Un maledetto imbroglio
Encyclopedia
Un maledetto imbroglio also known as The Facts of Murder is a 1959 Italian crime film
mystery directed by and starring Pietro Germi
with Claudia Cardinale
. The film is based on the novel by Carlo Emilio Gadda
Quer pasticciaccio brutto de via Merulana. The film was restored and re-released in 1999 both in Italy and the USA.
from Commendatore Anzaloni's apartment and flees, leaving Anzaloni unharmed. Inspector Ingravallo investigates and finds that the robbery is suspicious in that the robber was able to find valuables too quickly. A neighbour, Liliana Banducci, employs a servant girl, Assuntina. Her fiancé, Diomede, tries to escape when he sees police
tailing Assuntina. But Diomede has an alibi. Liliana's cousin, Dr. Valdarena, pays her a visit, only to find her corpse on the floor. But before calling police, Valdarena removes an envelope
addressed to him from the sideboard. Liliana's husband Remo was away from Rome
at the time of the murder, but he is very surprised to hear that Liliana had changed her will
only one week earlier.
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
mystery directed by and starring Pietro Germi
Pietro Germi
Pietro Germi was an Italian actor, screenwriter, and director. Germi was born in Genoa, Liguria, to a lower-middle class family. He was a messenger and briefly attended nautical school before deciding on a career in acting.He studied acting and directing at Rome's Centro Sperimentale di...
with Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale is an Italian actress, and has appeared in some of the most prominent European films of the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of Cardinale's films have been either Italian or French...
. The film is based on the novel by Carlo Emilio Gadda
Carlo Emilio Gadda
Carlo Emilio Gadda was an Italian writer and poet. He belongs to the tradition of the language innovators, writers that played with the somewhat stiff standard pre-war Italian language, and added elements of dialects, technical jargon and wordplay.-Biography:Gadda was a practising engineer from...
Quer pasticciaccio brutto de via Merulana. The film was restored and re-released in 1999 both in Italy and the USA.
Plot
A disguised bandit steals valuable jewelleryJewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
from Commendatore Anzaloni's apartment and flees, leaving Anzaloni unharmed. Inspector Ingravallo investigates and finds that the robbery is suspicious in that the robber was able to find valuables too quickly. A neighbour, Liliana Banducci, employs a servant girl, Assuntina. Her fiancé, Diomede, tries to escape when he sees police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
tailing Assuntina. But Diomede has an alibi. Liliana's cousin, Dr. Valdarena, pays her a visit, only to find her corpse on the floor. But before calling police, Valdarena removes an envelope
Envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card....
addressed to him from the sideboard. Liliana's husband Remo was away from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
at the time of the murder, but he is very surprised to hear that Liliana had changed her will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
only one week earlier.
Cast
- Pietro GermiPietro GermiPietro Germi was an Italian actor, screenwriter, and director. Germi was born in Genoa, Liguria, to a lower-middle class family. He was a messenger and briefly attended nautical school before deciding on a career in acting.He studied acting and directing at Rome's Centro Sperimentale di...
as Inspector Ciccio Ingravallo - Claudia CardinaleClaudia CardinaleClaudia Cardinale is an Italian actress, and has appeared in some of the most prominent European films of the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of Cardinale's films have been either Italian or French...
as Assuntina - Franco FabriziFranco FabriziFranco Fabrizi was an Italian actor.Son of a barber and a cinema cashier, he was a soap opera photo actor, for example, the fotoromanzo Arizona Kid, in the newspaper Avventuroso Film...
as Valdarena - Cristina Gaioni as Virginia
- Claudio GoraClaudio GoraClaudio Gora was an Italian actor and film director.He was a particularly prolific actor making some 155 appearances in film and television over nearly 60 years from 1939 to 1997...
as Remo Banducci - Eleonora Rossi DragoEleonora Rossi DragoEleonora Rossi Drago, born Palmira Omiccioli, was an Italian film actress. She was born in Quinto al Mare, Genoa, Italy....
as Liliana Banducci - Saro UrzìSaro UrzìSaro Urzì, was an Italian actor.-Biography:Born in Sicilia, he moved to Rome to seek his fortune....
as Detective Saro - Nino CastelnuovoNino CastelnuovoFrancesco "Nino" Castelnuovo is an Italian actor. His perhaps most prominent role was starring as Guy Foucher in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg...
as Diomede - Ildebrando Santafe as Anzaloni
- Peppino De Martino as Dr. Fumi
- Silla Bettini as Oreste
Awards
- Mar de Plata Film Festival : Best Director
- Nastro d'ArgentoNastro d'ArgentoThe Nastro d'Argento is a movie award assigned each year, since 1946, for cinematic performances and production by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani, the association of Italian film critics...
: Best Script, Best Supporting Actor (Claudio Gora ).