Una sull'altra (1969)

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Lucio Fulci (screenplay)
Lucio Fulci (story)

Release Date:

April 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

What Is The Most Incredible Thing A Woman Ever Did For $1,000,000?

Plot:

An insurance scam lands a man on death row for murdering his wife. What everyone doesn't know is she really isn't dead.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Insurance | Death Row | Photographer | Murder

Cast

Jean Sorel	...	Dr. Geroge Dumurrier
Marisa Mell	...	Susan Dumurrier / Monica Weston
Elsa Martinelli	...	Jane
Alberto de Mendoza	...	Henry Dumurrier
John Ireland	...	Inspector Wald
Riccardo Cucciolla	...	Benjamin Wormser
Bill Vanders	...	Insurance Agent (as Bill Wanders)
Franco Balducci	...	Officer Loveday
Giuseppe Addobbati	...	Brent (as John Douglas)
Félix Dafauce	...	Royal Insurance Official #1
Jesús Puente	...	Sergeant Rodriguez
George Rigaud	...	Arthur Mitchell
Jean Sobieski	...	Larry
Faith Domergue	...	Martha

Also Known As:

One on Top of the Other
Perversion Story (France)
Una historia perversa (Spain)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Italy | France | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:VM18 | Norway:16 | Spain:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Empire Films

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fulci Talks: The Movies (2007)

I Love Lucio!

"One on top of the Other" predates the biggest successes of Lucio Fulci as a director and definitely his still on-going reputation as The Godfather of Gore. Yet, this is one best films he ever made and it unquestionably ranks among the most solidly plotted gialli ever! From the first minute to the very last, "One on top of the Other" is a compelling thriller that constantly introduces mysterious characters and features clever red herrings until everything sorts out nicely in the astonishing denouement. The story is suitably set in San Francisco, where the infamous doctor George Dummurier owns a private clinic but spends most of his time on the road with his mistress Jane. When George's actual wife unexpectedly dies from a fatal asthma-attack, he receives a two million dollar paycheck from the insurance company. This naturally raises questions, as everybody knew that the couple wasn't happily married. The police suspects George of murder, but things get even more complicated when a nightclub stripper, who's the reflecting image of George's dead wife, is frequently spotted in his company. Despite also being known as "Perversion Story", this movie mainly focuses on style and tension, and the only remotely gore sequence involves an autopsy on a decomposing body. The lack of further murders or sleaze is a bit of a weakness, but this is widely compensated by Fulci's concentration on coherence for a change, and the multiple tributes to classic Film Noirs and Alfred Hitchcock's repertoire. The acting performances are at least ten times better than usual in Italian horror productions, with Marisa Mell ("Danger: Diabolik!", "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids") and Jean Sorel ("Short Night of the Glass Dolls", "Lizard in a Woman's Skin") really leaving a good impression. The music by Riz Ortolani is mesmerizing, as always, the choreography is often very imaginative and there's some splendid camera-work with multiple great shots of San Francisco locations. In case you're an admirer of story-driven crime films, or just Italian cinema in general, this is definitely a movie you should keep an eye open for! You were the man, Lucio... And we miss miss you more every day!