Inspector Montalbano is back! This Italian TV series has the best opening credits for anyone who is interested in Italy, or more specifically Sicily. The combination of 'Montalbano', the epicurean detective (why is it both the Italian detectives I love are so fond of their food?) his assortment of police officers, wonderful gallery of rogues plus the weirdest plotting, make this a real 'get away' night for me. Perhaps it's because the script deals so kindly with human frailties. Strangely enough, there is an underlying sense of decency and almost 'family' values amongst the wreckage Montalbano comes up against. And all set against the spectacular backdrop of Sicily.
I think its worth saying that the writer of the Montalbano novels, 84 year old Sicilian Andrea Camilleri, cut his teeth writing the late great (1964) 'Maigret' TV series. Surely there could not have been a blacker detective other than perhaps 'Callan' yet unlike contemporary detectives, these ones do provoke interest in their private lives. I have often felt like bursting out singing Noel Coward's 'Why Must the Show Go On?' when watching the feeble attempts modern script writers make to get us to care for their plods..."But is it quite fair to ask us to share your dreary private life?"
The beautiful town of 'Vigata' shown in the opening sequence is actually Porto Empedocle and I don't know what else you need to encourage a trip to Southern Sicily and to the SBS screenings except perhaps the marvelous choice of Luca Zingaretti in the leading role. This is a series written by grown ups, played by grown ups and suited to everybody. Oh wonder of wonders!
To see the opening of 'Inspector Montalbano', click here:
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
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