What Have You Done to Solange? (1972) User Reviews

Intriguing Giallo

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 5 April 2017]

In London, the Italian gym teacher Enrico 'Henry' Rosseni (Fabio Testi) is having a love affair with his eighteen year-old student Elizabeth Seccles (Christine Galbo), who is the daughter of the owner of the Catholic School where he works and she studies. His estranged wife Herta Rosseni (Karin Baal) is the mathematics teacher in the same school. On Sunday afternoon, Rosseni and Elizabeth are in a boat in a grove and the girl glances at a knife and a man hunting down a woman. Rosseni believes she is giving a pretext to avoid him and does not pay attention to her. On the next morning, Rosseni learns that a teenager was murdered in the river bank in the grove and he drives to the location. Inspector Barth (Joachim Fuchsberger) goes to the school since the victim Hilda studied there and soon Rosseni becomes the prime suspect since he protects Elizabeth, who could give an alibi to him. When a second student is murdered, Elizabeth recalls that the killer where a black soutane worn by priests. While the police investigate the suspects, Elizabeth is killed and Rosseni decides also to investigate. He teams up with Herta and the find the name of the mysterious Solange Beauregard. They seek her out but what might have happened to Solange?

"Cosa avete fatto a Solange?", a;k;a "What Have They Done to Solange?" , is an intriguing giallo with a totally unpredictable story full of mystery and tension. The erotic plot is well-written with many twist and suspects. The conclusion surprises the viewer and it is worthwhile watching this film that is not dated. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O quê Vocês Fizeram com Solange?" ("What Have You Done to Solange?)

Note; On 10 Jun 2020 I saw this film again.

Edgar Wallace goes giallo

[dolemite-13 · 7/10 · 20 April 1999]

This is a good murder mystery, based on an Edgar Wallace novel. It has all the ingredients of a good giallo: horrible murders, sex, religion and nightmarish flashbacks.(Especially the one at the end is bound to give you bad dreams).

The plot isn't always logical, and the acting isn't very convincing. But the direction is good and the music by Ennio Morricone is one of the best scores he has ever made.

If you like the movies of Dario Argento, you'll love this one.

An Excellent Giallo, Even Without All The Gore

[ferbs54 · 8/10 · 26 June 2006]

The intriguingly titled giallo classic "What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) is a film that certainly does live up to its excellent word of mouth. While the less said about its twisty-turny story, the better, I can mention that the plot here concerns a string of brutal murders that have been plaguing an all-girls' Catholic school in London, and the hunky Italian gym teacher (well played by Fabio Testi) who is having an affair with one of the young women (the gorgeous Spanish actress Christine Galbo). But things get a bit complicated when this student witnesses one of the murders during a Thames pleasure outing... Regarding those murders, perhaps "brutal" isn't a strong enough word to describe them, as this giallo nutjob has a tendency to stick his knife...well, this is a family Web site, so perhaps I shouldn't say. Mercifully, these slayings are not at all graphic--the picture would have been rated XXX if they were, and would have been too terrible to watch. Indeed, this film features hardly any gore at all; the suggested acts are quite bad enough. Still, this is an excellent example of the giallo genre, with a meaty, involving story; numerous shifty-eyed suspects; loads of pretty women; and the requisite murder set pieces. Massimo Dallamano has directed his film impeccably, eliciting fine performances from every player; the legendary Ennio Morricone has supplied an alternately lovely/creepy score; and cameraman Aristide Massacasi has nicely captured the beauty of London and its countryside. The film has been superbly dubbed--indeed, it looks as if the actors were originally speaking in English!--but the image on the Shriek Show DVD that I just saw looks cropped at the edges, as the opening and closing credits reveal. Also, I couldn't get the extras to work, for some reason. Still, the film looks clean and bright, and is not to be missed. It was even better the second time I watched it!

One the best and one of the most important Italian gialli

[lazarillo · 26 November 2007]

This is not only one of the best, but also one of the most important Italian gialli in that it forms a nexus with a two other genres of film that influenced or were influenced by the gialli. This was a West German co-production, nominally set In England, and (very loosely) based on an Edgar Wallace novel which connects it to the West German "krimi" series, a more obscure series than the Italian gialli but a clear influence on the latter. Stylistically, this colorful and garish film is much more of a giallo than a krimi, but influence is there, and it features Joachim Fuchsberger and Karin Bal, who were both popular actors in the earlier krimis, in supporting roles .

Perhaps even more interesting is the connection between this movie and the American/Canadian slasher films. Along with "Bay of Blood", "Schoolgirl Killer", "Torso", the Spanish film "La Residencia" and the British film "Assault", this was one of the European films that received the widest release stateside and probably had the greatest influence on the early slasher genre. This movie kicked off what could be called the "schoolgirl gialli". Unlike the other gialli, which focused on decadent adult European jet-setters, but like the slasher films, the "schoolgirl giallo" had seemingly innocent adolescent protagonists being picked off by a deviant, but often moralistic killer. But while the slasher movie victims were merely guilty of promiscuity and other typically irresponsible teen behavior, their schoolgirl gialli peers were engaged in behavior that one hopes even in Europe at the time wasn't typical--ie. teen prostitution, sex orgies, back-alley abortions.

Even though it was made years earlier, this movie is actually a lot sleazier, but also much better made than the vast majority of slasher films. The "hero" is a gym teacher at a private girl's college who witnesses one of the murders. The problem is he was schtupping one of his students in a rowboat at the time! It greatly helps though that this character is played by the very likable Fabio Testi. It also helps that none of the girls is especially believable as a "sixth former"--the victims, who are dispatched in very unpleasant (and full-frontal) fashion are too voluptuous to be believable as teenagers, while the two female leads--Spaniard Cristina Galbo and American Camille Keaton, were actually both in their early twenties at the time and at the very height of their very considerable beauty. Most importantly, however, this movie is very well-made and stylistic with an excellent musical score. Director Massimo Dallamano ranks right up there with Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, and Sergio "Torso" Martino as one of the true masters of the Italian giallo thrillers.

For what it's worth I personally own over 120 Italian gialli, and though I would be loath to rank all of them, I would certainly put this one in the top five.

A typical Giallo !

[CokeEnnyDay · 7/10 · 16 October 2001]

If you like the late 60s, early 70s "giallo" thrillers of the Italian cinema, than this movie is for you.Although the story can hardly be called original, a mad killer on the loose in an all girl school,the movie does manage to give the viewer a satisfactory explanation as to the killer´s identity and motivation.The sex and gore scenes are pretty tame by todays standards.Supposedly, this movie is based on a story by Edgar Wallace.Since it was co-produced by Germany it got released under the title: "Das Geheimniss der gruenen Stecknadel" albeit cut by approximately 8 minutes.

Pretty good, not the best giallo ever

[awsum_ginger · 7/10 · 25 February 2007]

OK, this film isn't a masterpiece, but hardly any films are. Like most giallos, it's sometimes boring and hard to get through with long segments of talking. The murders were mostly brief and not as violent as they could've been, but still there was a somewhat original way they were carried out (I won't spoil it for anyone.) Really, I prefer Dario Argento and Mario Bava when it comes to giallo, but seriously, you have to be fair when judging this film and not compare this director to the greats, like Argento. So I suppose you could call this one of the better 'non-Argento' giallos. The film itself is definitely worth taking a look at, but don't expect much. At the very most, it's worth a 7/10, which is still a pretty good rating.

a well-done, lesser-known giallo

[Jonny_Numb · 7/10 · 10 March 2003]

"What Have You Done to Solange?" is a rather pleasant surprise after wading through countless giallos that are long on style but short on sense (ahem, Mr. Argento). This film is stylistically similar to Fulci's "Don't Torture A Duckling" and the lesser-screened "Autopsy". We have a killer going to work on several girls in an Italian Catholic school, a teacher carrying on an affair with a student, a disgruntled wife, a long line of red herrings, all of which are tied together through a traumatized girl named Solange. The surprise of this film is that, for the most part, it maintains narrative coherence and seldom succumbs to covering up its story with flamboyant stylistic tactics. Credit director Massimo Dallamano and his cinematographer, Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D'Amato) for the controlled, flowing narrative. I must mention my true reason in seeking out WHYDtS was to view the first screen appearance of Camille Keaton (of "I Spit on Your Grave"), who has a small role that makes a big impression. A diamond in the rough, this film is definitely worth seeking out if you're a fan of the genre.

7/10

Superb Giallo-Masterpiece!

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 9/10 · 12 April 2008]

What a remarkable film! In spite of high expectations and entirely praising comments by fellow Horror fans, Massimo Dallamano's "Cosa Avete Fatto A Solange" aka. "What Have You Done To Solange" of 1972 was still capable of astonishing me with its brilliance. This complex and mesmerizing film delivers cinematic perfection in every aspect and stands out as one of the most ingenious Gialli ever made. I am an avid fan of Gialli, and this is an absolute must-see for every fan of this great (sub-)genre. "What Have You Done To Solange" is not only essential to those who share my enthusiasm for Italian Horror cinema, however. Be it the convoluted plot, the ingenious camera work, the brilliant score by Maestro Ennio Morricone or the constant, tantalizing suspense - there is not a single aspect that is not brilliant about this stunning film, that I highly recommend to any suspense-lover in general.

Henry Rossini (Fabio Testi), a married Italian teacher at a Catholic London private school for girls, has an affair with one of his students (Christina Galbó). When they are having a romantic boat-ride on the Thames, the girl suddenly yells that she has just seen a knife. Henry first laughs her claims off as hysteria, until the body of another girl, also one of his students is found right at the exact same spot the following day. It is not long until other murders of girls occur, all carried out in the same, horrid manner...

The film is not as gory as many other brilliant Gialli (such as Dario Argento's films), but the manner in which the murders are carried out is more than a bit nasty. The film has one of the most compelling plots ever in Horror cinema, and is stunningly suspenseful from the very beginning. The eerie atmosphere is even intensified by a brilliant and mesmerizing score by none other than the great Ennio Morricone. The brilliant cinematography was done by Joe D'Amato, the infamous 'king of sleaze' himself who shocked audiences in the 80s when he directed gruesome productions such as "Antropophagus" and "Buio Omega". The performances are also excellent. Fabio Testi, who is famous among fans of Italian genre-cinema, mainly for starring in crime and police flicks, stars in his most memorable role here. Karin Baal is excellent as his German wife, and Joachim Fuchsberger delivers a solid performance as the investigating police detective. Great performances also come from the sexy female cast, most memorably from Camille Keaton, who is best known for the infamous Exploitation shocker "I Spit On Your Grave" of 1978.

Like two other excellent Gialli (Argento's "Bird With The Crystal Plumage" and Lenzi's "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids") this was heavily cut and sold as an Edgar Wallace film in Germany. People in German speaking countries: Avoid the mutilated German version and get uncut international versions instead. This is brilliant suspense cinema at its finest and an uncut version is absolutely essential! I could go on praising this film forever, but instead I will end my review with a recommendation: Get "What Have You Done To Solange" as soon as you possibly can! It is easily one of the most compelling Gialli ever made and absolutely essential for every Horror-lover to see! 10/10

Nice n Sleazy

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 3 February 2018]

Massimo Dallamno takes the most sleaziest of premises and smothers it in luscious cinematography (by Joe D'Amato) and a silky Ennio Morricone soundtrack, to produce something uniquely Italian. It starts of fairly giallo like, with Italian teacher Enrico floating down the Thames on a boat with schoolgirl Elizabeth (Cristina Galbo, who hasn't aged a day since playing a schoolgirl in The House That Screamed three years earlier). Enrico wants to get into her pants, but Elizabeth tries what Enrico thinks is yet another delay tactic - that of claiming she saw a girl being chased in the bushes, and the flash of a knife. Enrico only has one bush in mind and stomps off in a huff.

Unluckily for Enrico, a girl is found dead with a huge blade rammed into her most private of parts, and she's one of his pupils from the school he works in as a teacher! Enrico now has to try and cover up the affair he's having with Elizabeth, not only from his cold, distant wife, but also from all the staff at the school he works at. He probably shouldn't have dropped that pen when he flounced off either, because now he's got a cop on his tail too.

In an effort to clear his name, Enrico has to hunt down the killer too, and sort out his love life! Maybe Elizabeth can remember something about that day on the river, or if she can't maybe she should shut up and stop using the flashbacks as an excuse to tell Enrico she's not in the mood. Enrico embarks on a journey where everyone around him is a suspect, from the priests as the girls school, to the janitor, and what has the mysterious girl Solange got to do with it all?

This is the beginning of a giallo trilogy by Massimo Dallamano that continues with What Have You Done With Our Daughters and Rings of Terror (written by Dallamano, but filmed after his death). All involve schoolgirls who are a lot less innocent that they appear to be, and all include rampant schoolgirl nudity that is kind of frowned upon these days (don't worry though, we are not in Borderline Jimmy Saville Territory (or BJST) here, as it's mentioned a few times that girls are about eighteen, and very evident that the actresses involved left school long before they appeared in this film!). There's a bizarre scene where the girls all have a communal shower and cigarettes at the same time, which aren't two activities you'd usually associate with each other.

This is a highly rated giallo due to the complex plot and amazing visuals, plus Fabio Testi always makes a good leading man. I've got to admit the plot was quite absorbing as well, as the focus shifts around various peripheral characters throughout, and Camille Keaton as the strange Solange definitely makes her mark. There was one bit that was rather iffy though - if a witness has a vital piece of evidence, would you have her blurt it out in front of every suspect in the film? Apart from that, this might be a good starting point for anyone interested in this kind of film.

One of the Very Best Non-Argento Gialli

[bdeyes81 · 10/10 · 24 September 2001]

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?

If you are reading this review, then the likelihood is that you already know firsthand or have a very good idea of what a great giallo thriller this film is. I don't want to say too much, because as anyone who has seen this film already knows, divulging even the most minor details can potentially spoil everything. This much I CAN say:

Elizabeth is a young woman having an affair with her married Catholic high school teacher, Henry. One one rendezvous she witnesses what she believes to be a murder committed by a man dressed like a priest. Sure enough the body of one of Elizabeth's classmates turns up, and not long after more of her classmates show up dead. The only apparent link is that all of them are attending the same Catholic high school, and all of them are killed in the same shocking manner (I won't divulge the vital MO used by the killer, but I will say that you'll be glad it's not explicitly shown!). But as sophisticated giallo fans know, there is indeed a connection between this string of dead girls. It's up to Elizabeth, Henry, and Herta to uncover the dark secret of exactly what has been done to Solange...

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? gets off to a rather slow start, and I have to admit that for the first 30 min or so I thought that the film was going to be a vastly overrated disappointment. However, much to my satisfaction, I was quite wrong. Although it takes a while to get there, once this movie gets going, it simply does not let up. That's not to say that it has a particularly fast pace, but the story unfolds with so many twists and turns and new characters that mystery fans will be tingling with glee. As if the intriguing title were not enough, the slowly but surely unfolding technique of the screenplay will leave your mouth watering for a big pay off. And, unlike 99% of otherwise good thrillers, this movie has an extraordinary denouement. The final minutes of the film will shock you, stun you, and have you starting the film all over again. Furthermore, the killer's identity in the film is not only a surprise, but it also makes perfect sense in the context of the story...a rare feat achieved in thrillers, but one which caps off the film quite nicely (to say the least!).

I would not go so far as to say that I could see this film being written/directed by Dario Argento, because it is not quite as exciting or edgy or offbeat as his works. However, unlike many of the giallo thrillers that have managed to make it to the US (dozens and dozens were produced in Italy during the early 70s, only a fraction of which were distributed in the US one way or another), "Solange" is a film which can certainly be ranked on the same level as some of Argento's classics. I might not put it up there with Deep Red or Tenebre, but I'd certainly place it on the same ranks as The Animal Trilogy.

Even if you have never seen this film before, I can assure you that it will be worth owning for any fans of thrillers/gialli/Italian horror. It's simply stunning, and speaking as an avid fan of Hitchcock, Bava, and Argento, I cannot recommend it enough.

My Grade: A

Your standard giallo, but...

[markovd111 · 7/10 · 4 May 2020]

While watching the movie, I can't say I was particularly amazed. Sure, movie had standard interesting plot, but nothing particularly special. And then I found that something particularly special in the last half an hour of the movie, which brings the whole thing to another level. It elevates what is your run of the mill giallo to something that packs a much stronger punch. It made me uncomfortable. Guess that's good for a giallo movie. There is also a lot of nudity, and violence is shocking, though it happens off-screen. Because of it's ending, this movie deserves a higher rating than your standard giallo, so I give it 7/10! I recommend it to giallo fans. Others, who don't like giallo, surely won't start to like it here.

One of the greatest ever!

[Gunnar_Runar_Ingibjargarson · 8/10 · 19 June 2008]

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? (1972): Enrico Rossini (Fabio Testi) is a married teacher involved in an affair with one of his students, Elizabeth (Christine Galbó). One afternoon in a park, while enjoying one of their amorous trysts, Elizabeth witnesses the murder of a young woman, a crime that her lover does not see. When the corpse of a student is found at the park, the teacher finally believes Elizabeth and decides to revisit the scene of the murder. More girls are killed and the police begin to suspect that Enrico is the murderer. In a desperate attempt to clear his name, Enrico turns detective and eventually discovers the secret of a young woman named Solange (Camille Keaton), whose shocking past is linked to both the killer's choice of victims and the gruesome manner in which he dispatches them. This solidly plotted and engrossing murder thriller is easily among the finest galls ever made. The conventional storyline is enlivened with genuinely surprising twists, strong characters and a shocking, unexpected ending. Slickly directed by Massimo Dallamano, and featuring striking cinematography by Aristide Massachessi (who, as Joe D'Amato, had a subsequent career as one of the most incompetent directors of all time), SOLANGE is an unusually well made and restrained Italian thriller. Excellent performances from Fabio Testi, Joachin Fuchsberger, Karin Baal and the beautiful Christine Galbo raise the movie's quality level even higher. A fine, moody Ennio Morricone score provides some necessary tension enhancement. If you've never seen a Gilli before, the film is a great starting point for anyone interested in taking an initial plunge into this fascinating genre.

The Shriek Show DVD is one of this small company's finest releases yet. The widescreen (1.85:1) transfer features gorgeous colors and sharp detailing, with only a few speckles, hair marks and some modest print damage. The movie itself is the real prize here as the extras are fairly skimpy: A poster and lobby card gallery is scored to the movie's main title theme and a nice 12 page booklet is provided with liner notes and quite a few stills. Finally, five trailers are included, for SOLANGE itself and some other related Shriek Show releases. Despite the lack of enticing extras, this is a worthy addition to any horror/suspense enthusiast's DVD library.

Twisty giallo with a focus on intrigue and plot

[ccamp89 · 7/10 · 26 February 2018]

Very twisty giallo that routinely subverted my expectations. The main strengths of the film are its knotty but well-constructed plot, serene locales, and great camerawork. Lots of nice music by Ennio Morricone as well. The film has a stronger focus on the mystery and plot rather than the murders themselves, and is largely populated by dialogue-driven intrigue scenes. I may have liked it a bit more if there had been a greater emphasis on style and atmosphere rather than plot, but that's more a matter of taste than a criticism of the film itself.

Strong 3.5/5

Mediocre At Best

[andyandy68 · 4/10 · 16 August 2005]

Solange is not a great Italian thriller. Get ready for the spoiler - the main suspect, the professor, didn't do it. But is it really a spoiler? No, because you know that he couldn't have been the murderer from the very beginning; he and a student witnessed the first murder. So, there is absolutely no suspense as to whether or not the professor is the killer. There is a long, tedious build up to the final explanation of the mystery. The solution is interesting, but it comes out of nowhere. The rest of the movie (and it's not a short movie) is just not exciting enough to hold your interest. Even in the tradition of "wrong man accused" it fails, because the police never seriously accuse the professor, and the killer is never after him. Dull, dull, dull.

One of the Best Gialli

[Wheatpenny · 8 August 1999]

An innocent teacher is suspected of a really sick series of murders (after this film, the verb "to solange" should have been added to the dictionary) and must clear himself, ala Hitchcock. Supposedly based on one of Edgar Wallace's books (there _is_ a hidden room), they still must have taken an awful lot of creative license. Joe D'Amato uses the 2.35 frame as only a style-uber-content DP can, though Dallamano deserves a lot of credit for making the story so engrossing. Morricone's score is truly haunting (available on CD with his score for Lenzi's "Spasmo"), adding a note of sadness to the gruesome proceedings. As with the best horror, there's nothing explicit in the murder scenes, wisely leaving the details of the truly hideous murders to the viewers' imaginations. ("Giallo in Venice" also featured a murderer solanging a victim but ruined it by showing the whole thing.) This one's definitely worth checking out, though widescreen is a must.

Another wonderful Ennio Morricone score lifts a decent film

[PimpinAinttEasy · 6/10 · 25 July 2015]

A film with really nice locales (nice brick buildings and lush green landscapes), unbearably cheesy acting and loads of nude girls. There is a lot to appreciate - Morricone's score in particular (it is one of my favorite Morricone scores now) and some interesting camera angles.

A young girl (who is having an affair with her school teacher) catches the gleam of a knife in the wilderness when she is making love to the teacher (Fabio Testi) in a boat. Soon, a number of dead girls turn up, all with knife wounds to their private parts. The teacher is the main suspect. Him and his devoted wife set out to find the real killer.

The title scenes with the girls riding bicycles in slow motion makes sense towards the end. The ending revelation made the movie. But the film is definitely flawed. There isn't enough screen time for the girls who are being killed. They should have been the focus of the film. But it is only towards the end that we realize that they are harboring some deadly secret. The husband-wife dynamic was quite uninteresting. Even the actresses were quite ugly when you consider some of the other Giallo films.

(6/10)

Enjoyed it but no masterpiece

[chrichtonsworld · 6/10 · 20 August 2010]

It could be that the time this movie came out that the subject was pretty shocking and disturbing. And I must admit that there are scenes that are still shocking today. The movie itself however didn't manage to thrill me all the way. Since not once did I feel dread from the killer. Although the movie offers enough suspects it is hardly surprising who the killer is especially since the movie itself rules out several of these suspects. The motivation for these killings is far more interesting anyway. The explanation that is given however to me wasn't satisfying or compelling enough. One of the reasons for this is that the title character Solange isn't long enough in the movie to express what she has been through. It would have been far more effective if scenes were shown how Solange was treated. Some of the plot points leading to the killer come out of nowhere and were far too convenient to convince me. Does this make a bad movie,not at all. But compare it to Deep Red and you will see what a true masterpiece should be like.

Good giallo.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 15 June 2011]

This movie is a textbook example of a giallo. And when watching this movie you'll also understand what makes the genre so popular and distinctive.

As far as giallo's go, this isn't the most violent or bloody one around. It tries to build its tension and mystery differently, without excluding any of the typical genre elements. And I must say that the killings that are in this movie (and that we get to see) are shot very well and possible form the movie its most memorable moments. Perhaps this is also thanks to director Massimo Dallamano his background as a cinematographer.

The movie has some good solid characters in it, that are being likable ones as well. They help to make the story move along and help to carry it over the movie its slower points. Yes, this perhaps isn't the most exciting giallo to watch but it's a well constructed one nevertheless.

I don't rate it among my favorites but it remains a good giallo nevertheless.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

A seriously good giallo

[The_Void · 10/10 · 28 July 2004]

What Have They Done to Solange? puts all of it's efforts into the mystery that it is uncovering. Unlike a lot of giallo, this one doesn't put the focus on overly gory death scenes and use the mystery as an excuse to string them together; it's focus is the mystery, and the murders are secondary to it. Due to the graphic and sexual nature of the death scenes, however; this is probably a good thing. The plot of the movie follows an investigation of the death of a schoolgirl. After the death, a teacher at the school, Enrico, becomes the main suspect because of his close affiliation to several of the girls in his class. When more schoolgirls turn up dead, Enrico and his wife decide to try and solve the murder themselves.

The mystery pans out very intricately, and small clues as to who is the murder and their motive are given out slowly as the film goes along; thus keeping your interest, but not giving you enough to chew on so that you will be able to solve the mystery, but it does give you enough to chew so that you will be able to develop theories as to who the murderer is. This is a very good thing, as it makes sure that the film is interesting throughout and it is guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Trust me, you'll be begging to know who and why after the amount of suspense this movie builds up. That's not to say that this movie is all build up either; it pays off the viewer's patience at the end with a conclusion that is satisfyingly tragic, and also one that makes sense, and thereby gives the murderer and his intent a definite degree of potency, and we can even feel a little bit for him. A lot of Italian horror movies seem to fall down at the end as their conclusion doesn't make perfect sense, but that is not true of this movie; and that is a definite plus point.

This movie is given another edge over a lot of other giallo thanks to a great score by the king of great scores, Ennio Morricone. As usual, Morricone's score fits the film and gives it more reason to be memorable. The acting in What Have They Done to Solange? is not one of its main plus points, but it's not bad either. The screenplay is great, though, mostly due to the fact that it doesn't feature anything that's needless and it keeps developing for the entire duration of the movie, and this therefore makes sure that the viewer has to pay absolute attention to the film as missing two minutes of it could result in missing something important to the mystery, and it therefore ties the viewer to the movie in that way. This movie isn't as heavy on style as other giallos; as previously mentioned there's no overly gory death sequences, but it more than makes up for this loss in style with an abundance of substance, and that is better for this kind of intricate mystery.

Overall, What They Done to Solange? is an absolute highlight of the giallo style and is therefore recommended to anyone that likes this kind of movie. Unfortunately, What Have They Done to Solange is not readily available and that therefore means that people that want it will have to dig for it; but trust me, it's worth it.

But do you care?

[HEFILM · 6/10 · 12 January 2018]

This film has many strengths, it's well photographed and has a very good score by Morricone. The plot twists get a little to twisty--though that's part of the fun of giallo's and the final answer as to what happened to Solange is memorably nasty. It's also well produced, the dubbing is pretty good and much of it looks or at least feels like it's really taking place in England--though the cast doesn't look very British.

So what's wrong with this picture? Well the lead character is a lecherous teacher and the movie itself seems to wallow a bit in scenes of naked school girls in the shower. Though you can get a exploitation thrill from this you don't really identify with any of the characters. The detective gets more screen time but isn't interesting and doesn't have any emotional involvement in solving the crimes.

So you'd expect our lech lead "wrong man" character to learn or get more involved in solving all this--and he sort of does but mostly doesn't. Some of this can be actor Testi's though he's less stiff here than in other films.

The film also doesn't build as well as it should and as it starts to explain what's going on it slows down and gets convoluted--in other words it has a slow middle.

There is one silly scene with an over the top witness to a crime and lot's of Catholic hatred and confusion to liven things up.

Film has some style, helped by the music, but the style neither overcomes nor expresses all the elements of the film. It's an interesting film that isn't all that compelling.

Poor Solange

[bensonmum2 · 9/10 · 29 October 2005]

A group of friends from an all-girls school are being brutally murdered. The girls seem to be connected through Suspicion naturally falls on one of the teachers who had an affair with one of the girls. Even though his innocence is proved, he works to solve the case. The only real clue he has is a mysterious girl named Solange. If he is to stop the killer, he must discover the secret of what happened to Solange.

A lot of the Gialli I've seen can realistically be described as quirky or campy. That's not the case with What Have You Done to Solange? It has a much more serious tone to it that can at times be almost depressing. I suppose if I were to compare it with any movie it would be Fulci's Don't Torture a Duckling. Both present dark, gritty portrayals of murder without a lot of the flash found in many of their brethren of the sub-genre. While much of the actual murder scenes take place off-screen, what is implied is as sick and twisted as you'll encounter. The gruesome aftermath of at least one of these deaths always leaves sick feeling in my stomach because of its brutality. And when you finally do meet Solange, she is as sad and pathetic a victim as I've ever seen in a movie. Overall, it's not what you would call a light-hearted watch, but it's one of the more engrossing Gialli I've seen.

A Nice Whodunnit

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 6/10 · 21 March 2016]

One of the joys of DVD, as I've said many times before, is that it allows us all the opportunity to see movies that we would otherwise have no chance of seeing. It could be art films, independent films or even major foreign films that never make it to the states. In addition to these opportunities it is an even bigger joy when one of these films makes its way via Arrow Video. No, they aren't paying me to say this. Aside from Criterion Arrow Video releases some great movies in blu-ray format that have been cleaned to perfection with actual extras that matter and never overdo. Take for instance this film, an Italian giallo film that has all the elements and keeps you guessing until the end as to whodunit.

The film stars Fabio Testi as Enrico Rosseni, a teacher at a Catholic girl's school. The film opens with Enrico lazily rowing down the river with his girlfriend Elizabeth. Out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth thinks she sees something in the woods on the bank. Enrico thinks she is just trying to put him off as she's done in the past. A short time later we discover that Elizabeth is a student of Enrico's who is going to graduate soon.

Enrico has set up an apartment for the two of them, a love nest if you will. He's done so because he is still married to Herta, another teacher at the school. While the couple still live together their marriage is a shambles and a split is imminent. Herta knows something is going on but the couple's confrontations on the subject are more subdued than one would think they would be.

Problems arise when girls from the school are found murdered, the first being what Elizabeth caught out of the corner of her eye. As an eye witness, the police try to press her for more information but it all comes back to her slowly. When Elizabeth is found murdered as well, Enrico become the number one suspect. With all revealed he loses his job and now has a second reason to want to find out who the killer is. We know he's innocent, having seen the killer dressed in priest's garb, but how will he change the mind of the police inspector?

As the clues begin to mount and Enrico, with the help of Herta, proves his innocence, just who is responsible continues to remain a mystery. With each new death the list of suspects seems to grow rather than dwindle. The reasons why these murders are happening and the final assortment of clues come late in the film but hints were there all along. In the end it is a satisfying conclusion.

The movie itself is a great mystery based on a novel by Edgar Wallace. As I said the clues are provided for the most part but the final items necessary to find the killer aren't all in place until the last portion of the film. The acting is better than many movies faced with a transition from one culture/language to another. While the differences in the way Italian films are made from how they're done in America is obvious, in this case it is never in a fashion that makes the film difficult to follow.

Arrow has turned in a fantastic looking version of the movie. In addition to presenting it in a clean print it offers the following extras:

-Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) -Newly translated subtitles for the Italian soundtrack -Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack -Brand new audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman -Newly filmed cast interviews -Original Theatrical Trailer -A reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by MALLEUS -A booklet featuring brand new writing on the film, illustrated with original stills

If you love giallo films, if you love Italian made movies or if you love a great mystery then this is a movie worth seeking out. For film collectors you're offered a great version of the film done with loving care. If you've never ventured into watching an Italian made film this would be a good way to start. And if you aren't familiar with Arrow Video now is your chance to see why they are one of the better DVD companies out there.

Gripping suspense from the get go that will keep you guessing!

[mosuratai · 9/10 · 14 March 2002]

Always a favorite in the underground film scene I was quite please to have finally seen this title on DVD.

Massimo Dellamano shows the true touch of a master with stunning use of scene blending, flashbacks, and virtuoso cinematography. Being quite jaded on Giallos (Italian Thrillers) for quite some time WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO SOLANGE totally blew me off the sofa.

Dellamano also churned out another knock out a two years later called

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO OUR DAUGHTERS.

Both are out on DVD nab em' while you can.

Disappointing! Completely Overrated! 1 star to balance this overrating.

[Bababooe · 1/10 · 6 July 2017]

Disappointing! Completely Overrated! 1 star to balance this overrating.

Best part of the movie was the cinematography. It was good. Not great, but we get to see some early London. The music was OK. Nothing memorable.

Now the story. I know most giallo do not make sense and plot holes are all over the place. But this one must take the cake. We don't get to see or hear about the famous Solange until 25 minutes to the end of the movie. And we have to try to figure out what the hell is going on. The acting was OK, but boring. Fabio Testi is no actor, maybe a model of clothing lines. Joachim Fuchsberger was much better as the inspector, still not great, but who the hell wants to hear a bunch of talking in a murder mystery? Cristina Galbó was better, but again the script is garbage. She was much much better in the Killer will Kill Again, a superior movie, not great, but a hell of lot more fun than this garbage.

We have Fabio, Italian with a stupid accent, having an affair with an underage girl, then lying to the police. They should have locked this guy up, not as the criminal, but just for being a dirtbag and being a crappy actor. He manhandles a photographer for answers for dramatic effect. There the filmmakers should be locked up for being dirtbags. He treats his wife like crap. So, real lovely guy.

We get Cristina Galbó another liar Fabio is having an affair with. Her bathtub drowning scene was OK, not great.

We get lots of scenes with nude girls showering and a peeping Tom, Red Herring.

We get the fat bearded guy losing it at a priest lineup and the inspector manhandling him. Attempted humor? Failure! Here's a pretty sad point in the film. The inspector tells the wife that Cristina Galbó was still a virgin at the time of her death, so Fabio didn't enter, the wife smiles. Forget about the fact that girls are being killed, there's a manic running loose. The wife is smiling, because Fabio didn't enter. So, our next delight of film shows Fabio and the wife rekindling their marriage. How freaking sweet. I guess Fabio figured he might as well get some from the wife until he can pick another live underage girl to take to his hideaway apartment.

Our great reveal is in the last 5 minutes, when we find out that some of the murdered girls took this famous Solange to a woman for a kitchen table abortion that didn't go so well and mentally scarred Solange, so the father took it upon himself for revenge. OK! How about some clues early on, maybe a scene or some talking about Solange or some tidbits about that big reveal at the end, so we humans can put something together. No, we just get this abstract nonsense.

I have skimmed through the IMDb user reviews, most of them give 10 star, some 8, a few 7, and very few give 4 or 3. A very few no stars, and indicate 1.

As a stand alone movie, it has decent cinematography and there's some entertainment to be found. And the rating would probably be a passing D, or 3 stars. But given all the freaking garbage 10 stars, I will have to balance things out with a 1.

I will also mention that I am no fan of Argento. I am the president of the I hate Suspiria fan club. Suspiria is a pile of amateur garbage. I hate Plumage, and Four Flies. I am also not a fan of Bava. Planet of Vampires is trash, Bay of Blood is trash, Much better giallos are Spasmo, Death Walks at Midnight, The Case of the Bloody Iris, Blade of the Ripper, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, All the Colors of the Dark, The Case of the Scorpion's Tail, The Fifth Cord, The Weapon, the Hour, & the Motive, Killer Will Kill Again. These are not great films, but they are entertaining. And much superior to this Solange nonsense.

Here are some films I will recommend: Don't Torture A Duckling, Manhattan Baby, Messiah of Evil, White Zombie, Footprints on the Moon, Scream Bloody Murder.

Update: I've finished reviewing the Critic reviews. Only 2 did not like this film: Bill's Movie Emporium, and DVD Talk.

Another Critic breaks down all the scenes of this boring and convoluted mess: Terror Trap. They're assessment is that Solange is a great movie, a clean poignant giallo, with drama and mystery with well-drawn characters and thoughtful plotting, Wonderful thriller, beautifully realized. Fine performance from Fabio and Karin. And praise for Camille for her portrayal of Solange, and that we will never forget the sad look in her eyes when she sees her dead father.

Nonsense. 1) boring and convoluted movie. 2) not clean and clear. 3) Drama – Cheating dirtbag husband rekindles his romance with his wife, after the death of his lover, because she was a virgin, Crap! 4) Mystery - no clue what the hell is going on. It is a mystery how many people love this crap. 5) Well Drawn Characters? NOT, we have no idea who these people are, nothing beyond where they work, at most we have a couple with a cheating husband. These are not likable characters at all. 6) Wonderful thriller – NOT. 7) Beautifully realized – NOT. 8) Fine performances by Fabio and Karin – NOT. These people are not actors. They are clothing models at best. 9) Praise for the actress playing Solange – first we see her toward the end of the movie, she has a freaking blank look on her face, what is that, ohh she lost her mind, great. Seriously, you think this is good acting?

Daughter of Tears

[SJSondergaard · 4 April 2008]

The opening to "Solange?" has the ring of familiarity to it. The setting is outdoors on a riverbank, the characters are Elizabeth (winsome English Rose) and Enrico (passionate Italian male). The camera closes in on Elizabeth's eyes as she finally succumbs to the older man's advances when images flash suddenly across the screen - a girl running, an outstretched hand, the flash of a blade - courtesy of some seamless editing. It's an exercise in how unsettling something can be when occurring on a bright sunny day. It also employs Argento's recurrent motif of skewed perception. Elizabeth (Cristina Galbó) is unsure of what she's actually seen and Enrico (Fabio Testi), exasperated by what he assumes are delay tactics, brings the boat to shore.

The following morning a body has been found on the same stretch of the Thames. A girl from Elizabeth's school has been knifed to death in a manner that will have you crossing your legs for the duration. Having left behind a piece of evidence which places him near the scene of the crime, and later caught on camera among a throng of onlookers by a TV crew covering the story, Enrico (the girls' tutor) finds himself with some explaining to do. It's not long before others fall victim to the maniac, and as pieces of the puzzle are uncovered little by little, the mystery seems tied to a particular clique of students and their association with the enigmatic girl in the title, who left the school suddenly the year before.

Right from the start we're in very assured hands. This is a giallo which pretty much has it all, balancing the stranger in a strange land figure (Enrico) compelled by circumstance to find out his own answers to a series of brutal murders by a black-gloved killer, with a police procedural element which for once is treated with absolute seriousness and a deft touch. Joachim Fuchsberger (Inspector Barth) gives arguably the best portrayal in the genre of an investigator in charge, being neither bumbling comic relief nor bullish, misogynist caricature. Everything is treated with care and reverence, relying on solid fingerprint policing rather than outlandish pseudo-science, which in itself raises the film a few notches above average. Every clue, every red herring, every motive is duly noted and accounted for and used to drive the story along a series of ever darker revelations.

Along the way, Dallamano is careful to anticipate our anticipation and gives little twists throughout to narrative and character. Enrico's wife Herta (Karin Baal) starts life almost as a parody of both the wronged wife and the Teutonic blonde (think Helga from 'allo 'allo with her blouse buttoned up) gradually becoming a more nuanced, genuinely sympathetic individual. Enrico (as the tutor engaged in an affair with one of his students) is painted in shades of grey, rather than as the complete louse we might expect, and when the illusive Solange (whose presence here is something akin to Hitchcock's "smoking gun") makes her entrance via a quirk of serendipity shared with the viewer alone, she resembles a pallid version of Botticelli's Venus, the subtlety of which only becomes clear with time. Even perfectly innocent London street names ("Evelyn Gardens") take on more sinister connotations.

What impresses most is how Dallamano - mindful of his choice of victim - manages to foster a feeling of genuine shock in everyone right down to the minor players, and makes some effort to deal with the after-effects of the killings. A scene where Barth interviews the shell-shocked parents of the first girl is sensitively handled and admirably underplayed. In a neat piece of editing the father's reaction to the facts of his daughter's demise is transported into the following scene at the girl's funeral. The sleazier aspects of this "schoolgirl slasher" are, on the face of it at least, mitigated somewhat by the fact the schoolgirls are actually eighteen (and everyone looks about five years older than they are). The requisite nudity is largely confined to the girls' shower room, and beyond mere titillation these scenes epitomise the film's undercurrents of secrecy and confession, as the girls share whispered confidences while we are led by the camera into collusion with the local peeping tom, POV-style, through a hole in the wall.

In doing so the film points to the viewer and to itself via a form of oblique morality play. It's no coincidence that the river bank murder and Elizabeth's further recall occur during the film's two seduction scenes, symbolically the threat being as much to Elizabeth's virtue from Enrico's ardent wedding tackle (intent on a little death of its own) as much as from the killer's knife. Placed in context, "Solange?" is set in a period when society was still coming to grips with all the swinging that began a decade before. On the surface it's a gripping Italian thriller with all the key elements in place and where the killer's true motive holds water, but at its core it can be viewed as a subversion of the giallo genre, lamenting on innocence lost and the accelerated haste with which child becomes adult (often stumbling in the process) both then and now, leaving its audience to ponder some uncomfortable truths. This is an outstanding entry in the genre and an affecting slice of cinema, with quality dubbing and a widescreen presentation that makes the most of its outdoor settings creating a nostalgia for a London long gone.