Review: Pietro Germi’s ‘The Facts of Murder’ on Radiance Films Blu-ray

The Janus-headed The Facts of Murder looks back to the earlier neorealist docudramas of director, co-writer, and star Pietro Germi, while also presaging the sharply observed satirical outlook of films like Divorce Italian Style and Seduced and Abandoned. In the film, the comedic elements are mostly limited to the broad, almost caricatural handling of bumbling secondary characters. The primary storyline, involving an investigation into two ostensibly related crimes, is handled more like a police procedural along the lines of Jules Dassin’s The Naked City, albeit without that film’s authoritative narration.

The Facts of Murder’s central location is an apartment block. Quickly sketching in a number of characters and their relationships in the aftermath of the opening burglary, the film codes the victim, Commendatore Anzaloni (Ildebrando Santafe), as gay, and it’s suggested that the criminal might’ve been one of his pickups. But the focus of Inspector Ingravallo (Germi) soon shifts to the apartment next door, occupied by Liliana Banducci (Eleonora Rossi Drago) and her maid, Assuntina (Claudia Cardinale), when a tail on the latter turns up her police-adverse boyfriend, Diomede (Nino Castelnuovo).

Diomede proves innocent of the crime, and his alibi turns out to be an older American tourist with whom he spent the night. This is just the first of several “convenient” sexual arrangements that the film highlights in its quest to expose the seamier side of life in late-1950s Rome. The most egregious example is Liliana’s cousin, Valdarena (Franco Fabrizi), a medical student who passes himself off as a full-fledged doctor so as to take liberties with young female patients, and who soon becomes the prime suspect when he discovers Liliana’s dead body.

No character in The Facts of Murder is immune to the depredations of sexual desire, which drives them to immoral, and sometimes criminal, behavior. The film’s storyline, however, is far from straightforward. It sometimes seems to lurch from episode to episode, getting tangled up in subplots like the one involving the actual thieves of Anzaloni’s property, who comprise a love triangle with feuding sisters on two of its sides. Shambolic as these digressions may be, they do manage to contribute a certain amount of both grit and amusement to the proceedings. They also serve to flesh out the lurid demimonde that Germi explores throughout the film.

In addition to aspects of docudrama and satire, the filmmakers cannily fold in key elements of the film noir. Of course, the fusion of neorealism and noir goes all the way back to Ossessione, Luchino Visconti’s uncredited adaptation of James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice. Here we’re treated, in proper noir fashion, to flashbacks revealing key events, in particular those leading up to Liliana’s murder. The identity of the culprit isn’t all that difficult to figure out from fairly early on, yet it takes Inspector Ingravallo almost two solid hours to get there. To the film’s credit, the solution is deeply ironic in the way it flips the supposed innocence of a key character on its head. Ultimately, though, The Facts of Murder’s tone is far from sardonic, both tolerant and empathetic. Germi shows a real understanding of the peaks and troughs of human nature.

Image/Sound

The new 1080p restoration of the film, sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, looks terrific. Leonida Barboni’s luminous black-and-white cinematography appears crisp and clean. Black levels come across as deep and dark. The image reveals some depth, and the clarity of fine details is excellent. The sturdy Italian LPCM mono track cleanly delivers the occasionally overlapping snatches of dialogue and pleasingly conveys Carlo Rustichelli’s robust score.

Extras

Radiance offers a trio of excellent extras that abound in critical historical about the film and Pietro Germi’s career. A wide-ranging visual essay by critic Paul A.J. Lewis examines the intersections of neorealism, noir, and the giallo in Italian cinema that stretches from Luchino Visconti to Michele Soavi. Germi expert Mario Sesti discusses The Facts of Murder as a pivotal crossroads in the filmmaker’s career. An archival documentary assembled by Sesti features colleagues and collaborators reminiscing about Germi’s personality and filmmaking style. Lastly, a booklet contains an essay from Roberto Curti about the film’s blend of genres.

Overall

Poised between docudrama and satire, Pietro Germi’s fascinating The Facts of Murder also cannily folds in key elements of film noir for its exposé of postwar Rome’s seamy underside.