What Have You Done Solange [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Quite a shocker for 1973, not for everyone, quite lurid and exploititave in one sense, yet quite compelling, definitely not a jolly romp.The sequence that gets me in particular is when the parents of one victim are in police Inspector Bart's office, the girls' father is shown the grisly x-ray of the where the murder weapon was found ......, followed by the image of the parents faces at the funeral, genuinely emotional.Unlike some of the stupid slasher movies of the 1980's, you feel moved by this one.

'What Have You Done To Solange?' felt more like 'What Have You Done to My Tiny Pea Brain?' after I nervously pressed the stop button following 103 minutes of what I can only describe as one mean ride indeed. An eagle eyed fan of lurid Italian 'giallo' fair for most of my natural, I thought I had seen it all, but yet it appears I am a mere amateur in the game with this 1972 genre offering giving me a right royal kick in the family jewels.Gym teacher and all round ladies man Enrico Rosseni (Fabio Testi) is trying his luck with fellow student Elizabeth (Cristina Galbó) but she ain't playing ball. Or with his balls. Whatever. Problem is, it's hard to get all hot 'n sweaty especially as the poor girl has just witnessed a young woman getting stabbed in a place on her body I dare not mention (hell, even think about). Legs, ladies and gentleman - may remain crossed throughout the running time of this movie. Fear of being caught having an affair with his student, the married Enrico convinces Elizabeth to keep quiet, but when the murdered girl turns out to be a classmate - the net closes in. Cue a series of other murders with the police taking a serious interest in our favourite libidinous lecturer - but can he keep his head together whilst others are losing theirs? And who is this 'Solange' girl everyone speaks of and what does she have to do with the murders? At first, I genuinely wanted to know but as the movie unspooled, I was almost beginning to regret my initial desire to view...Director Massimo Dallamano ('Venus in Furs') directs this lurid shocker with an assured hand - ensuring Aristide Massaccesis' (hey, Joe D'Amato!) autumnally charged cinematography is mined for maximum effect. The movie is quite pretty and acts as an odd subversion for the viewer with the rather unsavoury story by Dallamano and Bruno Di Geronimo being as icky as it gets. I won't get into too much detail because I would actually recommend 'What Have You Done To Solange?' as a worthwhile watch - but best to approach with caution. Even though it was made in the early '70s it still has the power to shock - if honest, even more so against today's dull genre offerings. Lurid, dark and altogether unpleasant, the actual 'idea' behind the movie is quite repellant - yet balance is everything - and 'Solange' certainly hits many high notes with expert direction, snappy editing and a great cast in Fabio Testi as the beleaguered lead - both suspect and 'hero', he manages to bring a subtle amount of depth to his character with a unique combination of dogged detective determined to track down the killer and nonchalant indifference. It's an interesting performance and his obvious good looks are used to great effect, swinging the pendulum in the viewers mind whether to follow or trust him, which in turn amplifies the mystery. The supporting cast are equally good too with standouts from Camille Keaton, Karin Baal and Joachim Fuchsberger (with a special shout out to the guy who dubbed the concierge at Rosseni's apartment. It did truly make me smirk).Arrow Video present 'What Have You Done To Solange?' with a solid transfer alongside wonderful, crisp audio. I'm in a bit of a dilemma as I didn't strictly 'enjoy' the film, more rather admired it for the daring nature of the filmmakers and the really cool directorial touches (a great sequence where the father of the victim is shown an X-ray of his murdered daughter - with the camera positioned directly at his damaged face which then immediately cuts to him in the same stance at the funeral. Genuinely upsetting) - so its difficult to say 'hey! watch this movie!' but for all it's darkness the film is still worthy of seeing. So yeah, it's a recommendation. Kinda.

Loosely based on Edgar Wallace's novel “The Clue of the New Pin”, this movie by Massimo Dallamano is one the finest examples of giallo film-making. The dreamy opening credits set the tone for a story revolving around the theme of innocence and the social longing for its loss.Fabio Testi is as convincing as ever in the role of a gym teacher at a Catholic Girls' School in London whose flirtations with one of of his students put him in the role, usual for giallo leads, of both suspect and detective.The movie rests on a solid script, the action moves along nicely between the well-written dialogues instrumental to the investigation and the brief, powerful moments of graphic violence which, however, never feel gratuitous. A couple of funnier moments also contribute to make the script's balance which makes this film a small masterpiece.The Czech DVD's version has a has a pretty good visual and aural presentation. As often with similar giallo DVDs out there the sound could be clearer in some places. The only downside to this product is that the DVD comes with a unique audio track in English with Czech subtitles which cannot be switched off. Other than that, highly recommended purchase!

Despite appearances, this is an English language film with no subtitles. The actors are Italian, speaking English, but have been dubbed and the dubbing is also English.Also, this is not a horror film at all, even though it is occasionally marketed as such. Its even a bit of stretch calling it a thriller. It is more of a detective story / whodunnit. The police spend a great deal of the film interviewing the cast in order to find out who is behind the serial killing of some local schoolgirls. A witness to the first murder is a schoolgirl who is having a secret affair with a married teacher. Being a police suspect, the teacher also turns detective and interviews those cast members the police haven't gotten around to. The plot won't blow you away, but it is logical and surprising and comes to a satisfying conclusion.Be warned that the murders involve genital mutilation and this is dealt with clumsily and distastefully. Even though there is no gore or blood and we never see anything horrific, it is the way the detective so candidly discusses the mutilation to a family, and how he distributes photos to suspects, that makes it so crass and ludicrous. The film also feels like it was put together by a dirty old man, with persistent and unnecessary shots of naked girls, be it breasts or full-frontal. Even the naked corpses aren't safe from the cameras voyeurism. Be prepared to be embarrassed if you watch the film with anyone else.To be fair, it is no more than what you'd expect from a 1970s slasher film: The acting is wooden, the dubbing doesn't help, the dialogue is unrealistic, and conversations are often laboured and awkward. But there are also flashes of unsettling and imaginative brilliance. Two or three times, the director finds just the right shot to make your flesh creep when you least expect it. This film has not just been thrown together, there is always a lot of thought and artistry behind each scene.If you are a fan of Dario Argento you may like this film as the style is similar, except there is no horror nor gore.Still, the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is excellent and the film is set in London, which is always nice to see in the 70s, so for those reasons I give it a generous 3 out of 5