This film is currently available as a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
While the name of Italian filmmaker Pietro Germi may not be as familiar to North American audiences as contemporaries Vittorio De Sica (Umberto D., Bicycle Thieves) or Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2), it certainly should be. Over the course of his career, this movie-maker and screenwriter awards for his work, including an Oscar for the 1961 feature Divorce Italian Style and the Palme D’or at Cannes for the 1966 effort, The Birds, the Bees and the Italians. And while those pictures took home trophies, many other features were just as good. Radiance Films has decided to shine a light on one of these efforts.
The Facts of Murder (1959) is an exceptional crime movie that manages to deliver the mystery movie goods while adopting Italian neorealism elements from his other titles of the era. It works incredibly well. The Rome featured in this movie feels authentic as do gritty locations like the police precinct. In addition, the cops are entertainingly gruff and it all moves at a brisk and compelling rate.
After jewelry is stolen from the apartment of Commendatore Anzaloni (Ildebrando Santafe), cops are ushered to the scene to begin an investigation. The memorably sharp, cigar-chomping Inspector Ciccilo Ingravallo (played by director Pietro Germi) is initially drawn to a neighbor’s servant, Assuntina (Claudia Cardinale) and her boyfriend Diomede (Nino Castelnuovo), but the woman’s employer Liliana Banducci (Eleonora Rossi Drago) is able to provide an alibi. Strangely enough, Liliana is murdered the following week and Ingravallo must determine if the two crimes are connected. As he grills various suspects in case, he discovers sordid details about a cousin named Valderena (Franco Fabrizi) who discovered the body, and the woman’s own widower husband Remo (Claudio Gora).
As mentioned, the standard mystery being unraveled isn’t shockingly different from other genre titles. However, the cops are wonderful to watch as they use every trick imaginable to get suspects to open up and reveal secrets about their lives. Germi is actually a great actor and entertaining on-screen personality. Ingravallo is initially friendlier than his cohorts, often apologizing for his lines of questioning and allowing the interviewee to open up and suggest that they aren’t nervous about being a suspect. That’s just about the time when the protagonist asks them to do something they wouldn’t have agreed to earlier. It’s fun to watch him toy with the nervous suspects.
Another great laugh comes when one person secretly watches the inspector walk away after a grilling. Despite having his back to the individual, the knowing Ingravallo raises his hand and waves goodbye to the person. Germi looks to be having a great time as the cop. It’s also a blast to see some of the procedural methods used in the film by police. The investigators hide camera and film attendees at the victim’s funeral, then develop and watch the footage as it is run through a projector. These little touches are wonderful to see and really make the movie stand out. And when the various secrets and identity of the killer is finally revealed, it is paid of well with a nice dramatic sting.
While this title is a Blu-ray, the black and white picture quality is stunning. This reviewer has a large TV and 4K Ultra HD set up, and the new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative looks miraculous. The image is incredibly sharp and the film has far more detail that one would anticipate. There’s plenty of moody lighting with inky black areas. And as mentioned, one can see all the in the dilapidated areas. The rundown police station really stands out and the viewer’s eye will constantly be checking out all of the imperfections on the walls. All of it looks incredible and this reviewer was floored by the transfer.
The extras included are very enlightening as well. These pieces don’t only go over this feature, but Germi’s entire career. There’s an interview with an Italian movie critic who goes over the many titles in his career. An archival documentary from 2005 is also included and it features plenty of interviews with collaborators from his various films and a few friends.
One of the more curious details about Germi was his aloof manner and working style. Most called the filmmaker difficult to read. Those he wrote the script with state that days would go by with them pitching ideas and ways to handle the approach to story, scene and character. The director would often sit silently and would give very short and succinct reactions to them. All of the screenwriters found it a bit jarring at first, but soon realized that his unusual process actually works. Several commented that while the writing process was more drawn out, the end products had perfect story structure and that almost everything was shot entirely as written.
There’s also a funny tale about a Hollywood filmmaker who was desperate to meet Germi while visiting. Their disastrous encounter is noted, with Germi barely speaking to the director and essentially behaving the same way that he did in screenwriting sessions. The filmmaker later stated that despite Germi being, well, detached and boring in person, he still greatly admired him and his cinematic works.
There’s also a video essay detailing Italian film noir. This title is included in that definition, although it doesn’t share all of the same characteristics as American film noir. The featurette does an excellent job of making comparisons between several US and Italian efforts, also explaining what bits Italian filmmakers would borrow from their Hollywood counterparts and what would be left behind. It’s an interesting bonus.
While this reviewer is familiar with some of Germi’s other works, The Facts of Murder was a new discovery. It’s a very enjoyable mystery with great characters and some gorgeous photography. Indeed, Germi’s work needs to be discovered by more North American viewers and this fantastic Blu-ray will certainly help. Classic film fans will definitely want to pick it up.