Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) - Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/France/Spain, 1969
Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Lucio Fulci, Roberto Gianviti, José Luis Martínez Mollá
Cast: Jean Sorel, Marisa Mell, Elsa Martinelli, Alberto de Mendoza, John Ireland, Riccardo Cucciolla, George Rigaud, Faith Domergue, Malisa Longo, Bobby Rhodes

Release Date: November 13th, 2018
Approximate running time: 107 Minutes 54 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Dr. George Dumurrier is looking for money to expand the San Francisco based clinic he runs with his brother. He is also having an affair with Jane, a glamorous fashion photographer. When Dumurrier’s wife Susan dies following an asthma attack, leaving him a million dollar insurance payout, it seems that all his problems are solved – until an anonymous phone call sends him to the Roaring 20s strip club where he is astonished to discover that its featured performer, the dangerously desirable Monica Weston, looks exactly like his dead wife. As he tries to unravel this mystery, George learns that the police are now investigating his wife’s death and that he is under suspicion of murder." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "HD transfer from film negative".

Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.6 GB

Feature: 28.8 GB

Severin Films released Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) on DVD fifteen years ago, and though the transfer looked good at that time. This new transfer is the best this film has looked on home video. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity is consistently solid, and black levels stay strong throughout. The grain looks natural, and there are no issues with compression.

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

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. Range-wise, the score sounds appropriately robust, and the ambient sounds are well represented. Included with this release are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a Mondo Macabro preview reel, a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with author Stephen Thrower (38 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Elsa Martinelli titled The Last Diva (9 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles) and an interview with actor Jean Sorel titled On Death Row (29 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Lucio Fulci directed six Giallo films that are all unique twists on this popular genre. Having said that, unlike most of his contemporaries, who made these films mostly by the book and often imitated other successful giallo entries, what is also surprising about the first four Giallo films directed by Lucio Fulci is how restrained the violence is, both on and off screen. Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) plays out more like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller and strays far away from the style and cliches that are prevalent throughout most Giallos made in the 1970s.

Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) is set in a variety of memorable locations, including Reno, San Francisco, and San Quentin. Director Lucio Fulci makes good use of the various locations at his disposal. Lucio Fucli, at this point in his career, was mostly known for directing comedies, and Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) was his first foray into the thriller genre.

From a production standpoint, Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) is overflowing with stylish cinematography that takes full advantage of its scenic locations. Also, the premise is superbly realized, the narrative does a great job maintaining the mounting tension, and an excellent twist ending provides a perfect coda.

Performance-wise, the cast is very good in their respective roles. Perversion Story’s (One on Top of the Other) heart and soul are Marissa Mell’s (Danger: Diabolik) performances in the roles of Susan Dumurrier and Monica Weston. Both characters are like night and day. With Marisa Mell looking sickly and very unglamorous as Susan Dumurrier before her transformation into the other world's stunning beauty known as Monica Weston, the scene that is most memorable in the film is Marisa Mell’s entrance as Monica Weston, a nightclub stripper.

With its many well-executed plot twists and a very satisfying surprise ending, the narrative is one of the best you'll ever see for a giallo. Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) is a restrained film that contrasts sharply with Lucio Fucli's later films, which rely heavily on his violent set pieces. Ultimately, Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) is one of Lucio Fulci’s most polished and rewatchable films.

Perversion Story (One on Top of the Other) gets a solid release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer