Un maledetto imbroglio (1959)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Pietro Germi

Writers:

Alfredo Giannetti (screenplay) and
Ennio De Concini (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A masked bandit steals valuables from Commendatore Anzaloni's apartment and flees, leaving Anzaloni unharmed...

Plot Keywords:

Bandit | Beautiful Woman | Mask | Based On Novel

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Pietro Germi	...	Inspector Ciccio Ingravallo
Claudia Cardinale	...	Assuntina
Franco Fabrizi	...	Valdarena
Cristina Gaioni	...	Virgina
Claudio Gora	...	Remo Banducci
Eleonora Rossi Drago	...	Liliana Banducci
Saro Urzì	...	Detective Saro
Nino Castelnuovo	...	Diomede
Ildebrando Santafe	...	Anzaloni
Peppino De Martino	...	Dr. Fumi
Silla Bettini	...	Oreste
Rosolino Bua	...	Priest
Loretta Capitoli	...	Camilla, la beduina
Nanda De Santis	...	Zamira, la sdentata
Gianni Musi	...	Retalli

Also Known As:

Diledetto Imbroglio
The Facts of Murder (USA)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Riama Film

Movie Connections:

Referenced in L'uomo dal sigaro in bocca (1997)

Soundtrack:

Sinnò me moro

Good movie from excellent book

This movie was poorly translated as "Murder all'italiana", so few people guessed that it was a rendition of Carlo Emilio Gadda's well-known novel QUER PASTICCIACCIO BRUTTO DE VIA MERULANA, read with delight at the beginning of the sixties. It had three major trumps: excellent plot, sophisticated language (mixed with Roman dialect)and long suspense, although the murderer is still unknown and at large when the book ends... For the movie, the double talents of Pietro Germi (director and occasional actor) and Gadda (contributing to the script)were supported by a very solid cast, including Franco Fabrizi, one of Fellini's favorite actor, Claudio Gora, a well known Italian old-timer and two major beauties, Claudia Cardinale and Eleonora Rosssi-Drago. Unfortunately, the TV rendition (thanks God, in original version) was scheduled right after the regional elections in France, at 1 a.m. I thought the event could alter the time, so I allowed 15 extra minutes on my VCR to tape it. To my surprise, it began 15 minutes ahead of schedule, but the book helped me to fill in the gap. There was not much to say on TV after the surprising defeat of the government, so they ran the film well ahead of schedule. A replay would be mandatory, but I know they'll never respond to my complaint. The film is considered a classic in Italy, and the remasterized copy was perfect. Too bad French TV doesn't have any consideration for the early birds like me. harry carasso