7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Several girls are murdered by an elusive "Catholic priest" in a residents college. Police and teachers are unable to locate the killer, and prevent further deaths. Henry, who has a romantic interest in one of the students, Elizabeth, becomes a main suspect, but so are other male, and even female teachers. Are the girls doing the right thing, telling their suspicions to the priest, in the secrecy of confession...?
Starring: Fabio Testi, Cristina Galbó, Karin Baal, Joachim Fuchsberger, Günther StollHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 72% |
Mystery | 20% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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 Your 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.
What Have You Done to Solange? is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:
What Have You Done to Solange? (Cosa avete fatto a Solange?) has been exclusively restored in 2K resolution for this release by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with mono 1.0 sound.This is another generally great looking release from Arrow, with an understanding that things are a bit heterogeneous looking at times due to the need for a secondary element being utilized at times. While there are obvious differences as mentioned above in Arrow's own accounting of the transfer, I personally didn't find much to complain about in terms of changes in clarity or sharpness (though there are noticeable variations in that regard), and instead tended to notice more of a fluctuation in saturation and overall palette reproduction, with what I assume were the secondary element's somewhat brown skewing tones (other sections tend to have a slightly blue quality to them, as can perhaps be gleaned in some of the screenshots accompanying this review). (The color timing overall is a bit variable as well.) These passing anomalies aside, the rest of this transfer has a really appealingly organic appearance, with a nicely resolved grain field and generally very commendable detail levels. The restoration has delivered a viewing experience that is largely free of any age related fare like scratches and dirt.
All work on this new restoration was carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan and was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master. Some sections not in the negative had to be sourced from a 4-perf internegative element.
Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and light scratches were removed through a combination of digital restoration tools. Overall image stability and instances of density fluctuation were also improved. The sections sourced from the internegative element look noticeably worn in comparison to the negative as per the condition of these elements.
The film's original Italian and English mono soundtracks were transferred from the original 35mm optical sound negatives usuing the Sondor OMA/E with COSP Xi2K technology to minimise optical noise and produce the highest quality results possible.
There are times in which the audio synch will appear slightly loose against the picture, due to the fact that the soundtracks were recorded entirely in post-production. THis is correct and as per the original theatrical release of What Have You Done to Solange?.
What Have You Done to Solange? features DTS-HD Master Audio Mono tracks in both English and Italian, and toggling back and forth between them as I watched the film revealed very little if any difference in mixes or overall amplitude. The film is graced with another great score by Ennio Morricone, which sounds clear and distortion free here. Dialogue can tend to sound a bit artificial at times, with reverb and ambience that don't necessarily seem to reflect the environments shown on screen, but in terms of clarity and understandability, there's really nothing to warrant any concern.
In the Enigma Rosso Blu-ray review I mentioned a relatively recent television episode featuring an iconic British Inspector which dallied in many of the same plot points that all three "schoolgirls in peril" films do, at least in some ways, a recurrence which suggests that sexually active teens may forever be grist for the mystery mill. What Have You Done to Solange? is kind of inescapably florid, but it features some nice stylistic flourishes courtesy of Massimo Dallamano, and the film builds to a perhaps unexpectedly shattering denouement. Arrow has provided a release with solid technical merits and some appealing supplements. Giallo fans need no recommendation from yours truly, since they're no doubt already aware of the film, but for the general public (and with the perhaps obvious caveat that the film traffics in some questionable content), What Have You Done to Solange? comes Recommended.
L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo
1970
Profondo rosso
1975
Special Edition | La morte accarezza a mezzanotte
1972
Sei donne per l'assassino
1964
Il gatto a nove code | Special Edition
1971
Standard Edition
1982
Una farfalla con le ali insanguinate
1971
La dama rossa uccide sette volte
1972
Special Edition | La morte cammina con i tacchi alti
1971
Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso
1972
Una lucertola con la pelle di donna
1971
La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba
1971
Non si sevizia un paperino
1972
Reazione a catena
1971
Tutti i colori del buio
1972
2018
Chi l'ha vista morire?
1972
Le foto di Gioia
1987
Standard Edition
1985
Communion / Holy Terror
1976