Commissaire Montalbano

Set in Sicily, Italy, and based on a series of novels, INSPECTOR MONTALBANO has proved successful in various parts of Europe. I caught it on BBC4, the cultural channel of the BBC. It takes a lot to infuse what might be termed an over-familiar genre with touches of originality, but INSPECTOR MONTALBANO achieves this task successfully. This is chiefly due to the interplay between the three main characters (Luca Zingaretti, Angelo Russo, Cesare Bocci), who work successfully as a team yet continually bicker with one another. The shooting-style also helps; there is an extensive use of outdoor locations - as opposed to the uniformly gray interior sequences of many British detective series - and a greater reliance on pans and zooms, rather than shot/reverse shots. This gives the series an epic feel, despite the familiarity of the story lines. The scripts are tautly written with plenty of opportunities for throwaway lines from the main protagonists. Definitely worth a look as a refreshing alternative to Anglo-American detective series.

Yes, Salvo is the right toyboy for the ladies and an impatient chief for the police station. I like him and his logic even there is Catarella, the nuisance got a name, and Mimi being the limited officer by his side. Fazio is the bright officer who can follow Salvo's mind. After all this is a film reflecting Sicilian attitude at its best. This is one of the best police drama's I have seen even it can be comical at times.

I'm Italian and just want to give a few replies to your questions (sorry my English). -"Why there are any people in the background?" The emptiness of places isn't just for a stylistic purpose, neither because of a low budget, but has realistic reasons: the show is set in a stereotypical group of little towns. Now there aren't jobs in country-lands and a lot, A LOT of people moved on in bigger cities or even in the north of the country or abroad. So the south of Italy is full of empty little towns, with spectacular views but just a little count of old people living in it and a lower one of the young. Often Montalbano moves between them and it's almost normal that there are few people and cars. A little bit is the director's choice, but it's more realistic than you think. -Catarella is "too stupid for police"? He isn't stupid, he clearly has a sort of mental disease/neurodiversity. He has difficult in little everyday acts, but he also has skills in his job, so he can be a productive member of society. It isn't too unlikely. In Italy the state has to help disabled people who have difficulty finding work, paying them a little pension. So if possible public institutions prefer to hire them than pay them to do nothing. By low, all the public offices have to prefer disabled people for some jobs, if they are however able to do it. -Italian men really behave and gesture that way? Yes, absolutely. I'm Italian and I ever notice any non-ordinary expression in Zingaretti interpretation and body language. He seems to me just strong and old fashioned manly, but not exaggeratedly expressive at all, so, yes, hand gestures are quite realistic. Infact, it's an Italian production, with Italian actors, it would make no sense to put a foreign stereotype about us for purpose. The stereotypes that you can find are all inner, as the old religious ladies and so on.

Now, my opinion? I like Montalbano and especially the work with regional language and the locations. Sometimes I think there is a little to much of machismo in it, but It's a traditional tv show. I really appreciate the mix of investigation, feelings an irony: I love detective story with a funny side, and I valuate more characterizations than action scenes, so it's my kind of show.

Every episode is a feature film. Visually beautiful, great casting, musical language, solid mystery construction, expressive of human frailties. A little creepy with lots of older men with beautiful young women. Sure the formula shows thru after a few eps but I never tire of the country and expressive characters.

Love this show..it has everything..drama tension violence and a cool clever Inspector who is very intelligent and funny.Relationships are loyal and rich..while I'm learning the beauty of the language and the scenery.Music is superb🎶 💕.....