Inspector Montalbano (TV series)

Inspector Montalbano (Italian: Il commissario Montalbano [il kommisˈsaːrjo montalˈbaːno]) is an Italian police procedural television series based on the detective novels of Andrea Camilleri. The protagonist is commissario Salvo Montalbano, and the stories are set in the imaginary town of Vigàta, Sicily. The music for the soundtrack was composed by Franco Piersanti.

Inspector Montalbano
ItalianIl commissario Montalbano
GenreDetective fiction
Created byAndrea Camilleri
Starring
Country of originItaly
Original language(s)Italian, Sicilian
No. of series14
No. of episodes36 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time100 minutes
Production company(s)
Release
Original networkRAI
Original release6 May 1999 (1999-05-06) –
present
External links
Website

Inspector Montalbano has been produced and broadcast by RAI since 1999 to critical acclaim.[1] It originally premiered on Rai 2, and later on Rai 1 since the fourth season. Over 65 countries have broadcast the series, including on BBC Four in the United Kingdom, MHz WorldView in the United States and SBS in Australia.[2] In 2012, the series generated a spin-off, The Young Montalbano.

Synopsis
Montalbano's police station (Scicli)
Montalbano's house in the fictional Marinella; actually in Punta Secca, a district of Santa Croce Camerina

Inspector Salvo Montalbano is in charge of the state police station in Vigàta, a fictional town in the fictional province of Montelusa based on the Province of Ragusa in Sicily, Southern Italy. Montalbano investigates criminal acts which he always manages to solve by reconstruction thanks to his intelligence and the help of his team which includes his deputy, Domenico 'Mimì' Augello, Giuseppe Fazio, Galluzzo, and Agatino Catarella. Salvo has a long-distance, tempestuous relationship with Livia Burlando who lives in Genoa.

Among his external collaborators are:

  • his Swedish friend, Ingrid Sjöström who lives in neighbouring Montelusa
  • the journalist, Nicolò Zito
  • Vigàta's local forensic pathologist Dr. Marco Pasquano
  • his cook and housekeeper, Adelina Cirrinciò

Cast

Main characters
  • Luca Zingaretti as inspector Salvo Montalbano, the police chief of Vigàta (season 1−present)
  • Cesare Bocci as inspector Domenico "Mimì" Augello, Montalbano's deputy and close friend (season 1−present)
  • Peppino Mazzotta as detective Giuseppe Fazio, and Montalbano's right-hand man (season 1−present)
  • Angelo Russo as Agatino Catarella, police officer (season 1−present)
  • Davide Lo Verde as Galluzzo, police officer (seasons 1–present)
  • Isabell Sollman as Ingrid, Montalbano's Swedish friend (seasons 2–5, 7–8, 11)
  • Roberto Nobile as Nicolò Zito, journalist of local TV station Rete Libera and trusted friend of Montalbano (season 1−present)
  • Marcello Perracchio (1938–2017) as Dr. Marco Pasquano, forensic pathologist (seasons 1–11)
  • Giovanni Guardiano as Jacomuzzi, police forensics specialist (seasons 1–5, 8, 12–13)
  • Katharina Böhm (dubbed by Claudia Catani) as Livia Burlando, Montalbano's girlfriend who lives in Genoa and sometimes visits Vigàta (seasons 1–4)
  • Claudia Catani provided the Italian voice of Livia Burlando, Montalbano's girlfriend who lives in Genoa for Katharina Böhm (seasons 1-4) and Lina Perned (season 9) and as Livia's voice on the telephone (seasons 5-8)
  • Lina Perned (dubbed by Claudia Catani) as Livia Burlando, Montalbano's girlfriend who lives in Genoa and sometimes visits Vigàta (season 9)
  • Sonia Bergamasco as Livia Burlando, Montalbano's girlfriend who lives in Genoa and sometimes visits Vigàta (season 10−present)

Recurring characters
Seafront promenade and Montalbano's fictional house
  • Mirella Petralia as Adelina Cirrinciò, Montalbano's housekeeper/cook (seasons 4, 7 and 9)
  • Ketty Governali as Adelina Cirrinciò, Montalbano's housekeeper/cook (seasons 11, 12)
  • Fabio Costanzo as Pasquale Cirrinciò, Adelina's son (seasons 4, 7, 9 and 12)
  • Carmelinda Gentile as Beatrice "Beba" Di Leo, becomes Mimì's wife (main: season 5; guest: seasons 3–4, 6–8, 12)
  • Giacinto Ferro (1943–2016) as Police Chief Bonetti-Alderighi, Montalbano's superior based in the provincial capital, Montelusa (seasons 1, 4–5, 7–9, 11)
  • Giovanni Visentin as Judge Tommaseo, morbidly attracted to the more spicy aspects of the cases (seasons 7-9, 11)
  • Filippo Brazzaventre as Filippo Ragonese, political journalist at local TV station Televigàta (seasons 4–10)
  • Ubaldo Lo Presti as Filippo Ragonese, political journalist at local TV station Televigàta[3] (seasons 1–2)
  • Francesco Stella as Gallo, police officer (seasons 1–2)
  • Marco Cavallaro as Tortorella, police officer (seasons 4–6)
  • Corrado Invernizzi as Lattes, Bonetti-Alderighi's secretary (seasons 1-3, 8)
  • Francesco Sineri as Don Balduccio Sinagra, retired mafia boss (seasons 3–5)

Series and episodes
San Giorgio Cathedral, Modica
Main article: List of Inspector Montalbano episodes
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
126 May 1999 (1999-05-06) ()
222 May 2000 (2000-05-02) ()
329 May 2001 (2001-05-09) ()
4428 October 2002 (2002-10-28) ()
5222 September 2005 (2005-09-22) ()
627 March 2006 (2006-03-07) ()
742 November 2008 (2008-11-02) ()
8414 March 2011 (2011-03-14) ()
9415 April 2013 (2013-04-15) ()
10229 February 2016 (2016-02-29) ()
11227 February 2017 (2017-02-27) ()
12212 February 2018 (2018-02-12) ()
13211 February 2019 (2019-02-11) ()
1429 March 2020 (2020-03-09) ()
Series Episode # Original Italian broadcast Original Italian title English novel translation English TV title translation Original BBC Four broadcast UK ratings
Series 1 01 6 May 1999"Il ladro di merendine"The Snack Thief"The Snack Thief"[4]11 February 2012640,000
02 13 May 1999"La voce del violino"The Voice of the Violin"The Voice of the Violin"[4]18 February 2012721,000
Series 2 03 2 May 2000"La forma dell'acqua"The Shape of Water"The Shape of Water"[4]25 February 2012744,000
04 9 May 2000"Il cane di terracotta"The Terracotta Dog"The Mystery of the Terracotta Dog"[4]3 March 2012664,000
Series 3 05 9 May 2001"La gita a Tindari"Excursion to Tindari"Excursion to Tindari"[4]10 March 2012680,000
06 16 May 2001"Tocco d'artista"(Short story)[5]"The Artist's Touch"[4]17 March 2012628,000
Series 4 07 28 October 2002"Il senso del tatto"(Short stories)[6]"The Sense of Touch"[4]24 March 2012719,000
08 4 November 2002"Gli arancini di Montalbano"(Short stories)[7]"Montalbano's Croquettes"[4]31 March 2012629,000
09 11 November 2002"L'odore della notte"The Scent of the Night"The Scent of the Night"[4]7 April 2012773,000
10 18 November 2002"Gatto e cardellino"(Short stories)[8]"The Goldfinch and the Cat"[4]14 April 2012677,000
Series 5 11 22 September 2005"Il giro di boa"Rounding the Mark"Turning Point"[9]25 August 2012937,000
12 29 September 2005"Par condicio"(Short stories)[10]"Equal Time"[9]1 September 2012926,000
Series 6 13 7 March 2006"La pazienza del ragno"The Patience of the Spider"The Patience of the Spider"[9]8 September 2012681,000
14 13 March 2006"Il gioco delle tre carte"(Short stories)[11]"The Game of Three Cards"[9]15 September 2012713,000
Series 7 15 2 November 2008"La vampa d'agosto"August Heat"August Flame"[9]22 September 2012790,000
16 3 November 2008"Le ali della sfinge"The Wings of the Sphinx"The Wings of the Sphinx"[9]29 September 2012821,000
17 10 November 2008"La pista di sabbia"The Track of Sand"The Track of Sand"[9]6 October 2012701,000
18 17 November 2008"La luna di carta"The Paper Moon"Paper Moon"[9]13 October 2012810,000
Series 8 19 14 March 2011"Il campo del vasaio"The Potter's Field"The Potter's Field"[9]3 November 2012898,000
20 21 March 2011"La danza del gabbiano"The Dance of the Seagull"The Gull's Dance"[9]27 October 2012838,000
21 28 March 2011"La caccia al tesoro"The Treasure Hunt"Treasure Hunt"[9]10 November 2012874,000
22 4 April 2011"L'età del dubbio"The Age of Doubt"The Age of Doubt"[9]20 October 2012867,000
Series 9 23 15 April 2013"Il sorriso di Angelica"Angelica's Smile"Angelica's Smile"[12]19 October 2013910,000[13]
24 22 April 2013"Il gioco degli specchi"Game of Mirrors"Hall of Mirrors"[12]26 October 2013960,000[13]
25 29 April 2013"Una voce di notte"A Voice in the Night"A Voice in the Night"[12]2 November 2013980,000[13]
26 6 May 2013"Una lama di luce"A Beam of Light"A Ray of Light"[12]9 November 20131,080,000[13]
Series 10 27 29 February 2016"Una faccenda delicata"(Short stories)[14]"A Delicate Matter"[15]19 August 20171,161,000
28 7 March 2016"La piramide di fango"The Pyramid of Mud"The Mud Pyramid"[15]26 August 2017999,000
Series 11 29 27 February 2017"Un covo di vipere"A Nest of Vipers"A Nest of Vipers"2 September 2017931,000
30 6 March 2017"Come voleva la prassi"(Short stories)[16]"As Per Procedure"9 September 2017965,000
Series 12 31 12 February 2018"La giostra degli scambi"The Overnight Kidnapper"Carousel"19 May 2018
32 19 February 2018"Amore"(Short stories)[17]"Love"2 June 2018
Series 13 33 11 February 2019"L'altro capo del filo"The Other End of the Line"The Other End of the Thread"1 June 2019
34 18 February 2019"Un diario del '43"Un diario del '43 and Being here feature in Un mese con Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri"A Diary from ‘43"8 June 2019
Series 14 35 9 March 2020"Salvo amato, Livia mia"Salvo amato, Livia mia is in Gli Arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri"Except my beloved Livia"
36 16 March 2020"La rete di protezione"The Safety Net"The Safety Net"

“Il metodo Catalanotti” was filmed in 2019 and will be shown in 2021.[18] “Il metodo Catalanotti” will appear in English as "The Sicilian Method" by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), published 6 October 2020 by Penguin Books: New York.

Production

Given the success of the Andrea Camilleri novels, published by Sellerio (Palermo), RAI with Palomar, commissioned a television series, in co-operation with Sweden's SVT, Sveriges Television, of most of the novels and short stories. Each closely follows the plot of the novels, in some cases joining several short stories. Alberto Sironi, who died suddenly in early August 2019, had directed the entire series up till then. He was taken ill during the filming of three new episodes in 2019 and Luca Zingaretti took over the direction. Camilleri was teaching at the same time as when Zingaretti was studying at the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico. Luca Zingaretti had to adjust his accent to Sicilian having been born in Rome. Inspector Montalbano was initially launched on Rai 2. It moved to Rai 1 after the second series.

Austrian actress Katharina Böhm, then Lina Perned, both dubbed by Claudia Catani, and now Sonia Bergamasco plays his girlfriend, Livia. Cesare Bocci plays his deputy and Peppino Mazzotta plays his most trusted detective Fazio.

Filming
The museum is inside the lighthouse in Scoglitti

Although Camilleri set his books in a fictionalised province of Agrigento, much of the series is filmed in the province of Ragusa. The exteriors of de la Mànnara (Fornace Penna) were filmed in Sampieri. Montalbano's offices are in Scicli, as are the offices of Commissioner Bonetti-Alderighi (actually those of the mayor). Filming is in Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Donnafugata Castle and the Donnalucata, Pozzallo and Scoglitti ports, Marina di Ragusa, Comiso, Santa Croce Camerina, and other places in south-eastern Sicily. The opening shots in the series include the Guerrieri Viaduct in Modica. The Coast Guard office in Scoglitti, in reality, is the small lighthouse museum.[19][20]

List of main locations

International transmission

The BBC holds the United Kingdom transmission rights. "Excursion to Tindari" and "Montalbano's Croquettes" were shown in the UK on BBC Four in December 2008.[21][22] On 11 February 2012, "The Snack Thief" was broadcast in its 9 p.m. Saturday evening slot. On 25 August 2012, BBC Four began to broadcast a series of 12 episodes. From 19 October to 9 November 2013, the four series nine episodes were broadcast but referring to them as Series 3. In June 2014, BBC Four began a re-run of all existing episodes and this time in the correct running order.

In the US, the series is retitled Detective Montalbano and broadcast on MHz Networks' WorldView Channel.

In Australia, the series was shown on Special Broadcasting Service in Italian, subtitled in English by SBS staff.

In France, it was shown in winter 2013 on France 3 on Sundays titled, Commissaire Montalbano. In Spain, on La 2 on Saturdays (Spring 2013) and in Argentina on Europa channel.

DVD release
DVD title Discs Production year Episodes DVD release

Region 1

Detective Montalbano: Episodes 1–3 3 1999–2000 "The Snack Thief", "The Voice of the Violin", "The Shape of Water" 29 June 2010
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 4–6 3 2000–2001 "The Mystery of the Terracotta Dog", "The Artist's Touch", "A Trip to Tindari" 29 June 2010
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 7–9 3 2002 "The Sense of Touch", "Montalbano's Croquettes", "The Scent of the Night" 17 August 2010
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 10–12 3 2002–2005 "The Goldfinch and the Cat", "Turning Point", "Equal Time" 17 August 2010
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 13–15 3 2006–2008 "The Spider's Patience", "Find the Lady", "Paper Moon" 14 November 2010
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 16–18 3 2008 "Track of Sand", "Wings of the Sphinx", "August Heat" 14 November 2010
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 19 & 20 2 2011 "The Potter's Field" and "The Dance of the Seagull" 4 November 2011
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 21 & 22 2 2011 "The Treasure Hunt" and "The Age of Doubt" 4 November 2011
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 23 & 24 2 2013 "Angelica's Smile" and "Mirror Effect'" 24 September 2013
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 25 & 26 2 2013 "A Voice in the Night" and "A Ray of Light" 24 September 2013
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 27 & 28 2 2016 "A Delicate Matter" and "The Mud Pyramid" 28 June 2016
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 29 & 30 2 2017 "A Nest of Vipers" and "As Per Procedure" 27 June 2017
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 31 & 32 2 2018 "Merry-go-round" and "Amore" 26 June 2018
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 33 & 34 2 2019 "The Other End of the Thread" and "A Diary from ‘43" 25 June 2019
Detective Montalbano: Episodes 35 & 36 2 2020 "Dear Livia" and "The Safety Net" 23 June 2020

MHz Networks distributes the Detective Montalbano series on TV, DVD, TVOD and SVOD.

In the UK, the earlier episodes are currently available in both a collection and series format, with the series numbering following BBC Four's. These titles are distributed by Acorn Media UK.

DVD title Discs Year Episodes DVD release
Region 2
Collection One 2 2012 "The Snack Thief", "The Voice of The Violin", "The Shape of Water", "The Mystery of The Terracotta Dog" 5 March 2012
Collection Two 3 2012 "Excursion to Tindari", "The Artist's Touch", "The Sense of Touch", "Montalbano's Croquettes", "The Scent of the Night", "The Cat and the Goldfinch" 3 September 2012
Complete Series One 5 2012 The 10 episodes from Collection One and Collection Two 8 October 2012
Collection Three 2 2013 "Turning Point", "Equal Time", "The Spider’s Patience", "Find the Lady" 7 January 2013
Collection Four 2 2013 "August Flame", "The Wings of the Sphinx", "Track of Sand", "Paper Moon" 4 March 2013
Collection Five 2 2013 "The Age of Doubt", "The Gull's Dance", "The Potter's Field", "Treasure Hunt" 8 July 2013
Complete Series Two 6 2013 The 12 episodes from Collections Three, Four and Five 4 November 2013
Collection Six 2 2014 "Angelica's Smile", "Hall of Mirrors", "A Voice in the Night", "A Ray of Light" 3 February 2014
The Complete Montalbano Collection 13 2014 All 26 episodes from the six collections 2 June 2014
Collection Seven 2 2017 "A Delicate Matter", "The Mud Pyramid", "A Nest of Vipers", "As Per Procedure" 11 September 2017
Collection Eight 1 2018 "Carousel", "Love" 4 June 2018
Collection Nine 1 2019 "The Other End of the Thread", "A Diary from ‘43" 1 July 2019
Inspector Montalbano Complete 1-9 17 2019 All 34 episodes from the nine collections 31 Dec 2019

In the Nordic countries the first 18 films are available as Box 1 (1–6), Box 2 (7–12) and Box 3 (13–18). All were released in 2009 (labelled 1999, the start date of the series) with Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles. They were released by AtlanticFilms AB on license from RAI Trade.

In Spain, there is a confusing situation where episodes are dubbed in Spanish, as well as Italian with Spanish subtitles being available in both box sets containing six episodes each and overlapping mini box sets containing two films each. Both are labelled, Colección Montalbano in identical boxes just to add to the confusion. Distribution is by Track Media SL.

Awards
  • 2003 Busto Arsizio Film Festival: Winner Best TV Series [23]
  • 2009 Kineo Awards, Italy: Winner Best Television Film[23]
  • 2011 Kineo Awards, Italy: Winner Best Television Film[23]
  • 2014 Crime Thriller Awards, UK: Nominee Best International TV Drama[23]
  • 2016 TV Award - TV Direction Award: Winner Best fiction[24]

See also

References
  1. Domenico Naso (March 1, 2016). "Il Commissario Montalbano è da record: ecco i 5 motivi per cui il poliziotto di Vigata piace a tutti" (in Italian). ilfattoquotidiano.it.
  2. "Montalbano, la serie italiana che ha conquistato 65 paesi". agvilvelino.it (in Italian).
  3. "Pippo Ragonese, notista politico di Televigàta, era dotato di due cose: una faccia a culo di gallina e una contorta fantasia che lo portava a immaginare complotti. Nemico dichiarato di Montalbano, Ragonese non fagliò l'occasione per attaccarlo ancora una volta" from Il gatto e il cardellino
  4. BBC Four: Inspector Montalbano, Episode guide: Series 1. Accessed 30 November 2014
  5. "Tocco d'artista" appears in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English) and in English as "The Artist's Touch" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016
  6. Combines two short stories: "Amore e fratellanza" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri and "Sequestro di persona" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English) and in English as "A Kidnapping" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016
  7. Combines two short stories: "Gli arancini di Montalbano" appearing in English as "Montalbano’s Rice Balls" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016 and "Stiamo parlando di miliardi" both appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English).
  8. Combines two short stories: "Il gatto e il cardellino" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri and in English as "The Cat and the Goldfinch" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016 and "Un gigantessa con sorriso gentile" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English).
  9. BBC Four: "Inspector Montalbano, Episode guide: Series 2". Accessed 30 November 2014
  10. Combines two short stories: "Par condicio" appearing in Un mese con Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English) and in English as "Neck and Neck" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016, and "Catarella resolve un caso" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English) and in English as "Catarella solves a case" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016,.
  11. Combines four short stories: "Il gioco delle tre carte" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano, "Una mosca acchiappato a volo" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano, "Sostiene Pessoa" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano and in English as "Pessoa Maintains" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories and "Come fece Alice" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English) and in English as "As Alice Did" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016
  12. BBC Four: Inspector Montalbano, Episode guide: Series 3. Accessed 30 November 2014
  13. BARB
  14. Combines two short stories: "Una faccenda delicata" appearing in Un mese con Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English) and "Povero Maria Castellino" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English).
  15. Montalbano Episodes from MHz Networks on VHX.TV. Accessed 4 November 2016
  16. Combines three short stories: "Come voleva la prassi" appearing in Morte in mare aperto e altre indagini del giovane Montalbano and in English as "Usual Procedure" in Death at Sea by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2018, "La revision" in Gli arancini di Montalbano and in English as "The Judicial Review" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016 and "Come contò Aulo Gellio" in Un mese con Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English).
  17. Combines two short stories: "Amore" appearing in Un mese con Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (not yet translated into English) and in English as "Amore" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories, and "La prova generale" appearing in Gli arancini di Montalbano and in English as "The Dress Rehearsal" in Montalbano's First Case and Other Stories by Andrea Camilleri, (S. Sartarelli, trans.), Penguin Books: New York, 2016.
  18. https://www.ilmessaggero.it/televisione/il_commissario_montalbano_nuovi_episodi_zingaretti_regia-5061613.html
  19. "Luoghi di Montalbano" (in Italian). visitvigata.com.
  20. "TUTTO DALLA CITTA' DI VITTORIA" (in Italian). ragusaoggi.it. April 5, 2011.
  21. "BBC Four - Inspector Montalbano, Series 1, Excursion to Tindari". bbc.co.uk. 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  22. "BBC Four - Inspector Montalbano, Series 1, Montalbano's Croquettes". bbc.co.uk. 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  23. "Il Commissario Montalbano, Awards". imdb.com.
  24. Maria Concetta Distefano (June 20, 2016). "Premio Tv 2016: ecco i vincitori da Carlo Conti al Commissario Montalbano" (in Italian). urbanpost.it.
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