One on Top of the Other

Last updated
One on Top of the Other
Una sull'altra poster.jpg
Italian film poster
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Screenplay byLucio Fulci
Roberto Gianviti
José Luis Martínez Mollá
Story byRoberto Gianviti
Lucio Fulci
Produced by Edmondo Amati
Starring Jean Sorel
Marisa Mell
Elsa Martinelli
John Ireland
Alberto de Mendoza
Jean Sobieski
Faith Domergue
CinematographyAlejandro Ulloa
Edited byOrnella Micheli
Music by Riz Ortolani
Production
companies
Empire Films
Les Productions Jacques Roitfeld
Trébol Films C.C.
Distributed byFida Cinematografica (Italy)
Alpha (France)
Atlántida Films (Spain)
Release dates
  • 15 August 1969 (1969-08-15)(Italy)
  • 25 November 1969 (1969-11-25)(Spain)
  • 21 August 1970 (1970-08-21)(France)
Running time
108 minutes
CountriesItaly
France [1]
Spain [1]
LanguagesItalian
English
Budget ₤445 million [2]
Box office ₤869 million

One on Top of the Other (Italian: Una sull'altra, which the English title translates accurately but without expressing twice the feminine), [3] also known as Perversion Story, is a 1969 giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci. Written by Fulci and Roberto Gianviti, the film stars Jean Sorel, Marisa Mell, Elsa Martinelli, Alberto de Mendoza and John Ireland. The first giallo directed by Fulci, its plot concerns George Dummurrier (Sorel), an unscrupulous San Franciscan doctor who is suspected of orchestrating the death of his asthmatic wife Susan (Mell) as part of an insurance scam, despite her seeming reemergence as Monica Weston, a high-class stripper.

Contents

One on Top of the Other was filmed on location in several United States cities, including a scene filmed in San Quentin State Prison's gas chamber. The film went on to gross 869,000,000 Italian lire and has been cited as a thematic precursor to later films such as Basic Instinct and Body of Evidence .

Plot

George Dumurrier is a wealthy and self-centered San Francisco doctor who runs a clinic with his younger brother Henry, but leaves care of his asthma-stricken wife Susan to her sister Marta and a local nurse. He is engaged in an affair with Jane, the personal assistant to Larry, a trendy photographer. Although very much in love with George, Jane is fatalistic about the future of their relationship.

George and Jane travel out of town for a romantic break in Reno. But after arriving at the casino, George receives a phone call from Henry, telling him that Susan has died during a violent asthma attack. Returning home, George is consoled by Henry but frozen out by the hostile Marta, who always disapproved of George marrying her sister. However, a $1 million life insurance policy left by Susan is a timely bonus for George's recklessly extended business enterprise. An insurance agent begins tailing George, discovers his affair with Jane, and brings his suspicions to a local police detective, Inspector Wald.

Meanwhile, an anonymous tip-off leads George and Jane to The Roaring Twenties, a strip club where they are both astonished at the appearance of Monica, a stripper who, although a blonde, bears an uncanny resemblance to Susan. George is morbidly attracted to her and soon embarks on an affair that is part-detection, part-willing seduction. When the police, who have been tailing him, arrest Monica, she tells them that she was paid to pose as Susan by a woman calling herself Betty. Monica, as the police discover, is a popular fixture lately among the city's high-class prostitutes. She has a devoted wealthy client, Benjamin Wormser, whose hopeless passion she toys with. When Benjamin hears about Monica's arrest, he arrives at the police station with her exorbitant bail, but soon discover that she has already been sprung by someone the police will not name.

A police search of Monica's apartment turns up an envelope containing money. When George's fingerprints are found on the envelope, he is charged with murdering his wife for the insurance money. Monica goes missing, and George is tried, convicted and sentenced to death. Some months later, on the eve of George's execution, Henry arrives for a visit where, in the privacy of an interrogation room, he reveals the truth: he and Susan hatched up this entire plot to get him out of the way and get the insurance money all for themselves. Monica was really Susan all along and faked her own death to implicate him. After Henry leaves, George tries to get a stay of execution by informing his lawyer about what Henry said. But despite some last-minute investigation by Inspector Wald, George is unable to clear his name. Only Jane continues to believe his innocence, but she is held in check by Larry.

The day arrives as George is taken out of his cell to the gas chamber to be executed, still protesting his innocence. At the last moment, a phone rings where the governor orders the execution halted as a telex arrives at the local FBI office that is forwarded to the prison authorities. In a twist of fate, police in Paris have informed the US authorities that Susan and Henry have been shot dead in a local café by the spurned and jealous Benjamin.

Cast

Production

Prior to One on Top of the Other, director and screenwriter Lucio Fulci had mostly worked in comedies. The move to the giallo genre was a big change for Fulci, and may be that he was simply dabbling in an emergent and popular genre. [4] [5] One on Top of the Other has been cited as having been inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo . [6] Fulci felt that the script for One on Top of the Other was among his best work. [7] Fulci and fellow writer Roberto Gianviti collaborated on a number of films together, including Operation St. Peter's , A Lizard in a Woman's Skin , White Fang , Challenge to White Fang and Sette note in nero . [8] Edmondo Amati agreed to produce the film as he was already present in the United States, working on Alberto De Martino's Carnal Circuit . [7] Fulci worked with two assistant directors on the film, Mario Castellani and Albino Cocco, while Vittoria Vigorelli acted as script supervisor. [1] Future Oscar-winning producer Gray Frederickson, later known for his collaborations with Francis Ford Coppola, served as the film's location manager. [9]

Much of the film was shot on location in San Francisco, Reno and Sacramento; however, interior shots were filmed in Italy. Production began on 2 December 1968 and lasted eight weeks. [7] The film's gas chamber scene was filmed on location in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison in California. [10]

Release

One on Top of the Other was released in Italy on 15 August 1969, [10] and went on to gross approximately ₤869 million. [7] Several versions of the film exist; the uncut Italian version, Una sull'altra, has a runtime of 108 minutes. [11] [12] Most English-dubbed prints run for 103 minutes, with cuts made to the film's sex scenes and several on-location establishing shots, while the French version, Perversion Story, features a 97-minute runtime due to the removal of expositive scenes while retaining the sex scenes. [11] [13] [14] [15] The French version, with English and Italian audio, was released on DVD by Severin Films in a two-disc set also containing a CD of the film's soundtrack. [16]

On 2 January 2018 Mondo Macabro announced that they would release the film in its "longest, most complete form" on Blu-ray during the year. [17] The distributor released their limited edition Blu-ray, consisting of a print run of 1000 copies, on 28 August via mail-order on their website. This release, presented in an uncut 108 minute version with English and Italian audio tracks, was restored from the original negative (with additional scenes provided by a 35mm print). The special features included are the film's trailer, interviews with Sorel, Martinelli and Fulci biographer Stephen Thrower, a wraparound slipcover illustrated by Justin Coffee, a reversible interior cover sleeve replicating the film's Italian and French posters, a 12-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by critic Roberto Curti, and miniature reproductions of German lobby cards and a poster for the film. [18] A retail Blu-ray, which does not include the slipcover, reversible cover sleeve, booklet or lobbycards, was released on 13 November. [19]

Reception

AllMovie's Donald Guarisco felt that the film was "a memorable example of [Lucio Fulci's] work", noting that it "isn't quite as masterful as Argento or Mario Bava's best giallo outings, but Una Sull'Altra is a worthy, well-crafted outing that fans of the genre will find impressive." [20] The film has been cited as a thematic precursor to the later films Basic Instinct and Body of Evidence . [6] Writing for DVD Talk, Ian Jane rated the film four stars out of five, calling it "a well made thriller with some great twists, a strong plot and some fine performances". Jane compared the film to Double Face , an earlier film Fulci had co-plotted for Riccardo Freda. [13] The film has been described as contributing to the emergence of the giallo genre as one of increasing eroticism during the late 1960s and early 1970s. [21]

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 "Una sull'altra | BFI". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Curti, Roberto (2018). Time is the Murderer: Lucio Fulci's Una sull'altra (booklet). Mondo Macabro. p. 2. MDO185.
  3. ↑ Howarth,Troy (2015). "Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and his Films". Midnight Marquee Press. Page 125
  4. ↑ Thrower,Stephen (1999). "Beyond Terror, the Films of Lucio Fulci". FAB Press
  5. ↑ Hutchings 2009, p. 135.
  6. 1 2 Shipka 2011, p. 107.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Albiero & Cacciatore 2004, pp. 91–97.
  8. ↑ "BFI | Film & TV Database | GIANVITI, Roberto". bfi.org.uk . Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Perversion Story". DVD Savant . Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  10. 1 2 Fountain, Clarke. "Una Sull'altra". AllMovie. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Howarth,Troy (2015). "Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and his Films". Midnight Marquee Press. Page 128
  12. ↑ "BFI | Film & TV Database | UNA SULL'ALTRA (1969)". bfi.org.uk. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 27 January 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  13. 1 2 Jane, Ian (15 March 2007). "Perversion Story : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk . Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "Perversion Story Review". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  15. ↑ "Perversion Story Version Comparison". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  16. ↑ "Perversion Story |Severin". severin-films.com . Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  17. ↑ "Lucio Fulci's Perversion Story coming to Blu-ray". Bottom Shelf Movies. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  18. ↑ "PERVERSION STORY - Limited Slipcover Edition". Mondo Macabro. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  19. ↑ "Perversion Story Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  20. ↑ Guarisco, Donald. "Una Sull'altra (1969) - Review - AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  21. ↑ Moliterno 2009, p. 151.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucio Fulci</span> Italian filmmaker (1927–1996)

Lucio Fulci was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and spaghetti Westerns, he garnered an international cult following for his giallo and horror films.

<i>Zombi 2</i> 1979 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Zombi 2 is a 1979 English-language Italian zombie film directed by Lucio Fulci. It was adapted from an original screenplay by Elisa Briganti and uncredited writer Dardano Sacchetti. The producers finalized the title as Zombi 2 to give the impression that it was a sequel to the unrelated American film Dawn of the Dead (1978), which was released in Italy under the title Zombi. It stars Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, and Richard Johnson, and features a score by frequent Fulci collaborator Fabio Frizzi. Frizzi's score has been released independently of the film, and he has performed it live on tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marisa Mell</span> Austrian actress

Marisa Mell was an Austrian actress. Typecast as a femme fatale in European arthouse and genre films, she is best regarded for her performances as Eva Kant in Mario Bava's critically re-assessed Danger: Diabolik (1968), and the dual role of Susan Dumurrier/Monica Weston in Lucio Fulci's gialloOne on Top of the Other (1969).

<i>Giallo</i> Literature and film genre

In Italian cinema, giallo is a genre of murder mystery fiction that often contains slasher, thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural horror elements.

<i>The Beyond</i> (1981 film) 1981 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Lucio Fulci

The Beyond is a 1981 Italian Southern Gothic supernatural horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. It is based on an original story created by Dardano Sacchetti, starring Catriona MacColl and David Warbeck. Its plot follows a woman who inherits a hotel in rural Louisiana that was once the site of a horrific murder, and which may be a gateway to hell. It is the second film in Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy after City of the Living Dead (1980), and was followed by The House by the Cemetery (1981).

<i>The New York Ripper</i> 1982 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci

The New York Ripper is a 1982 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci. The film is about a police lieutenant who is tracking a sadistic killer who slashes women with a switchblade and straight-razors because his daughter in the hospital will never grow up to be beautiful.

<i>Danger: Diabolik</i> 1968 film directed by Mario Bava

Danger: Diabolik is a 1968 action and crime film directed and co-written by Mario Bava, based on the Italian comic series Diabolik by Angela and Luciana Giussani. The film is about a criminal named Diabolik, who plans large-scale heists for his girlfriend Eva Kant. Diabolik is pursued by Inspector Ginko, who blackmails the gangster Ralph Valmont into catching Diabolik for him.

<i>City of the Living Dead</i> 1980 supernatural horror film by Lucio Fulci

City of the Living Dead is a 1980 Italian supernatural horror film co-written and directed by Lucio Fulci. It stars Christopher George, Catriona MacColl, Carlo de Mejo, Antonella Interlenghi, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, and Janet Agren. The film follows a priest whose suicide opens a gateway to hell that releases the undead. A psychic and a reporter team up to close it before All Saints' Day.

<i>Zombi 3</i> 1988 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Zombi 3 is a 1988 Italian horror film directed by Lucio Fulci and Bruno Mattei and starring Deran Sarafian, Beatrice Ring, and Ottaviano Dell'acqua. The film is an in-name-only sequel to Fulci's Zombi 2. The film is about a group of scientists at a top-secret research facility who are working on a biological weapon called Death One, which mutates and kills the living creatures and reanimates the dead. The weapon is leaked out of the facility, which leads to a spread of infection among soldiers and touring people in the area.

<i>The House with Laughing Windows</i> 1976 film

The House with Laughing Windows is a 1976 Italian giallo film co-written and directed by Pupi Avati. The film was shot in Lido degli Scacchi in the Ferrara province of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy.

<i>Until Death</i> (1988 film) 1988 TV series or program

Until Death is a 1988 Italian made-for-TV horror film directed by Lamberto Bava.

<i>Dont Torture a Duckling</i> 1972 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci

Don't Torture a Duckling is a 1972 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci, starring Florinda Bolkan, Tomas Milian and Barbara Bouchet. The plot follows a journalist investigating a series of child murders in an insular Italian village whose residents are riddled with superstition and mistrust. The film's score was composed by Riz Ortolani and features vocals by Ornella Vanoni.

<i>Cat in the Brain</i> 1990 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Cat in the Brain, also known as Nightmare Concert, is a 1990 Italian horror film written and directed by Lucio Fulci. Fulci stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a tortured horror filmmaker who is driven by the violent visions that he experiences both behind the camera and off the set. Feeling like he's losing his grip on reality and disturbed by murderous fantasies, Fulci consults a psychotherapist, who is secretly a serial killer and using hypnosis, exploiting the director's vulnerabilities to his own murderous ends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco and Ciccio</span> Italian comic comedy duo active from 1954 to 1992

Franco and Ciccio were a comic comedy duo formed by Italian actors Franco Franchi (1928–1992) and Ciccio Ingrassia (1922–2003), particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Their collaboration began in 1954 in the theatre field, and ended with Franchi's death in 1992. The two made their cinema debuts in 1960 with the film Appuntamento a Ischia. They remained active until 1984 when their last film together, Kaos, was shot, although there were some interruptions in 1973 and from 1975 to 1980.

<i>Sette note in nero</i> 1977 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Sette note in nero is a 1977 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci and co-written by him with Roberto Gianviti and Dardano Sacchetti. Sette note in nero stars Jennifer O'Neill, Gianni Garko, Marc Porel, and Ida Galli. The film involves a woman who begins experiencing psychic visions that lead her to discover a murder; her husband is charged with the killing. The psychic must embark on an investigation with a paranormal researcher to clear her husband's name of the crime.

<i>Murder Rock</i> 1984 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Murder Rock is a 1984 Italian giallo film starring Olga Karlatos, Ray Lovelock, Al Cliver and Claudio Cassinelli, and directed by Lucio Fulci.

<i>Nude per lassassino</i> 1975 Italian film

Nude per l'assassino is a 1975 giallo film directed by Andrea Bianchi. Written by Massimo Felisatti, the film stars Nino Castelnuovo, Edwige Fenech and Solvi Stubing, and features music by Berto Pisano. Nude per l'assassino has received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

<i>Le foto proibite di una signora per bene</i> 1970 Spanish film

Le foto proibite di una signora per bene, also known as Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, is a 1970 giallo film directed by Luciano Ercoli. Written by Ernesto Gastaldi and Mahnahén Velasco, the film stars Pier Paolo Capponi, Simon Andreu and Dagmar Lassander. The film, featuring a score written by Ennio Morricone, has received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

<i>Il coltello di ghiaccio</i> 1972 film

Il coltello di ghiaccio is a 1972 giallo film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Carroll Baker, Evelyn Stewart, and George Rigaud. Both Baker and Stewart featured in several other films helmed by Lenzi. The film follows a mute woman who finds herself in danger when a serial killer begins stalking the Spanish countryside. The title takes its name from a quote attributed to Edgar Allan Poe, in which he refers to fear as a "knife of ice which penetrates the senses down to the depth of conscience"; the quote, however, was a fabrication by the filmmakers.

<i>Queens of Evil</i> 1970 Italian film

Queens of Evil is a 1970 fantasy horror film directed by Tonino Cervi and starring Haydée Politoff, Silvia Monti, Ida Galli and Ray Lovelock.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.