Perversion Story (1969)

Actresses of Italian cinema in the 1960's & 70's who weren't of the Hollywood elite, or international stars in some right usually found their fame in what is now often referred to as "cult cinema".  One of the largest genres of cult cinema during this period of time in the Italian movie industry was giallo, Italian thrillers that are probably the closest ancestor to what is now referred to as the slasher film.  So it should not be much of a surprise that Marisa Mell, one of the more well know cult actresses in Italian cinema during this era, saw her fair share of giallo adventures.  Perversion Story (aka Una sull'altra & One on Top of the Other) is highly regarded among giallo fans has one of the top giallos of this time, setting aside the typical stereotype of gory murders and bringing a more unique and stylistic feel of the modern day mystery/thriller.

George Dumurrier (Jean Sorel) owns and operates a medical clinic in San Francisco.  George is young, enthusiast and in a little over his head, by planting false stories of a planned heart transplant in the newspaper to drum up publicity for the clinic, and cheating on his ailing wife Susan (Marisa Mell), who briefly into the film suddenly dies while he's on one of his excursions with his mistress Jane (Elsa Martinelli).  George is stunned to learn Susan made him the sole beneficiary of a two million dollar life insurance policy.  Stunned because it was fairly clear their relationship was on the rocks and that Susan despised him.  Such a large insurance policy and her sudden death at a relatively young age, leads George to be put under the microscope of an insurance investigation.

If George's life isn't crazy enough it's about to get worse.  An anonymous phone call suggests he might find something interesting at a local strip club.  When he arrives he discovers that night's main entertainment to be a performance by one Monica Weston, a women whose the spitting image of his dead wife.  While personalty wise Monica appears to be the complete opposite of his wife, the looks are strikingly similar except for her platinum blond hair and striking blue eyes.  Even once George has relatively convinced himself this is not Susan in disguise he's to entranced by her to leave her alone.  Of course George's cavorting with a women that looks exactly like his wife following her death, and two million dollar insurance policy, doesn't play well into the insurance fraud investigation especially when the investigation into his wife's death seems to point to murder, and he becomes the prime suspect.

While I'm still a new comer to the world of giallo it's easy to see why Perversion Story ranks among the fan favorites.  Written and directed by Lucio Fulci (who also directed Don't Torture A Duckling, another giallo I enjoyed) Perversion Story has more of a Hitchcock vibe to it than the typical giallo.  There's very little (if any) gore and all the murders are off screen leaving the film to depend on the quality of the acting and writing to succeed in keeping the audiences attention.  Fulci does a marvelous job of doing this by weaving throughout the film various stylistic camera shots which flow flawlessly amidst the funky late 60's flavor of San Francisco that he's enveloped by a fantastic jazz/pop soundtrack and a rainbow of colors in the costumes and sets.  But most of all Marisa Mell owns her role and really steals the show.

 

With over sixty films in her catalog Marisa Mell was no slack when it came to acting.  Unfortunately her unwillingness to be tied down to a Hollywood studio contract, which during this era usually locked actors to a certain studio for multiple years, didn't open up very many doors for films in the states and therefore limited the quality of film she ultimately received billing in.  But anyone mildly familiar with her career knows Perversion Story ranks right up there with Danger Diabolik as not only one of her more well know roles but one of her most note worthy performances.  

It's truly unfortunate someone like Marisa Mell didn't receive the career she probably deserved, but it doesn't stop one from enjoying what she's help create, and in the case of Perversion Story the melding of Fulci's direction and writing with the pure exotic stage presence and talent of Marisa Mell really shows a glimpse into some of the best years of her career.  The dual character of Susan and Monica was simply a perfect role for Marisa as she oozes such a raw sexuality in general and playing a sort of sexually uninhibited, and mysterious character seems quite natural for her.  Plus it doesn't hurt that Marisa was simply too hard to not be entranced by!

Overall, Perversion Story is a nice change from the typical giallo.  While it's clear something sinister is going on in the film it's never overly predictable, and when the wool is finally lifted over the audiences eyes the twist is pretty well played, the conclusion nerve racking and in the end very satisfying.  Fulci is quickly becoming another favorite Italian director of mine right along side Mario Bava, and the inclusion of Marisa Mell simply makes this film one not to miss if you're a fan of Italian thrillers.  Easily one of the better giallos I've seen thus far and one of Mell's more noteworthy performances.

8/10

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