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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid And Disturbing Euro Thriller, August 2, 2003
This review is from: What Have You Done to Solange? (DVD)
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? (1972): Enrico Rossini (Fabio Testi) is a married teacher involved in an affair with one of his students, Elizabeth (Christine Galbó). One afternoon in a park, while enjoying one of their amorous trysts, Elizabeth witnesses the murder of a young woman, a crime that her lover does not see. When the corpse of a student is found at the park, the teacher finally believes Elizabeth and decides to revisit the scene of the murder. More girls are killed and the police begin to suspect that Enrico is the murderer. In a desperate attempt to clear his name, Enrico turns detective and eventually discovers the secret of a young woman named Solange (Camille Keaton), whose shocking past is linked to both the killer's choice of victims and the gruesome manner in which he dispatches them. This solidly plotted and engrossing murder thriller is easily among the finest giallos ever made. The conventional storyline is enlivened with genuinely surprising twists, strong characters and a shocking, unexpected ending. Slickly directed by Massimo Dallamano, and featuring striking cinematography by Aristide Massachessi (who, as Joe D'Amato, had a subsequent career as one of the most incompetent directors of all time), SOLANGE is an unusually well made and restrained Italian thriller. Excellent performances from Fabio Testi, Joachin Fuchsberger, Karin Baal and the beautiful Christine Galbo raise the movie's quality level even higher. A fine, moody Ennio Morricone score provides some necessary tension enhancement. If you've never seen a giallo before, the film is a great starting point for anyone interested in taking an initial plunge into this fascinating genre. The Shriek Show DVD is one of this small company's finest releases yet. The widescreen (1.85:1) transfer features gorgeous colors and sharp detailing, with only a few speckles, hair marks and some modest print damage. The movie itself is the real prize here as the extras are fairly skimpy: A poster and lobby card gallery is scored to the movie's main title theme and a nice 12 page booklet is provided with liner notes and quite a few stills. Finally, five trailers are included, for SOLANGE itself and some other related Shriek Show releases. Despite the lack of enticing extras, this is a worthy addition to any horror/suspense enthusiast's DVD library.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great thriller - see it., January 29, 2006
This review is from: What Have You Done to Solange? (DVD)
I have seen several "giallos", and apart from those by Dario Argento, they can be on the most part, quite dull and routine police dramas. But "What Have You Done To Solange" really surprised me, in fact I would say it's the best non-Argento giallo I have ever seen. A couple taking a romantic boat ride along a river are interrupted when the young woman sees something that frightens her on the riverbank. As she is too disturbed to enjoy the boat trip any more, the afternoon ends on a sour note for the couple, only for them to find out the next day that a brutal murder was indeed commited on the riverbank. Things only get worse from then on.
What I like so much about the film is that the plot unfolds fairly and squarely before your eyes, and you get to see the clues as they appear, the same time as the investigating police do. Unlike some "giallos" where red herrings and ambiguity surround too much of the on-screen action, the clues here are uncovered logically, and you'll find that you take in each new turn of events with growing interest and try to unravel the mystery for yourself. The script and the plot twists are very clever. Very soon after the opening, you learn that the couple on the boat were in fact a married teacher and his female pupil in the midst of an illicit affair, which puts them in trouble straight away as they try and work out how to unravel the mystery without exposing their infidelity. Actually, that's just the very start of their troubles, and I won't reveal any more because I think that everybody should watch this film with as little prior knowledge as possible, and hopefully enjoy it as much as I did.
Beautifully filmed in stunning widescreen, actor Fabio Testi makes for a rather wooden hero, but most performances are good, including a full supporting cast of buxom school girls who put in a lot of full frontal nudity, which should please those viewers watching for some exposure of female flesh. That, and the jaw-droppingly brutal method of murder employed by the killer could have made this film totally depraved, but the stylish plot twists and interesting characters salvage it from being just another piece of Euro sleaze. Set in London, it's particularly nice to see this film with it's soundtrack in English, and the scenes involving the police are often full of very amusing British dialogue. Conversely, Testi's character is an Italian teacher living in England, so he has an authentic sounding Italian accent...it's little things like that that make the difference. Plus watch out for a surprising and effective appearance by Camille Keaton (of "I Spit On Your Grave") towards the end of the film...sorry, but again I can't tell you anymore!
I would recommend this to any Euro horror or Giallo fan. It looks great, has an intrigueing plot and a satisfying explanation to round it off. You'll enjoy it all the way through. But do yourself a huge favour and avoid spoilers!!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid Presentation of a Solid Giallo, September 10, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: What Have You Done to Solange? (DVD)
This well-crafted 1971 giallo spends more attention on characterization and police procedure than on actual thrills but don't let that deter you. Yes, the gore is minimal but the murders are disturbing and the plot twists pile up to a conclusion that answers the title question in a gripping, beautifully filmed fashion. The scope photography is excellent and the widescreen transfer is sharp, colorful and accurately framed. The mono audio track is a bit 'hissy' but it's more than passable for such an incredibly rare film. Extras are on the slim side with a handful of trailers and nice display of artwork and stills over Ennio Morricone's haunting theme. If you're a fan of the film or the genre then this disc is a definite buy,
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