DVD Review: What Have They Done To Your Daughters? (1974)
Shameless returns to 1970s Rome for its latest DVD release - Massimo Dallamano's What Have They Done To Your Daughters?
A follow-up (of sorts) to What Have You Done to Solange?, it's a mix of giallo, police thriller and exploitation, with an uncomfortable subject matter, some gratuitous nudity and the odd bit of rather nasty blood-letting - although none of that gets in the way of a well-presented and at times, quite serious story.
It follows the well-trodden path of a body being found by the dashing police detective (Claudio Cassinelli as Inspector Silvestri), with a 15-year-old girl hanging from a ceiling. It looks like suicide, but it soon becomes evident that this is murder - and what becomes a lead to a far-reaching child prostitution ring.
Silvestri is aided by Assistant District Attorney Vittoria Stori (Giovanna Ralli) as they piece together the girl's final moves, discovering her role in a vice ring that takes in a number of schoolgirls in the city. But their attempts to find the people behind the network are hindered by a murderous leather-clad biker...with a penchant for hacking his victims apart with a butcher's cleaver.
The movie certainly has its plus points - the story for a start. It unfolds well and keeps you engaged right to the final scene. It's also strong visually - from the brutal attacks of the mysterious biker to the car chase through the streets of Rome and the usual moments of suspense - it's all done with plenty of style. But there's also a couple of negatives - the subject matter (and the director's occasionally sleazy treatment of it) isn't for comfortable viewing and the final scenes are just a little too convenient for my liking. But the main problem is that Dallamano seems unsure about the kind of film he's making, along with who he is aiming at. Serious crime flick or blatant exploitation? It sits uneasily between both genres.
But none of that make this a bad movie. It's an above average thriller and another solid release for Shameless. If you like something trashy and European from the 1970s, What Have They Done To Your Daughters? will almost certainly appeal. And you'll think twice about reaching for a light switch in the dark for weeks to come.
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