Although Pietro Germi has the distinction of having directed the prototype of the genre known as Commedia all'Italiana, his non-comedic films are strongly influenced by the cinema of North America and here he has given us a first-rate 'police procedural'.
He and his excellent collaborators Alfredo Giannetti and Ennio de Concini have also faced the daunting task of adapting Carlo Emilio Gadda's 'That awful mess on Via Merulina' which is a panorama of life in Fascist Italy of the late 1920's. Granted, it involves a murder investigation but the author has not felt the need to tell us whodunnit!
The investigating detective in this loose, updated adaptation is played by Signor Germi who has once again opted to direct himself and has created a fascinating character. His skill with actors is legendary and he draws fine performances from Eleonora Rossi Drago, Franco Fabrizi, Claudio Gora, Claudia Cardinale, Nino Castelnuovo and of course the ubiquitous Saro Urzi. Signorina Cardinale is again 'dubbed' as her voice was considered too coarse for the roles she played. She is on the brink here of her greatest decade and we hear her own voice for the first time in Visconti's 'Il Gattopardo' in 1963.
The plot of this is convoluted to say the least but we are carried along by Germi's taut direction, sharp editing by Roberto Cinquini and well-drawn characterisations. Germi's regular cinematographer Leonarda Barboni and composer Carlo Rustichelli contribute immeasurably. Rustichelli's score is particularly full-blooded and he has composed a beautiful and haunting canzona sung by his daughter Alida, entitled 'Otherwise I'll die' which reflects the passionate relationship between the characters played by Cardinale and Castelnuovo. Viewers will no doubt recognise in Cardinale's frantic run after the police car a distinct echo of Anna Magnani's iconic dash in 'Rome, open City'.
Opinions differ as to whether Germi should be counted among the great Italian directors. I suppose it depends upon one's criteria. His most popular films of course have been his beautifully observed satirical comedies but from his directorial debut with the melodrama 'Il Testimone' he has never ceased to show a capacity to tell a story, engage our emotions and to get the very best from his actors. He is sorely in need of reappraisal.
