Inspector Montalbano Series: Crime, Comedy and Camilleri

This may be a great time to discover the Italian detective series Inspector (Commissario) Montalbano, based on the books and short stories by Italian writer Andrea Camillari.  MHZ Worldview in the US will be having a Mini Montalbano Festival on October 4 and 5 with four new episodes, U.S. premieres, of the series.  (MHZ Worldview is available in the U.S. through Public Television channels, Cable broadcasters, or Direct TV.)

Salvo Montalbano is a Sicilian police inspector in the beautiful fictional town of Vigata.  While doing a bit of research on the character I found that Camillari based his name on Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán who also wrote a series of detective novels. Montalbano is played by Luca Zingaretti. Not a traditionally handsome man, there is something about Zingaretti's screen presence and personality and his sense of humor that makes him very attractive.  Montalbano often uses unconventional means to solve a crime, while dodging his superiors and the influence of organized crime (OK, the Mafia). All while avoiding marriage to his long distance and long time girlfriend, business executive Livia (Katharina Bohm). He's also a lover of good food and great restaurants and we're treated to long lunches and great home cooked meals in every episode. Is there an Inspector Montalbano cookbook? If not, someone should write one. 

Of course, it wouldn't be a detective series without a "Watson" for the brilliant investigator, and this role goes to the only efficient man in the Vigata police station, young detective Fazio (Peppino Mazzotta). Fazio is quiet and dependable, a great contrast to his boss Montalbano's volatile mix of genius and guile.  Add to this mix the resident Don Giovanni of the station, Inspector Mimi Augello (Cesare Bocci).  Mimi never met a woman he doesn't want, and even when he surprisingly gets married and then becomes a father, there is no keeping him from flirting outrageously with every woman in sight, even crime suspects. As far as I can tell, Mimi, or Dr. Augello, hardly does any work and only solves crime because of the help of best friend Montalbano and dependable Fazio.

Catarella, Montalbano, Fazio, Mimi

The series also has an interesting twist on the police techno geek role. Catarella (Angelo Russo) is the only person in the Vigata police station that even has a PC at his desk, and in this world he is the computer guy and the incompetent comic relief.  The best are the scenes between Montalbano and Catarella in the police station. Below is a video clip (in Italian) of a scene between Zingaretti and Russo.  

One of the pleasures of watching this series is the breathtaking views of Sicily. Though I've been lucky to travel to Italy a few times in my life, I've never been to Sicily, but after watching Montalbano I would love to go one day. I understand the series is filmed in the Sicilian city of Ragusa.  In the clip below you can see the opening credits of the series are a beautiful advertising for Sicilian tourism.  

I've watched the Montalbano series, with  English subtitles, for several years now on MHZ Worldwide and missed not seeing any new episodes for a long while. Even if Montalbano, Fazio, Mimi, and Catarella are all older now, I'm very happy that the series is back for four new episodes next week.  If you like great detective fiction and are in the US it is worth checking to see if MHZ Worldwide is in your area. You can also buy the DVD's from MHZ Worldwide. More information on the new Montalbano episodes at the link below: 


http://mhznetworks.org/option,com_worldviewchannels/Itemid,146/sid,2467/lindex,d/


Check the series Italian website Here.


I understand BBC4 aired an episode of Inspector Montalbano today, October 1. Maybe there will be more for viewers in the UK. 


Update:  Video Interview with Cesare Bocci (Mimi)

Why Spooks? Why?

I was lucky to be able to watch Episode 2 of Spooks (MI-5), Series 10, late last night. (Thank you friend M, for making it possible, and Ricrar for alerting me about last night's episode!).  I was shocked that another beloved character has passed on to Spooks Heaven (I won't give it away here, but the news is already out there).  But I was also not shocked because after all, this is Spooks,and as an old fan of the series,I've come to expect characters to depart in all sorts of ways. I was happy though to see that it was a heroic death and we could all have good memories even if with a tear in our eye. (*Also, I was reminded of the real life spy death that inspired last night's episode.)


But then this morning, thanks to RichardArmitageNet.com, there is this radio interview clip with Nicola Walker and Peter Firth (see link below), and Nicola talks a bit about how Richard Armitage dealt with the reversal of his character, Lucas North.


http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/latestnews.html


So here I am, angry again, so very angry again, about what the Spooks writers did in Season 9 to the heroic character of Lucas North we grew to care for and admire from Season 7 and Season 8. It wasn't very original, or original at all, to make Richard Armitage play another villain, when he had just played a villain in another BBC series, Robin Hood. (Though I confess I love Guy of Gisborne, who had the reverse story arc, starting as a villain and ending as a hero. Thanks to Richard Armitage he was the most complex character in the Robin Hood series.) Even Ros (Hermione Norris) who was not the most loyal of spies on the Grid for most of the character's career in Spooks was allowed to die a hero. So why Spooks writers, why? If Lucas had to go, because it was time or because Richard Armitage was cast in The Hobbit, why not let the character die a heroic death? 


We need more heroes in this world.

Thank you to RichardArmitageNet.com

*The Real Life Death-by-Umbrella** of Georgi Markov: In 1978 Bulgarian dissident writer Markov was killed on the streets of London after a ricin pellet was fired into his leg by means of an umbrella. His death was ordered by Bulgarian Intelligence. The real life case was referenced in Sunday's episode of Spooks in a scene with Sacha Gavrik. You can read the details HERE.  I  also thought the Spooks writers were inspired by the story of Alexander Litvinenko, a real life former agent of the KGB and later FSB. He had left with his family for the UK and lived in London. He died as a result of radioactive poisoning administered in a mysterious way after meeting with two former KGB agents. It is still an unresolved case.  Yes, truth is stranger than fiction.














** Thanks to The Compleat Sean Bean for inspiring the title :)