Salon Kitty

Before Caligula, Italian provocateur Tinto Brass directed this controversial and transgressive drama, inspired by the true story of a Nazi-run brothel in 30s Berlin.

Inspired by real-life incidents, Tinto Brass’ controversial World War Two drama is a fascinating and transgressive piece of cinema. An ambitious Nazi commandant (Helmut Berger) takes over an expensive brothel, forcing a hard-nosed brothel madam to spy on foreign dignitaries and other party members.

Featuring exquisite sets from James Bond production designer Ken Adam and an unhinged performance from Berger, Salon Kitty is an outrageous but engaging tale of fascism and debauchery in 1930s Berlin, directed with delirious excess by the future director of Caligula. Inspired by Liliana Cavani’s acclaimed The Night Porter, Salon Kitty in turn influenced the rise of Nazisploitation, the notoriously disreputable sub-genre of late 1970s European cinema.