Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Perversion Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 20, 2018

Lucio Fulci's "Perversion Story" a.k.a. "One on Top of the Other" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro. The supplemental features on the disc include new video interviews with Jean Sorel and Elsa Martinelli; new program with film historian Stephen Thrower; and vintage trailer. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the Italian track. Region-Free.

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Lucio Fulci’s reputation as one of the horror genre’s most unique masters is undoubtedly deserved because many of his gruesome chillers are in a category of their own. This is an indisputable fact, and whether they are as good as their passionate fans have claimed is largely irrelevant because many of them were also trend-setters. In other words, Fulci not only created massive ripple effects, but during the second half of his career he permanently altered expectations as to what type of entertainment horror films ought to deliver. So while one does not always have to like Fulci and his work, one absolutely has to recognize the importance of both.

What often appears to be completely overshadowed by Fulci’s reputation, however, is the fact that during the early stages of his career he also did a wide range of other genre films, and the majority of them were just as effective as his chillers. For example, gems like The Maniacs and The Eroticist where Fulci’s tremendous sense of humor and wit are on full display make it virtually impossible not to place him in the same group with such giants of post-war Italian cinema as Dino Risi (Il Sorpasso), Alberto Lattuada (Mafioso), and Mario Monicelli (Big Deal on Madonna Street). Indeed, in just these two films Fulci’s satirical dissection of Italian society and its seemingly ever-evolving moral values is so precise and carefully served -- think outrageously funny yet remarkably truthful -- that it is actually necessary to speculate that with a slightly greater appreciation of his style by foreign distributors and a few lucky breaks his body of work would have expanded in a drastically different way.

Perversion Story, which has also been distributed under the alternative title One on Top of the Other, is Fulci’s first serious attempt at finding success on the international stage. It was completed in 1969 and is frequently grouped with some of the era’s popular gialli, but it is actually easier to profile as a crime thriller with a psychedelic edge. Its plot concerns a wealthy young doctor (Jean Sorel, Belle de Jour) from San Francisco whose life suddenly begins to fall apart when he is informed that his wife (Marisa Mell, Danger: Diabolik) has passed away and that he is about to receive a large financial payment from an insurance policy that was arranged without his knowledge. Before the financial transaction is made, however, the doctor and his mistress (Elsa Martinelli, The 10th Victim) accidentally encounter a popular striptease dancer (also played by Mell) who looks a lot like his late wife, and when the two decide to find out more about her he suddenly becomes the main suspect in an intense police investigation targeting possible insurance fraud. A team of detectives then uncover crucial evidence linking the doctor to the unexpected death of his wife, and he is promptly arrested. Not too long after that and despite the doctor’s persistent claims that he is innocent, a judge rules that his life should end prematurely in San Quentin’s gas chamber.

Even in this quite dark and seductive thriller, Fulci’s sense of humor is not at all difficult to detect. In fact, all of the key twists that redirect its narrative are done with a ‘gotcha’ sense of humor that is quite prominent in Fulci’s comedies from his early Italian period. The only difference between the wonderful vignettes from The Maniacs and the investigation that is destroying the doctor’s reputation and life, for instance, is the presence of a contemporary psychedelic atmosphere that provides the film with a dual identity. So essentially on one hand Fulci sells the film as a mainstream thriller set in a major American city, but on the other hand he ditches the old playbook that these types of films favored at the time and has a little bit of sleazy fun. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, not only does the experiment work, but now it looks awfully stylish too.

The icing on the cake is a chic jazzy score with heavy psychedelic beats courtesy of another very prolific Italian genius, Riz Ortolani. It is so good that it would not be an exaggeration to declare that it is on par with a lot of Piero Piccioni’s masterpieces.

*This release contains a longer version of the film, a reconstruction, which features some more explicit footage that has been occasionally censored in the past.

Perversion Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lucio Fulci's Perversion Story arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro.

The basic characteristics of the remaster that was used to produce this release are extremely similar to those of the old remaster that back in 2007 Severin Films used for their DVD release of Perversion Story. This is actually good news and here's why: the longer version of the film that is on the disc is actually a reconstruction which combines footage from multiple sources, and while there are some small density fluctuations that reveal a few inserts, the overall appearance of the visuals remains consistently pleasing. Also, fluidity is a bit uneven -- close-ups usually have the best density -- but there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, and this was something that was quite obvious even on the DVD release. In other words, occasionally you should expect to see some slightly 'thicker' or flatter visuals (screencapture #15 is from an insert; screencapture #16 is another example where density is affected). The color grading is very convincing, though some light black crush does remain, and trained eyes will quickly recognize that it eliminates some tiny nuances. However, saturation and overall balance are indeed very pleasing. There are absolutely no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Stability is fine, but there is room for some cosmetic improvements. (This was also obvious on the DVD release). There are no large cuts, damage marks, black marks, or torn frames to report. All in all, considering the fact that the longer version is a reconstruction, this is a very nice organic presentation that will likely remain the definitive offering for this film on the marketplace. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Perversion Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian track.

The film should be viewed with the English track, though as usual you need to keep in mind that even though virtually all of the actors spoke their lines in English, some official overdubbing was done after production ended. In other words, expect minor dynamic unevenness here and there, plus the occasional obvious monotonous lines that these types of projects had. The important thing is that the lossless English track is clean and free of distortions, and that Riz Ortolani's psychedelic/jazzy score comes through quite well. In fact, the music is probably the only segment where I think that an elaborate new remix can introduce some meaningful improvements, as some of the dynamic movement is not as fluid as it should be.

Perversion Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Perversion Story. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Jean Sorel - in this new video interview, Jean Sorel discusses the state of the European film industry during the late '60s and early '70s and the trend to finance multi-national productions, some of the market expectations, the genesis of Perversion Story, the shooting of the explicit erotic scenes and in general the role of eroticism in Italian cinema at the time, some of Lucio Fulci's specific stylistic preferences for the film, the widespread dubbing practice, the film's publicity, etc. The interview was conducted and edited by Federico Caddeo from Freak-O-Rama Productions for Mondo Macabro in 2018. In French, with optional English subtitles. (30 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Elsa Martinelli - in this new video interview, Elsa Martinelli recalls how she was contracted to play her character from Perversion Story, and discuses the progression of Lucio Fulci's career, the director's working method and notorious eccentricity, some interesting episode from the production history of Perversion Story and her interactions with Jean Sorel and Marisa Mell, the evolution of her 'classic' image and the efforts of the great Italian designer Piero Tosi prior to the shoot of Mauro Bolognini's La Notte Brava/The Big Night, etc. The interview was conducted and edited by Federico Caddeo from Freak-O-Rama Productions for Mondo Macabro in 2018. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (10 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Stephen Thrower - in this featurette, writer and film historian Stephen Thrower discusses the stylistic evolution of Lucio Fulci's work and some of the industry/genre trends that it was associated with, the production of Perversion Story (with some curious comments about failed plans to shoot the film in Louisiana and New York City), the authentic footage from the gas chamber in San Quentin, the film's evolving mood and tone, etc. The featurette was produced in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (39 min, 1080p).

Perversion Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is very unfortunate that Lucio Fulci's films from his early Italian period are so difficult to see in North America because they are actually some of his very best work. Perversion Story emerged after this period ended, and you would typically see it grouped with A Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling. However, I think that it has a different stylistic identity and ultimately does not fit the classic giallo profile. I like this film quite a lot, and for years Severin Films' release was amongst my all-time favorite. (It came with a CD copy of Riz Ortolani's stylish soundtrack). Mondo Macabro's new release of Perversion Story features the reconstructed longer version of the film, which looks very nice in high-definition. It also has three outstanding new programs that offer a wealth of important information about the stylistic evolution of Fulci's work and the production of Perversion Story. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.