Those who think of blood-drenched gore when they hear the name Lucio Fulci will be in for some surprises. There’s none of that here. It’s just not that type of movie.
I have never considered myself to be a Fulci fan but after this movie I may have to revise my opinions. One on Top of the Other is well-crafted and very stylish.
It’s also very decadent. The San Francisco setting is another of the surprises (it’s not just set there but filmed there). The film has (naturally) a very European feel and at first you might think that Rome would have been a more appropriate setting. As you get into it you realise that perhaps Fulci was right after all. If decadence is what you wanted then California in 1969 had plenty of it. It’s a different kind of decadence, a very non-European kind, so the movie is an odd mix of cultural influences.
Dr George Dumurrier (Jean Sorel) runs an expensive private clinic in San Francisco, a clinic that tends to eat up money very quickly. His marriage to Susan (Marisa Mell) is well and truly on the rocks. His life is made more complicated by the fact that Susan is extremely ill, she refuses to give a divorce and he’s under pressure from his mistress Jane (Elsa Martinelli).
Then Susan dies, and to his surprise he discovers that he’s the beneficiary of a huge insurance policy she had taken out, enough to solve all his problems. But given that his wife hated him why has she done this?
In a topless bar he meets a girl named Monica Weston. She’s a stripper and part-time prostitute, she’s very beautiful and she reminds him of Susan. She reminds him of Susan to an uncanny degree.
Of course he sleeps with Monica. Maybe he’s just trying to convince himself that she’s not Susan, or maybe he’s trying to convince himself that she is Susan.
There’s a very obvious Hitchcock influence here. There are some definite shades of Vertigo, reinforced by the San Francisco setting.
It has to be admitted that if you stop and think about Fulci’s script for even a second, it makes no sense at all. It’s just too ludicrously improbable and implausible. It also has to be admitted that the ending, although undeniably tense, takes too long to get where it’s going.
None of this matters for two reasons - the visuals, and Marisa Mell. Mell is best remembered for Danger: Diabolik but her rôle in One on Top of the Other is possibly the best of her career and she makes the most of it. The Austrian beauty is of course gorgeous. That goes without saying. She looks fabulous in this movie (her striptease scene is memorable to say the least) but it’s her acting that really impresses in a rather challenging rôle. If she’d made one false step the whole movie would have collapsed, but she handles things to perfection.
As for the visuals, Fulci pretty much won me over with the first sex scene in the movie. It’s very cleverly shot, very classy and very arty, almost Radley Metzger-ish although also slightly disturbing. You get the feeling that George is trapped in a web of sex. Fulci manages quite a few other fine set-pieces. The scenes in the Roaring Twenties club are terrific, with an amazing number of almost-naked young ladies and a general ambience of expensive sleaze (which suits the mood of the film).
Jean Sorel is OK as George Dumurrier. Elsa Martinelli is rather distant as Jane.
Mondo Macabro’s Blu-Ray offers both the English and Italian versions. Since Italian movie were always post-dubbed which one you choose is up to you. It should be noted that there was a different cut of this film for just about every market and trying to figure out which is the definitive or even the preferred version isn’t easy. The earlier DVD release from Severin offered the much truncated French cut. The recent Blu-Ray release from Mondo Macabro offers a much longer cut and is obviously the one to buy. Extras on the Blu-Ray include interviews with Jean Sorel, Elsa Martinelli and a very informative overview by Stephen Thrower.
The excellent visuals and Marisa Mell are more than enough reason to to watch One on Top of the Other. Highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment