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

What have you done to Solange? is certainly one of the better italian giallo films of the early 1970s and is definitely worth watching if you have any interest at all in italian cinema. However, the film is quite obviously a low budget affair, and you should be prepared for the usual cheap effects, so-so dubbing, and strange plot twists that are a feature of the genre.

What first grabs the interest is that the film is set in England, with most of the action revolving around a catholic school for girls. One of the schoolgirls is murdered on the bank of the Thames and the murderous action is partially seen by another pupil who is being seduced by the sports teacher in a rowing boat drifting past the bank. The murder turns out to be the first of several, and as you would expect a range of suspects come and go and more than a few plot twists are paraded before you before the identity of the murderer and the motive is finally revealed.

What makes this stand out from the giallo pack is that despite there being some loose ends and lack of sharpness in defining the plot, the plot does actually make reasonable sense at the end, and the murderer's motive is fairly believable.

The other notable feature of the film is the presence of Camille Keaton, famous for being Buster Keaton's neice, and infamous for starring in the execrable 'I Spit on Your Grave', and Christine Galbo, who starred in 'The Living Dead at The Manchester Morgue'. Of the two Galbo puts in the better performance, although that can partly be explained by the particular demands of the part played by Keaton.

Overall then, the film is worth watching if you are really into thrillers, italian cinema, or even just for a nostalgia trip in looking at the old cars and as a reminder of how things used to be. This may be faint praise, but the film does have enough to keep you watching for the duration, and there is enough to it to be enjoyable if you don't view it with high expectations.

This US DVD version is not exactly laden with extras. You get some still pictures and images of the film's promo posters and that is about it. The transfer is from a pretty good print though and the film does look fairly sharp and clean as a result. Please note that it is a region 1 NTSC DVD so your player will have to be multi-region capable.

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!!

Enrico Rosseni (Fabio Testi) a Italian teacher living in England is having an affair with one of his students and while out on a romantic boat ride, she witnesses a murder of a girl who also attends the same school. As time goes on the bodys start to pile up and he sets off to find the truth behind all the brutal killings.

The film only shows one on screen death (of a girl been drowned) but that doesnt mean this film isnt without its violence, Director Massimo Dallamano focus's on the aftermath of each killing and the way each girl is murdered (a large knife stuck their vaginas)is shocking in its own way.

I enjoyed the film and found it very intresting, that was once id got used to the dubbing of Fabio Testi charatcer which was very irritating. Overall this is a well made film with all the aspects you expect from a Giallo. The music by Ennio Morricone is good in parts but its not as good as I thought it was going to be.

I guessed who the killer was before it was finally revealed at the end, but I couldnt guess what their motives was for the killings but once that was revealed it all made sense and compeleted what was one of the more impressive entries in the Giallo genre.