What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 2, 2018

Note: Certain shared plot points in the so-called "schoolgirls in peril trilogy" are discussed in the following review, and those not already familiar with any of these films may consider some subjects verging on spoiler territory. Those wanting to avoid any such revelations are encouraged to skip down to the technical elements of the review, below.

It’s one of the kind of weird vagaries of international cinema that Hollywood never really exploited the “schoolgirls in peril” angle the way that some Italian gialli did, at least in terms of what will be discussed below as a "schoolgirls in peril" trilogy, however loosely that trilogy may be defined. Oh, sure, there are certainly countless films you could name that were made in the United States (or under the provenance of Hollywood) that of course featured schoolage girls in some kind of danger, sometimes due to their own misbehavior (I Saw What You Did springs instantly to mind, but there are others), but the Italian giallo seemed to provide an almost serendipitous opportunity for filmmakers to explore stories of this ilk. Arrow has been at the forefront of releasing gialli over the past few years, and as it happens two similarly named Arrow releases, What Have You Done to Solange? and What Have They Done to Our Daughters? both showed up in my review queue at around the same time (What Have You Done to Solange? actually came out some time ago, but we hadn’t reviewed it). As anyone who has seen both films will most likely agree, there are certainly other likenesses beyond these films’ titles, and that is in fact by design, since both films are ostensibly part one and part two of a somewhat loosely bound trio of offerings known as, yes, the “schoolgirls in peril trilogy”. (The third film in the trilogy is Enigma Rosso , a film which was evidently released under an almost baffling array of alternate titles, but which recently saw the Blu-ray light of day via Scorpion Releasing and Doppelganger.

As commentator Troy Howarth mentions early on in his appealing analysis of What Have They Done to Your Daughters?, it’s possible for Italian genre enthusiasts to split into camps as to whether this film is more of a giallo or a so-called poliziotteschi (police procedural, at least more or less), and Howarth makes the understandable case that in this particular instance it may not be wise to assign an “either/or” genre identity, since the film pretty obviously borrows from both idioms. Kind of interestingly, this film’s kind of seedy story gets underway with what appears to be a suicide, with a death up front, at least somewhat like Enigma Rosso (even if that film seemed to offer up a more obvious murder). One of the other interesting things that occurs early on with regard to this very suicide is the appearance of a woman directly involved and in some ways rather unexpectedly responsible for the investigation, Assistant District Attorney Vittoria Stori (Giovanna Ralli). The focus on a female investigator tends to give this film some pointed subtext at times, as Howarth again points out when there’s a subtle but telling interchange between Stori and a policeman looking into the case who quizzes her about her own sexual history when it becomes apparent that the young teenage victim (around 15) had been sexually active shortly before her death.

Howarth at least attempts to make the case that some of the more prurient aspects of this film aren’t meant to titillate (at least for most folks), but are instead intended to give a kind of gritty underpinning to the film. That said, this is a story that is rife with sexual activity, and there are any number of potentially shocking moments that unfold, including “procedural” discussions about things like bodily fluids (in the form of evidence), but also, later when photos and recordings of illicit dalliances surface, generally salacious material that more prudish viewers may find a bit squirm inducing.

Structurally, the film is kind of interesting in how it kind of hands off the investigation from one cop to another. A policeman named Valentini (Mario Adorf) starts things out with Vittoria, but then the younger Commissioner Silvestri (Claudio Cassinelli) comes on board, perhaps to give Vittoria some kind of perceived romantic interest. In terms of the basic story, anyone familiar with either What Have You Done to Solange? or Enigma Rosso is going to be able to figure out at least the broad outlines, since the same underlying plot point is on display here.

What sets this film apart is both its really interesting style, as well as a perhaps unexpected political subtext that kind of analogizes schoolgirl improprieties with governmental corruption. Dallamano was a celebrated cinematographer earlier in his career (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More), and he provides this arguably tawdry story with some really inventive framings along the way. There has been a lot of talk through the years about a so-called “Rosemary's Baby curse,” what with the shocking deaths of director Roman Polanski’s wife Sharon Tate and the film’s incredible composer Kristofer Komeda shortly after the film’s release, but What Have They Done to Your Daughters? also has a double whammy of unfortunate and untimely deaths. Massimo Dallamano was killed in a car accident after this film was released, obviously explaining why he didn’t direct Enigma Rosso, but Claudio Cassinelli also met a gruesome end when he was killed in an on set accident in a helicopter.

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert contains only the following very brief and generic verbiage on the transfer:

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with Italian and English mono sound. The restored HD master was provided by Camera Obscura.

Camera Obscura released the film on Blu-ray for the German market in 2016, and Svet reviewed it then, and based solely on a comparison of screenshots between the reviews (always at least a somewhat risky gambit), I personally don't see much if any difference between them. The palette looks quite healthy throughout Arrow's presentation, but as Svet mentions grain can look a bit on the coarse side at times. Detail levels are generally quite convincing, especially given some of the at times peculiar framings that Dallamano employs. The restoration has removed virtually all signs of age related wear and tear, and the overall viewing experience is nicely organic. Unlike Arrow's What Have You Done to Solange?, which (according to Arrow) needed to utilize a secondary element at times, resulting in some variances in clarity and color reproduction, What Have They Done to Your Daughters? has a commendably homogeneous appearance throughout the presentation.

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? features English and Italian audio tracks in LPCM Mono. As with What Have You Done to Solange?, I toggled back and forth between them as I watched the film and once again noticed no major differences in terms of the mix or overall amplitude. The film has a rather nice score by Stelvio Cipriani, which sounds energetic and distortion free throughout the presentation. Sync on both tracks is, as Arrow is often wont to say, "loose", but fidelity is fine, and there are no problems with dropouts or other damage.

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth


• Masters and Slaves (1080p; 19:44 ) is a video essay by Kat Ellinger exploring some of the themes of the films of Massimo Dallamano.


• Eternal Melody (1080p; 49:39) is a 2016 interview with composer Stelvio Cipriani.


• Dallamano's Touch (1080p; 22:22) is another 2016 interview, this time with longtime Dallamano collaborator, editor Antonio Siciliano.


• Hardcore Footage (1080p; 5:05) evidently never made it into any version of the film, and plays here without sound.


• English Titles (1080p; 3:09). Kind of weirdly, this has been authored with a chapter stop a little bit more than halfway through.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:55)


• Image Gallery (1080p; 00:35)

As usual, Arrow has also provided a nicely appointed insert booklet.

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's arguably just a bit too much "same old, same old" in this follow up to What Have You Done to Solange? that may prevent it from reaching the kind of florid heights of its predecessor, but taken on its own terms, What Have They Done to Your Daughters? has some really interesting and really rather unique content that sets it apart not just from its predecessor, but from Enigma Rosso as well. Arrow has provided a release with solid technical merits and enjoyable supplements. Recommended.