What Have You Done to Solange? – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/West Germany/UK, 1972
Director: Massimo Dallamano
Writers: Bruno Di Geronimo, Massimo Dallamano
Cast: Fabio Testi, Karin Baal, Cristina Galbó, Joachim Fuchsberger, Günther Stoll, Claudia Butenuth, Camille Keaton, Pilar Castel

Release Date: October 20th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 107 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"When a series of brutal sex murders rocks an all-girls Catholic college, suspicion falls on a philandering professor (Fabio Testi of CONTRABAND) whose own investigation will uncover a conspiracy of depravity." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "now scanned in 4K from the original camera negative."

What Have You Done to Solange? comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61 GB

Feature: 60 GB

The source looks excellent; it is a noticeable improvement over Arrow Video’s 2015 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

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

Disc Size: 32.9 GB

Feature: 32.4 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and Ennio Morricone’s score sounds appropriately robust. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track and removable English SDH for the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with film critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman, and an audio commentary with Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study.

Extras on Blu-ray disc one include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Alan Jones and Kim Newman, and an audio commentary with Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

Extras on Blu-ray disc two include an alternate trailer for What Have You Done to Solange under the title The Rah Rah Girls (33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Fabio Testi titled Dallamano and the Others (21 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival conversation with actress Camille Keaton titled My Dinner With Solange (11 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with cinematographer Aristide Massaccesi titled The Light of Joe D'Amato (9 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with producer Fulvio Lucisano titled Echoes of Solange (10 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Pilar Castel titled What Have You Done To Pilar? (24 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Karin Baal titled What Have You Done To Decency? (13 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), an interview with editor Antonio Siciliano titled A Cut For Solange (22 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an archival video essay by crime fiction author Michael Mackenzie titled Innocence Lost: Solange and The “Schoolgirls In Peril” Trilogy (29 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

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. When it comes to murder set pieces, this film never shies 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 regard to casting. With its most glaring choice being Fabio Testi (The Big Racket,) in the lead male role, a schoolteacher 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 (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 an excellent release from Severin Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer