La piovra

I saw the series on DVD; there are 4 series with the terrific Michele Placido in the lead as solitary and stubborn police inspector Corrado Cattani, who is determined to conquer the evil elements in Italy.

To start with, it's interesting to see the dramatic quality increase of the production. In the first series the sound and image quality is terrible, yet in the fourth everything seems to be at a higher level. More attention was paid to the cinematography, it looks more professional and there are more dramatic "tricks" than in the previous series. Even the actresses look more beautiful! Patricia Millardet plays the mature and strong judge Silvia Conti to work aside Cattani while Simona Cavallari plays the juvenile Esther Rasi who idolizes Cattani) Next to being a thriller, La Piovra is also convincing as a study of organised crime in Italy. The characters are well developed and the acting is fantastic. The basic plot line: inspector Cattani's eternal conflict of interests between his family life and his professional life, which sometimes leads to very dramatic scenes. He loves his family yet his urge to combat organised crime in his beloved country is equally strong. At various points he is "accused" of being a moralist. Actually he is one of the few that dares to makes a fist against the bunch of opportunists who seem to have infiltrated Italy's political and economic system at all possible levels... The tormented inspector fights different enemies; my favourite one is Tano Carridi (4th series, very well played by Remo Girone). He displays a great mix of villainy and sadness that almost makes you symphatise with him. A worthy opponent of Cattani! The great music by Ennio Morricone in the series also adds a lot to the atmosphere! I highly recommend this series.

La Piovra, or SPRUT in Russian, the version that I saw as a boy in early nineties is nothing short of a masterpiece. American audiences are all over the Sopranos, a good series in its own right, but that is because they did not experience La Piovra.

The story of the series at first follows Commissar Cattani and his relentless fight against the Italian mafia and the corrupt bureaucracy. Every episode is full of smart dialogs, rich characters, suspenseful plot,and action. The newer episodes follow the work of a new commissar (I don't want to give away why this happens, watch it and you will see), who just like his predecessor selflessly fights the mob.

The series is mostly shot in Italy and later on in Czech Republic I believe, so scenery does change.

Fortunately for me the local Los Angeles Armenian mom and pop video stores carry the Russian language VHS tapes of the complete series as it was shown in the early nineties, all I need now is a summer holiday to re watch the whole series, it is absolutely worth it.

Since the best film about mafia theme has always been Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece trilogy THE GODFATHER, a lot of people skip this one. LA PIOVRA, appearing also under the English title of THE OCTOPUS, deals with Comissario Corrado Cattani's attempts against mafia in its heart land, the island of Sicily. Moreover, it develops Cattani's private life in a very interesting way: it focuses on how he and his family have to cope with suffering due to the very specific job he does against the mob. I remember seeing the mini series as a young boy and although I have not seen this since then, a lot remained in my memory. The reason is simple: the mini series stands out as one of the best and most unforgettable action films.

The most outstanding actor among the cast is, in my opinion, Michele Placido. He does a great job in the main role as Cattani, a man who copes with huge difficulties in the exceptionally cruel reality. Although he sacrifices everything, his struggles seem endless... Whenever I see him in any film, he always reminds me of this role. Other cast include not very famous people whose performances I cannot evaluate easily since I saw the film a long time ago.

Besides, throughout the series, there is a thrilling sense of suspicion. In this way, a viewer gets involved in the action. Sometimes, I felt the events so intensely that I could not wait for the following episode. All that happens looks very realistic and watching it meant for me feeling it. This is all intensified by the wonderful music by Ennio Morricone and Riz Ortolani, the best Italian film musicians.

Finally, the beautiful landscape of Sicily that can be found in a number of moments provides a viewer with authenticity of the story. Filmed in Trapani on the western coast of the island near Palermo, the movie is a great experience. When I was in Sicily a few years ago and walked in the narrow streets of its cities, the mini series was unintentionally in my mind's eyes.

Since I have seen this mini series many years ago, I cannot discuss cinematography or some details like the single performances or memorable moments. Yet, I felt compelled to entail my opinion on LA PIOVRA because it has its place in my dearest memories from my early teenage years. Generally speaking it is one of the best action films I have seen. Pity they don't show this on TV anymore. I'd really enjoy seeing it after all these years.

First of all, this series has the best music ever seen in film. Ennio Morricone in my mind has the stature of a Beethoven or Bach or Wagner.. really he's that good, and his music will last that long.

Now that this is out of the way .. to have a series that lives up to Ennio's music is really a miracle.

If you think about it, TV has always been a "second hand" medium when it comes to quality. Well, as TV series go .. this doesn't feel like a TV series.

Even if it's long, and the whole series has two or three arcs over 7 seasons, it's not diluted at all. It's focused from beginning to end so you only grow more attached to the characters, you invest more and more emotion in it. It's like the best tragic movie you can think of, tweaked at 75% intensity, but with incredible peaks of emotion, and keyed to the most beautiful music on earth.

Think about the countless hours you've spent watching garbage in front of the TV, and try to get this series and watch it, as revenge. :)

I can't see anything better being made on TV.

This was the apex of La Piovra, an Italian miniseries that is unsurpassed. In its own way it is the Godfather in an operatic way. Its villains are over the top (Remo Girone has a great performance going overborad but within limits) as the heroes and heroines are above reproach (great performances also by Michele Placido and the judge). Even the beautiful pawn acted by Simona Cavallari is well done.Its ending is real, if a bad omen to the Piovras that followed ,that went into a sea of mediocrity. I learned Italian especially to understand this miniseries. It is a great pity that it is not on the net. If you like mystery and police stories this is for you. I have never seen a miniseries as good.