Two crimes occur in an old apartment building in Rome just a few days apart. The first, a suspicious robbery of a bachelor and the second, the brutal stabbing of the woman living just next door. Inspector Ingravallo (Pietro Germi) is called in to solve both cases and his tough, no-nonsense approach immediately begins to rattle the suspects in both crimes. The more facts that get uncovered, the more complex the cases become, and all the while Ingravallo’s dogged determination is tested.
Writer/director/actor Pietro Germi was famous for being the first person to say, “I’m kind of a big deal.” Okay, he probably never said that BUT if he had, he would have likely said it in Italian. The Facts of Murder (1959) is wildly influential early giallo that is equal parts charming, funny, and tragic. It goes right into the heart of Rome and is an excellent slice of neorealism, not too surprising since Germi was one of the directors that helped establish the trend. Luckily, the film is way more interesting than my boring ass plot description above.
The only thing I don’t like about The Facts of the Murder is its running time that clocks in just under 2 hours. The story is ludicrously complicated, but Germi only loses control (pacing wise) for just a few minutes. Overall, it’s an engrossing and dynamic detective tale, but I started to get antsy before the wrap-up. What I find most interesting is that this film’s source material, That Awful Mess at the Via Merulana by Carlo Emilio Gadda, has no ending. The crime is not solved in the novel, and it was up to Germi and the screenwriters to come up with something. I kind of wish they hadn’t come up with anything and had gotten me out of there like 10 minutes earlier.
What I adore about this film are Carlo Rustichelli’s mesmerizing music score, the fascinating characters, and the dynamite black and white cinematography by Leonida Barboni. Everyone, from the lowly beat cop to the upper-class suspects living in the apartment building are fleshed out and just a joy to watch. The film only gets to the point of parody when every single character (except for the cops) has something to hide, and I started to wonder if we’re just seeing everything from Ingravallo’s cynical and possibly paranoid perspective. Folks looking for the foundational works of the giallo will not be disappointed.
Radiance Films delivers a pretty much flawless disc in terms of picture and sound. I’m so glad I waited until this release came out to check out The Facts of Murder. As for extras, first up is an interview with Mario Sesti, an expert on Pietro Germi. I couldn’t get into this guy’s spiel as he went on some ponderous tangents. The documentary included on the disc called The Man With the Cigar in His Mouth (1997) is much more fun and insightful. I really enjoyed Paul A.J. Lewis’s visual essay about film noir and the giallo.