Arrow Video Review: What Have You Done to Solange? (1972, dir: Massimo Dallamano)

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?
(1972, dir: Massimo Dallamano)

  Enrico Rossini (Fabio Testi, Heroin Busters) is a teacher who is a bit of a naughty boy. Whilst trying to get down on a row boat (of all places) with young student Elizabeth (Cristina Galbó, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue), their extra curricular activities come to a halt when Elizabeth claims that she has just witnessed the murder of a young girl. Dismissing this is as Elizabeth not wanting to seal the deal, it's not until Enrico is back home with his wife Herta (Karin Baal, Lola) that he hears about the murder on the radio. What starts out as an unfortunate isolated case, soon becomes the first of many gruesome murders. The only connection; all the victims are students at the Catholic girls school in which Enrico works. With the reputation that he has with his students, it's not long until Enrico becomes prime suspect. However, when Elizabeth is continually haunted by visions of a priest and becomes a victim of the sadistic killer, Enrico is soon deemed innocent. With his nubile plaything and career in tatters, he's on the case to solve the mystery once and for all. His marriage? Well, thanks to Elizabeth's frigidity, the pair never actually had sex and that's fine by Herta apparently! The plot thickens when Enrico becomes aware of a mysterious young girl named Solange (Camile Keaton, I Spit on Your Grave). What does she have to do with recent slayings? What exactly happened to Solange?

  What Have You Done to Solange? Is nothing short of a giallo masterpiece. What we have here is a solidly written murder mystery very loosely based on Edgar Wallace's The Clue of the New Pin. Alongside Dallamano we have Bruno Di Geronimo (Flavia the Heretic) and Peter M. Thouet (The Legend of Tim Tyler) on writing duty. Their screenplay goes from sleazy to violent, but is always atmospheric and consistent. There are red herrings a plenty to be found, but thankfully, they actually work and don't feel too forced or ambiguous. Morally however, I do believe it's confused at points. Some may find real problems with our amateur sleuth being what we would now call a sexual predator. Just like Fulci's Don't Torture a Duckling and Bido's The Bloodstained Shadow, there's a real sense of distrust to Catholicism here. It would be morally corrupt (HA!) of me to go in to detail, so I will just say that wether the killer is indeed a priest or not, the fact that a character would don the disguise of a priest says a lot. There have been much more eloquent writers who have covered the aspect of Catholicism in cinema, Shelley F. O'Brien's essay Killer Priests: The Last Taboo makes for interesting reading! Moving away from that, what really struck me about Solange was how aesthetically satisfying the experience is. It's no surprise that Morricone's (Do I really need to name drop here?) score is amazing as always with so much range, but quintessentially Morricone. Chances are, you heard extracts of the score before even being aware of the film itself. That combined with some fantastic cinematography from Joe D'Amato (Porno Holocaust), who also has a fun cameo in the film, makes London feel melancholy, yet beautiful and ultimately mysterious. I'm reminded of the empty morning streets found in Bido's Watch Me When I Kill as I watched.

  I said that the film goes from sleazy to violent, that's true. That being said, aside from some genuinely nasty sexualised deaths, the gore is somewhat restrained and often fuels the imagination of the viewer. Those looking for flesh will be very happy with this as there is plenty of schoolgirl action throughout (especially some innocent, yet seductive shower fun). There are plenty of sleazy characters about too. The film is a great example of having some sinister themes and overall nasty moments without it being trivialised by being too exploitative. Plenty of directors could have just gone for all out gore and overly graphic sex. There's a real sense of maturity throughout. Considering that is a somewhat early example of the gialli, I really found this film to be quite a head of its time. We all know that Mario Bava drew up the plans and Dario Argento began building on the foundations, but as much as I have heard many great things about this film, I don't think this film gets the overall credit it deserves. Of course, it's not classically considered a perfect film and even I almost cringed at some of the British dubbing, so many silly accents. All in all, this is an entertaining, often shocking thriller that has to be seen.

Thankfully, the film is presented beautifully both in terms of picture and sound. We have a 2k restoration that is pretty much flawless. Both Italian and English dubs are included with the Italian being the better quality of the two. In terms of on disc special features this is a fantastic release. First of all we have newly edited interviews with Fabio Testi and producer Fulvio Lucsiano from 2006, a new interview with Karin Baal, in which she has some interesting things to say about the film, a fantastic video essay from Michael Mackenzie that looks at Dallamano's “Schoolgirls in Peril” Trilogy, a trailer and to top it off an audio commentary with Alan Jones and Kim Newman.
Of course, Arrow have included a booklet with writings from Howard Hughes and Art Ettinger and reversible artwork with a fantastic piece of art from Malleus. Overall, this is a must buy for fans and newcomers. If you are yet to dip your toe in to the world of the gialli, this is a great place to start! For the people who had to buy that cheap cardboard sleeved version on Amazon (you know who you are!), you can throw that version away now!

What Have You Done to Solange? Is available as a DVD / Blu-Ray combo from Arrow Video.
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Vinegar Syndrome Peekarama Review: Little Sisters (1972) / Powder Burns (1971)

LITTLE SISTERS
(1972, dir: Alex deRenzy)

"The maker of Censorship in Denmark & History of the Blue Movie has reached a new plateau in adult films."

As you can see, there is no written review for Little Sisters. I have however, recorded an episode of Mondo Squallido looking at the film. Find out what I think of it by clicking this lovely video:

POWDER BURNS
(1971, dir: Alex deRenzy)

"OUTLAW MEN - WILD WOMEN"

  After a montage of the vastness of the desert (we're nearly in Herzogian territory here!) we are thrown balls deep in to a small shoot out. Yep, welcome to the Old West! Well, not exactly! Aside from cowboys, horses and fitting music, we also have chaps wearing aviator shades and scrapped cars laying about. The year is actually 1969 and we're in the small town of Sewer Pipe Creek. The local sheriff (and barkeep) is having a spot of trouble with the pesky McNasty Brothers, a trio of brothers who like to cause chaos in the town for a couple of weeks once a year. Our hero runs the scum out of town and as a result, his saloon girls aren't too happy because although a troublesome threesome, they spend more money in the town in two weeks they are gallivanting than the locals do in a whole month. Cut to a year a later and we see the now former sheriff pondering on his career and life as he knows it. After trying to unsuccessfully woo his only remaining saloon girl, a new face appears in town. A young and curvy blonde go-go dancer nicknamed “The Golden Dream”. She struts her stuff (and what a lovely pair they are!) for the barkeep and his pals. She is an instant hit, sparking the barkeep to dream of the business opportunities his new dancer can bring to town. As he's drooling over his new busty business venture, the McNasty Brothers are padding out the run time by slowly (I mean VERY slowly) roaming the desert and causing yet more mischief. They eventually return to Sewer Pipe Creek. Will history repeat itself? Well, after some innocent enough drinking and frolicking with the new dancers (that was quick barkeep!), a fight breaks out between the brothers and a couple of locals, resulting in another shootout in which all those involved are killed (even though you can clearly see them still breathing) leaving the girls to rob the corpses! Yep, your guess is as good as mine?

 

What can I say about Powder Burns? Not that much actually. What we have here is an ultimately unforgettable film. A clumsily staged and acted outing that has more unintentional entertainment that intentional. Don't get me wrong, the comedy element works with some genuinely funny dialogue from our sheriff / barkeep. There's some nice talent on show too. Unfortunately, none of the girls are really credited, which is a shame because even though the film lacks in terms of story (an almost porn take on Samuel Fuller's Forty Guns if you will), acting and visually appealing technical elements (with the exception of the occasionally interesting use of handheld cinematography), the girls are very nice indeed and I want to see more! There are some rather odd elements too, including an extended and sped up sequence of people drinking at the bar. I have no idea why that's included, but it is and I suppose it adds to the charm (if a deRenzy film can be charming!) of the film. It's inoffensive enough, but I could see some people having major problems with some of the out of place and odd sequences. If you're here for the porn element, you may also be disappointed as the small amount of actual sex is clumped together within the final third. Yep, this is an unconventional (just like a deRenzy film should be) piece of early porno to say the least. I didn't hate the film at all, I was just expecting much more. I mean, it's Alex deRenzy making a meta western porno! It should have been more entertaining than it was.

Overall, Little Sisters is the better of the two films. Powder Burns just completely pales in comparison. That being said, how can I be too harsh when we are presented with two of deRenzy's earlier works on one disc? It's great that we are getting his work on legitimate disc in the first place! Both films are quirky and unconventional in their own way so folks looking for a different adult experience should give these a try. If you are a fan of deRenzy, chances are you already own this release. If you want a fun experience, then this is a nice double feature that is sure to go down a treat at a drunken gathering! Both films are presented in their original aspect ratio and have been cleaned up as best as possible by Vinegar Syndrome. There is clear print and sound damage, but you have to remember that chances are the original prints were probably not in the best shape. The bottom line is this is the best presentation of these films we will ever get. There are no special features on the disc, but like I said, these are two early deRenzy films so we should be thankful we have them widely available. Let's not forget that the Peekarama series is always brilliantly priced, so you are definitely getting your money's worth. This is a must own release and I look forward to what deRenzy treats we will get from Vinegar Syndrome in the future!

The Little Sisters and Powder Burns double feature is available from Vinegar Syndrome here as well as your favourite online retailers.

Vinegar Syndrome Review: Bijou (1972)

BIJOU 

(dir. Wakefield Poole, 1972)

On his way home after a long day at work, a construction worker (Ronnie Shark) witness a young woman (Cassandra Hart) being hit by a car. Of course, being the gentleman that he his, our brave hero is there to help a lending hand. Well, I should say thieving hand. He steals the young woman’s purse and makes it back to his apartment. Obviously shaken by what he has just witnessed, he decides to get a load off (no pun intended) his mind and have a little bit of rub and tug to the music of Led Zeppelin (you know, mood music), he takes it in to the shower but starts to get images in his head of the woman and abruptly stops (fair play). He notices a flyer for a club called Bijou in the woman’s purse and decides to hit the place up to help take his mind off things. When he arrives all is not as it seems and things get a little strange from here on in.

Bijou is the follow up to the hugely successful Boys in the Sand. This time however, we have something more of a hallucinogenic acid trip. What we witness within the Bijou nightclub is a series of highly erotic and often surreal sexual acts. It’s not for everyone, not just for the fact that this is a gay porn film. If you don’t like experimental film, you will most certainly not like this at all. Wakefield’s use of both contemporary and classical music is once again second to none, no matter what your sexual preference or opinions on the sexual content, you can’t deny that Poole is a true artist and visionary. The sets are simple, essentially blacked out spaces (Poole’s own apartment) with minimal use of theatre style lighting, but work brilliantly for what you are seeing unfold on the screen. His use of mirrors and smoke machine certainly add to the affect. In my honest opinion, this is a very tough film to review. From a simple viewpoint, this is a great example of the underground and experimental cinema of the time. However, if you look more closely after repeat viewings, there is a lot that can be potentially dissected, especially in terms of the “psychosexual puzzle” as stated within the synopsis of the DVD. One thing is for certain, this is definitely a film (as Poole himself intended) that will affect people in different ways.

Just like Vinegar Syndrome’s release of Boys in the Sand, you get a healthy amount of special features. There is an audio commentary and video introduction with Wakefield Poole. As well as a vintage interview with himself and an interview with author Linda Williams. Not only that, but you get original audition footage and of course, a trailer. Do I really need to tell you how much of a good job this release is? It’s safe to say that Vinegar Syndrome’s restoration is once again top notch and the overall package is a great thing. If you are a fan of Wakefield’s work or this film in general, you must go out and buy it. If you’re looking for an interesting experience no matter what your tastes or sexual preferences, this is also a release worth owning.

You can read my review for Vinegar Syndrome's release of Boys in the Sand here. Bijou is available to buy directly from Vinegar Syndrome here as well as your favourite online retailers.

Vinegar Syndrome Website

Vinegar Syndrome Youtube

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Hanzo The Razor: Sword Of Justice From Rapid Eye Movies

Hanzo The Razor: Sword Of Justice

(dir. Kenji Misumi, 1972, 90 minutes)
Rapid Eye Movies, Germany

Hello guys and girls. Today we are looking at the first of 3 films from the Nippon Classics sent to me by a German company called Rapid Eye Movies. Now first of all, these will not be reviews of the films themselves as this trilogy of posts is showcasing these releases to people who are collectors and who already know about the film. If you want a review of the films, let me know. Like I said I will just be going through the releases themselves. We will be looking at the packaging, presentation, transfer and special features. So let's get straight to it with the first in depth look, Hanzo The Razor, Sword Of Justice. Below are some snaps of this gorgeous release.

As you can see, you get a gorgeously presented edition of this film. A beautifully designed slipcover showcasing the fantastic Japanese poster for the film which houses a fantastic digipack which boasts some stills from the film. The inside showcases one of the infamous images from the film. The digipack is slim but not too slim and makes it a fantastic size for the shelf and the collection. With the addition of the slipcover, these editions will look fantastic on the shelf. When you open up the digipack you will also find a flyer showcasing other titles from the Nippon Classics selection as well as an assortment of postcards with iconic stills from various Asian cult classics, the postcards are of high quality and are a welcomed addition. Probably the best extra you get is the double sided poster which again has the original Japanes poster design on the front and a original design on the back talking about the film itself. Overall, these are really nice additions and this will please the collectors out there wether or not you decide to actually use the poster and postcards. All in all, these editions are put together brilliantly with collectors in mind. So no we have looked at the packaging and presentation, let's look at the film itself.

 As you can tell by the stills, the transfer is fantastic. The audio is great too. Now, this being a German release, this intended to be watched by either someone who knows or is Japanese or German as the only audio option you have is the original Japanese an the subtitles are only in German. This really isn't a big deal for me personally as the edition itself is what I find most exciting and you can always pick up a cheap DVD. Just remember to bare that in mind if you are going to buy this title. Special features wise, you get the trailer for the film, some information on the film and also some trailers for other releases from Rapid Eye Movies. To some, that might not be a lot but I always welcome at least a trailer on any release and from what I have gathered not many other releases have anything more than a trailer. Overall, if you know Japanese or German (I should know a lot more by now) then  this release is perfect for you.

Overall, I am really impressed with this release. All the supplementary materials you get and the presentation alone make this a welcomed addition to the collection. I cannot stress enough that this release is of course aimed for a German audience so only collectors or lovers of Hanzo should really pick this up. Rapid Eye Movies have done a fantastic job with this release and have given the German public and us collectors  a great release of a film that is deserving of this treatment. You should definitely check out Rapid Eye Movies by clicking the links below and see what they have to offer and to potentially get your hands on this film. There really is nothing negative I can say about this release. Fantastic presentation and has a gorgeous DVD transfer.

RAPID EYE MOVIES SITE
RAPID EYE MOVIES YOUTUBE

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