What Have You Done to Solange? – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1972
Director: Massimo Dallamano
Writers: Massimo Dallamano, Bruno Di Geronimo
Cast: Fabio Testi, Karin Baal, Camille Keaton, Cristina Galbó

Release Date: December 14th, 2015 (UK), December 15th, 2015 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 106 Minutes 43 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A,B/Region 1,2 NTSC
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"A sexually sadistic killer is preying on the girls of St. Mary’s school. Student Elizabeth witnessed one of the murders, but her hazy recollections of a knife-wielding figure in black do nothing to further the police’s investigations. Why is the killer choosing these young women? And what does it have to do with a girl named Solange?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "What Have You Done to Solange? (Cosa avete fatto a Solange?) has been exclusively restored in 2K resolution for this release by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

All work on this new restoration was carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan and was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master. Some sections not in the negative had to be sourced from a 4-perf internegative element.

Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and light scratches were removed through a combination of digital restoration tools. Overall image stability and instances of density fluctuation were also improved. The sections sourced from the internegative element look noticeably worn in comparison to the negative as per the condition of these elements."

What Have You Done to Solange? comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.5 GB

Feature: 28.3 GB

The source used for this transfer looks fantastic. When compared to all previous releases for this film, This new transfer from Arrow Video is vastly superior to all previous home video releases. Colors and flesh tones look correct, black levels and image clarity are solid, and the grain looks organic.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English. Quality-wise, you really can't go wrong with either of these audio mixes, as both sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they need to, especially with Ennio Morricone’s score. There are two subtitle options for this release. English subtitles for the Italian language track and English SDH subtitles for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a visual essay by Michael Mackenzie is titled Innocence Lost (29 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Karin Baal titled What have you Done to Decency? (13 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Fabio Testi titled First Action Hero (21 minutes 17 seconds, in Italian with English subtitles), an interview with producer Fulvio Lucisano titled Old-School Producer (11 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), an audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman, reversible cover art and a twenty-eight page booklet (first pressing only) with cast & crew information, an essay titled A Little Night of Music: The Giallo Scores of Ennio Morricone written by Howard Hughes, an interview with actress Camille Keaton conducted by Art Ettinger and information about the restoration/transfer.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

What Have You Done to Solange? was co-written and directed by Massimo Dallamano, who would only direct a total of twelve films before his untimely death at the age of fifty-nine. His most notable films as a director include What Have You Done to Solange? and What Have They Done to Your Daughters?. Before making the transition to directing, Massimo Dallamano was one of the most in-demand cinematographers. Some of his more notable films as a cinematographer included Gunfight at Red Sands, A Fistful of Dollars, Bullets Don’t Argue and For a Few Dollars More.

When discussing What Have You Done to Solange? There are two key collaborators to whom this film owes a great debt: The first of these two key collaborators is cinematographer Joe D’Amato, a filmmaker in his own right, who is most remembered for his collaborations with actress Laura Gemser. The most notable of these films include Emanuelle in America, Emanuelle Around the World, and Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals. The second of these two key collaborators is Ennio Morricone, whose diverse filmography includes The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Danger: Diabolik, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and The Untouchables.

The thing that immediately draws you in while watching What Have You Done to Solange? is Ennio Morricone’s extraordinary score. It is a score that evokes themes of innocence lost, and nowhere is this more evident than during the deceptive opening credits, which depict a group of girls having the time of their lives while riding their bikes. From there, the film further establishes its menacing tone with a murder set piece during its opening scene. And though this moment of carnage is brief, its impact is far-reaching due to the gruesome nature of the kill. The killer stabs its victim, a young girl, in her vagina with a large knife. Also, when it comes to murder set pieces, this film never shy's away from their brutality.

Content-wise, What Have You Done to Solange? contains all of the components that one would want or expect from a Giallo! The narrative is well constructed, and there are an ample number of red herrings along the way to keep things interesting. And the characters are well defined and their motivations are clear. Other strengths of What Have You Done to Solange? include Massimo Dallamano’s restrained direction, which keeps most of the excessive violence off-screen by implying it instead of showing it. Fortunately, this restraint does not extend to all content, as there is a fair share of sleaze and never a shortage of naked school girls. And cinematographer Joe D’Amato’s rock-solid visuals elevate this film above a generic Giallo clone.

If there is one area where What Have You Done to Solange? goes against the grain when compared to its contemporaries, and that is in regards to casting. With its most glaring choice being Fabio Testi (The Big Racket, The Heroin Busters) in the lead male role, a school teacher named Enrico Rosseni, who is having an affair with one of the schoolgirls. He gives a dry performance that is virtually devoid of emotion, and his only saving grace is his psychic presence. Other notable performances include Cristina Galbó (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) in the role of Elizabeth Seccles, the student who is having an affair with Rosseni, and Karin Baal (Dead Eyes of London) in the role of Rosseni’s wife, Herta. Last but not least, in the role of Solange, Camille Keaton (Tragic Ceremony, I Spit on Your Grave) delivers a powerful performance. Her character is spoken of for the majority of the film, and it is not until the final act that she really gets an ample amount of screen time. Having said that, despite her limited screen time, she gives one of the most memorable performances.

Without a doubt, What Have You Done to Solange?'s greatest strength is how it forges an identity all its own. Instead of going down the all-too familiar route treaded by its contemporaries, mimicking Dario Argento’s distinctive visual style or trying to capitalize on what was trendy at the time, Ultimately, What Have You Done to Solange? is a film that is in a class all of its own as one of the best examples of what the Giallo genre has to offer.

What Have You Done to Solange? Gets a definitive release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and comes with a wealth of insightful extra content, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer