Product Description

In a controversial career that flayed every envelope of cinematic excess, nothing can prepare you for this stunning thriller from the infamous director of ZOMBIE and THE BEYOND. Jean Sorel (BELLE DE JOUR) stars as an arrogant San Francisco doctor trapped between his sultry mistress (Elsa Martinelli of BLOOD AND ROSES) and an amoral stripper (Marisa Mell of DANGER: DIABOLIK) who bears an uncanny resemblance to his recently deceased and possibly murdered wife. What follows has been called Fulci's first true masterpiece, where sexual obsession, cruel deception and depraved murder all come together in one unforgettable PERVERSION STORY.

John Ireland and Faith Domergue co-star in this gripping giallo - also known as ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER - that features eye-popping nudity, provocative locations (including the gas chamber at San Quentin) and a badass jazz score by Riz Ortolani (MONDO CANE, KILL BILL). Severin Films is proud to present PERVERSION STORY in a startling new transfer from the original vault negative thought to be lost for more than 35 years!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58034 in DVD
• Brand: Ryko Distribution
• Released on: 2007-02-27
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 97 minutes

The Spinning Image
"AN EXQUISITELY CRAFTED THRILLER... Guaranteed To Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat!"

The Spinning Image
"AN EXQUISITELY CRAFTED THRILLER...Guaranteed To Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat!"

Customer Reviews

An Entertaining Little B-Movie/Film-Noir
Having recently seen Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez' Grindhouse I was reminded of the look and feel of their little films while watching "Perversion Story." It's a B-movie that takes place in San Francisco, yet is in Italian (although there's an option to watch it in dubbed English); It has the music of a 1980's film-noir (i.e., "Body Heat"), but the look of a B-movie/early 70's porn. But it's actually a pretty interesting mystery story that's worth watching.

It's about a doctor named George DeMurrier, whose wife Susan suffers from asthma. Going on a "business trip" George leaves his wife in the company of a nurse...When he returns, Susan is dead and she has left him a $1 million dollar insurance policy that he had no idea about. As he comes to the realization that his wife is actually dead, he ends up at a stripclub (called the Roaring Twenties, how is that for cheesy?) where he sees a woman that looks exactly like her. Well, almost. This woman just has a different hair and eye color, but the resemblance is incredible. Intrigued, George begins having an affair with the woman, Monica, while the police begin investigating George into whether he had a little more to do with his wife's death than he lets on.

Despite it's shabby look and provocative title "Perversion Story" is actually a pretty tame and entertaining movie. The movie isn't rated, but it would be an 'R' for "Some Nudity." It's title is really just a ploy to get people to rent the movie (and let's face it, it works). It's not the best film ever made, but if you can look past the cheesy-ness of it, it's not bad.
GRADE: B

A neat little Fulci treat
The plot: Jean Sorel stars as Dr. George Dumurrier, director of a failing medical clinic in San Francisco. When George's wife Susan dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving him beneficiary of a $1 million life insurance policy that will save his business, the insurance company responsible for the payout places George under surveillance, and soon finds him in the company of Monica Weston, an exotic dancer who looks just like the late Mrs. Dumurrier. Suspecting fraud, the insurance company calls in the police, who come to believe George murdered his wife with Miss Weston's aid. As the cops continue to find enough evidence to send him to the gas chamber, George and his mistress Jane race to uncover the real relationship between Monica Weston and Susan Dumurrier.

The good: Alejandro Ulloa's superb cinematography provides quite a showcase for San Francisco circa 1968. Further location work in New York and Paris grants the film a richer appearance than it's budget likely warrants. Riz Ortolani's score (included here on a separate CD) is terrific, with a brassy, swinging title theme and a poignant love theme that lingers in the mind. Marisa Mell gives a witty performance as both the uptight Susan Dumurrier and the swinging Monica Weston. Elsa Martinelli as Jane looks fantastic--those eyes!--and dresses beautifully.

The not-so-good: Though effectively constructed to keep the audience guessing until the end--the last twenty minutes are particularly suspenseful--the plot makes little sense. (Warning: spoilers ahead!) When George, at an impromptu dinner date with his lover, is summoned by an anonymous caller to his first encounter with Monica Weston, Jane asks George how the caller knew where he was, a question the film never answers. The murder mystery could have been cleared up by an investigation into the identity of Monica Weston, but the police never bother to conduct one. (The events of the film take place over a year's time, so it's not like they were rushed.) Speaking of the police, the lead investigator makes an interesting series of reversals: at first he appears convinced George murdered his wife; then, once George is behind bars, he tries desperately to find evidence to exonerate him; finally he just shrugs his shoulders and calls it a day. Why all the flip-flops? Beats me, and likely the scenarists as well.

While Marisa Mell and the supporting cast put some passion into their performances, Jean Sorel and Elsa Martinelli make uninvolving leads. Sorel often wears a pained expression that makes him look as if he's uncomfortably trying to pass gas, and the rest of the time appears as if he's ready for a nap. He does laugh though, once, which surprised me so much I had to rewind the scene to make sure I heard him right.

With tighter plotting and compelling leads this could have been quite a gem. As it is, it's a diverting thriller, entertaining but not essential viewing.

"Perversion Story" Is A Great Mystery Thriller From Lucio Fulci
Let me begin by saying that Lucio Fulci directed some awesome Italian gialli including "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin" and "Don't Torture a Duckling." "Perversion Story" is a great mystery thriller but it does not satisfy the definition of a giallo. There is no serial killer wearing black gloves and murdering beautiful women. There is only one death and her physician husband George (Jean Sorel of Fulci's "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin") is framed for her murder. Now George and his mistress must race against the clock to discover the true killer before he is executed in the gas chamber. Marisa Mell of Umberto Lenzi's "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" is the amoral stripper who resembles George's dead wife.

This film has some great location shots of San Francisco, New York, and Paris, including the gas chamber of San Quentin prison itself. The actors are top notch. You can cut the suspense with a knife as the minutes literally tick away while poor George awaits execution. The plot is intricately woven. The script itself was written by Fulci.

I enjoyed "Perversion Story" much more than Fulci's gore fests such as "Zombie 2" and "The House by the Cemetery." The only gore was the decaying corpse of George's wife.

The DVD package from Severin was excellent. There are two discs. The first one contains both the English and Italian versions with optional English subtitles. (I always listen to the Italian version if English subtitles are available because that is how the film was meant to be watched.) The second disc contains some beautiful jazz music - eleven tracks of it - from Riz Ortolani ("The Pyjama Girl Case"). I listen to it in my car while driving to and from work.

Even though I feel that "Perversion Story" is not a true giallo, I am very glad I bought it. It deserves a place in the collection of anyone who is a fan of Italian directors such as Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi, etc. "Perversion Story" has a lot of twists and an explosive ending that shocked me. Betrayal, deception, lust, and greed are all present in this one story. In essence, it is a true "Perversion Story" that will be difficult to forget. I highly recommend renting or buying it.