miranda. He’s known for Deadly Sweet, Salon Kitty, The Key, Snack Bar Budapest, and All Ladies Do It. Miranda is loosely based on the three-act play comedy La locandiera, written by Carlo Goldoni.

A married woman named Miranda owns and operates an inn. Despite her husband's disappearance during World War II, she remains steadfast in her decision not to divorce him. Instead, Miranda is having an affair with one of her many admirers. 

By the time Tinto Brass directed The Key, he had already dabbled in erotica with Salon Kitty and Caligula, two films that feature a dramatically different tone than his other erotic films. While The Key marked a new beginning for Tinto Brass, he did not fully establish the foundation for his subsequent work until the film Miranda. Another thing that most of Tinto Brass’ films from The Key onward have in common is that they are set in the past.

The premise is superbly realized, and the narrative is engaging as things move at a breezy momentum that effectively builds to a very satisfying climax. A strength of the narrative is how perfectly it balances exposition and erotica. That said, what sets Miranda apart from Tinto Brass’ other leading ladies is that she’s a multifaceted character while still maintaining the role of an object of desire.

Where many filmmakers have muses who they frequently work with, Tinto Brass would have a different leading lady for every film from The Key onward. Serena Grandi (Delirium) is cast in the role of Miranda. She delivers a remarkable performance that is arguably her best. While many men covet Miranda, none of them truly know or understand her. That said, Serena Grandi is one of the few actresses who would work with Tinto Brass on more than one film; they also worked on Frivolous Lola.

The way that Tinto Brass approaches erotica sets him apart from the pact. Where others try to titillate, only to create something vulgar, Tinto Brass always creates something sensual. The production design is exemplary, drawing you into the era being depicted, and the visuals are stylish, never wasting an opportunity to showcase the female cast members. Tinto Brass’ films are known for showcasing the ass, and while it is usually women’s asses, this time around the focus is on the men. Composer Riz Ortolani, a frequent collaborator of Tinto Brass, delivers an outstanding score that greatly enhances the mood. Ultimately, Miranda is a well-crafted erotic melodrama and one of Tinto Brass’ more underappreciated films.

Miranda gets a strong audio/video presentation and an insightful interview with Tinto Brass.

Written by Michael Den Boer