What Have You Done to Solange? 4K 1972 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

One after another, female students are being killed within the walls of the high school—an unknown killer is stabbing them in the genital area. Suspicion falls on a young physical education teacher who is trying to hide his romantic relationship with a high school student.

Review 4K Movie

A very interesting giallo that skillfully incorporates all the essential elements of the genre. The plot revolves around a girls’ high school where students begin to be murdered by an unknown assailant wearing black gloves, who uses a distinctive, bloody method: stabbing the victims in the genital area. The next victim is the classmate and lover of a young teacher, who sets out to conduct his own amateur investigation…

This typical “yellow detective” framework is filled with a series of masterful twists in an elegantly brutal, fast-paced mystery set against the backdrop of a deadly blade. The mystery skillfully intrigues the viewer, slowly introducing the characters and their relationships—as usual, the script favors colorful characters—since a single type among many doesn’t inspire trust—keeping the sense of something fishy ever-present, making the viewer suspect a maniac in everyone, and keeping the viewer’s mind sharp and eyes observant throughout the film. Against the lavish backdrop of an elite educational institution and the misty British countryside, hidden passions simmer. The protagonist—a teacher having an affair with a student—comes across as believable due to the ambiguity of his characterization, as he is far from an ideal gentleman, maintaining a strained relationship with his wife. She rounds out the detective duo: at first, she is the rejected wife enduring mistreatment, but later—whether out of stubbornness or genuine feelings—she gives their marriage a second chance, supporting her husband in his quest to uncover the truth and reigniting new emotions between them. The detective story is driven by the inspector introduced in the script, offering viewers the opportunity to observe a police investigation—complete with interrogations and specialized techniques—along the way.

The film’s director, Massimo Dallamano—who has also worked extensively as a cinematographer and screenwriter—does not forget to address the social dimension within this genre story, which is filled with critical undertones regarding intergenerational relationships. The adults in the film are not portrayed as flawless—they have their flaws—but when confronted with the true nature of their young daughters, they tend to be surprised by the girls’ corrupted morals, which are identical to those of adults. Outwardly pure young women in neat school uniforms, who humbly attend church and confession while hiding childish smirks, turn out to be hypocrites leading the very same adult lives. This dual motif permeates the entire film, which depicts the seemingly proper, ideal facade of a respected high school that values its reputation, as well as a faculty that turns a blind eye to taboo romances while eagerly peering through salacious keyholes, families where a certain level of openly tolerated infidelity is the norm, and precociously mature, wayward children who universally conceal the unpleasant rot at their core—the very rot that gives rise to a maniac who metes out radical retribution for yet another misdeed. The on-screen world is built on hypocritical deception, considered the norm of society, and it is very difficult to take a clear-cut stance on any character—even the killer—when the core of his motives is driven less by madness than by drama.

Overall, the result is a high-quality giallo that handles scenes of violence with sensitivity, introducing them sparingly into the plot to make the shots memorable, yet without dwelling on them, so as not to overshadow the serious, gripping detective story set against the backdrop of a social drama featuring hypocritical, moralizing adults whose young charges have long since internalized the rules of the game. Fans of the “inevitable” Eros set against the backdrop of Thanatos won’t be bored either, since the cinematographer is none other than the “great and terrible” Aristide Massachezi, whose creative pseudonym, Joe D’Amato, has become almost synonymous with such productions. The music is the work of the talented Ennio Morricone, who rounds out the overall positive result—one that will appeal to all fans of the captivating, beautifully brutal Italian detective thrillers of that era.