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Contains the episodes: The Snack Thief, The Voice of The Violin, The Shape of Water, The Mystery of The Terracota Dog. In Italian with English Subtitles SPECIAL FEATURES: Andrea Camilleri Biography, Introduction from Dr. Eric Haywood, Head of Italian Studies, University College, Dublin, Picture Gallery
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
BBC Four has done us all a service, promoting a string of colourful and varied crime series from Europe. Brooding dramas from Scandinavia (Wallander, The Killing), gritty ones from the ghettos of Paris (Spiral) and now, uniting many of their qualities under the seductive glow of the Sicilian sun, Inspector Montalbano. He is very much the star of his own show, brooding like Wallander or Lund but not to the extent he forgets how to finesse people, turning the case details over in his mind and suddenly laying it out for the police commissioner, so that whatever tricky plan devised by corrupt civilians or tenebrous mafiosi was intended, Montalbano has seen through it and refused to take the easy conclusion.
Montalbano is clearly a man of integrity but also a survivor in a land of great food and hot loving (both amongst his 'likes') as well as vendettas and sudden violence. He knows how to handle people, when to keep his cool, when to show his emotions, when to be philosophical, but for all his apparent autocracy at the local police HQ his life is repeatedly touched by unexpected realities - sorrows, hurts both mental and physical, as well as the on/off relationship with his girlfriend, Livia.
The actor playing I.M; whose name I haven't memorised, brings a boyish charm and excitability to the character, ably running the gamut of emotions. There is a welcome vein of humour in the daily activities of the inspector and his motley bunch of assistants, including a doofus cop at reception - a character portrait British writers would avoid for fear of offending the Offended League of Great Britain. With long episodes one is reminded of ITV's Morse, but instead of opera and trips to the pub we get seaside sunsets, sex and trips to the local bistro. As with Morse one never really knows how he does it but being younger, sexier and when you add the greater emotion on display among these latins (in contrast to the buttoned-up Brits) I.M. makes for the more compelling viewing. On the flipside, you kind of know you're in safe hands all the time with I.M, in contrast to the often horrific goings-on in Paris and Copenhagen.
Perfect entertainment.
Montalbano is clearly a man of integrity but also a survivor in a land of great food and hot loving (both amongst his 'likes') as well as vendettas and sudden violence. He knows how to handle people, when to keep his cool, when to show his emotions, when to be philosophical, but for all his apparent autocracy at the local police HQ his life is repeatedly touched by unexpected realities - sorrows, hurts both mental and physical, as well as the on/off relationship with his girlfriend, Livia.
The actor playing I.M; whose name I haven't memorised, brings a boyish charm and excitability to the character, ably running the gamut of emotions. There is a welcome vein of humour in the daily activities of the inspector and his motley bunch of assistants, including a doofus cop at reception - a character portrait British writers would avoid for fear of offending the Offended League of Great Britain. With long episodes one is reminded of ITV's Morse, but instead of opera and trips to the pub we get seaside sunsets, sex and trips to the local bistro. As with Morse one never really knows how he does it but being younger, sexier and when you add the greater emotion on display among these latins (in contrast to the buttoned-up Brits) I.M. makes for the more compelling viewing. On the flipside, you kind of know you're in safe hands all the time with I.M, in contrast to the often horrific goings-on in Paris and Copenhagen.
Perfect entertainment.
81 of 83 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
In our insatiable thirst for detective thrillers, foreign language productions have the benefit of introducing us to a different way of life in a setting which might well suggest the location of our next holiday.
In this case, the drama is set in the fictional Vigata, a quaint old stone-built town spreading over a hilly Sicilian coastline bathed in perpetual sunshine. Detective Montalbano occupies an elegant flat overlooking the Mediterranean where he can relax swimming at the end of each stressful episode.
We are introduced to a slow-paced (apart from the crimes, that is) way of life revolving round food - a man will put the enjoyment of a good meal before rushing to greet his lover - and the extended family, where relatives and workers gather on a sunny terrace to consume plentiful meals together.
Smartly turned out and astute, Montalbano somehow commands the respect of his staff despite the kind of volcanic outbursts which would have him sent on an anger management course in Britain. Like most detectives, he is on shaky terms with more senior officials, perhaps in part owing to his tendency to break the rules, but survives in his post, probably because he always seems to solve the crime in hand, usually through his ability to make deductions from very slim evidence.
The denouement is often unpredictable, partly because the very complicated plot tends to have a few twists which are hard to follow - and to be honest at times implausible. It's quite fast-moving, so with the sub-titles as an added constraint you have to concentrate.
Overall, it's worth watching as the characters are well-developed, the dialogue is amusing, the cases have intriguing aspects, and all does not end happily in every respect - there is a gritty undercurrent, say in the suffering of Tunisian immigrants in "The Snack Thief" or the continual hints at bribery and corruption amongst higher ranking officials, making the "honest" Montalbano a rarity.
In this case, the drama is set in the fictional Vigata, a quaint old stone-built town spreading over a hilly Sicilian coastline bathed in perpetual sunshine. Detective Montalbano occupies an elegant flat overlooking the Mediterranean where he can relax swimming at the end of each stressful episode.
We are introduced to a slow-paced (apart from the crimes, that is) way of life revolving round food - a man will put the enjoyment of a good meal before rushing to greet his lover - and the extended family, where relatives and workers gather on a sunny terrace to consume plentiful meals together.
Smartly turned out and astute, Montalbano somehow commands the respect of his staff despite the kind of volcanic outbursts which would have him sent on an anger management course in Britain. Like most detectives, he is on shaky terms with more senior officials, perhaps in part owing to his tendency to break the rules, but survives in his post, probably because he always seems to solve the crime in hand, usually through his ability to make deductions from very slim evidence.
The denouement is often unpredictable, partly because the very complicated plot tends to have a few twists which are hard to follow - and to be honest at times implausible. It's quite fast-moving, so with the sub-titles as an added constraint you have to concentrate.
Overall, it's worth watching as the characters are well-developed, the dialogue is amusing, the cases have intriguing aspects, and all does not end happily in every respect - there is a gritty undercurrent, say in the suffering of Tunisian immigrants in "The Snack Thief" or the continual hints at bribery and corruption amongst higher ranking officials, making the "honest" Montalbano a rarity.
93 of 97 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Finally this wonderful series is being released in a format we can use in the UK. Excellent stories, beautiful scenery and some fun characters make this a must-have for any fan of Euro-crime in the wake of Wallander, The Killing, Spiral etc. Much less dark than any of those thrillers but the lightness makes a nice change from the dark, tense brilliance of The Killing and its fellow travellers.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent series
This is a really enjoyable series, and it sticks closely to the books. Old-style detective stories without the gratuitous violence of some recent British cop shows, and very funny. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Pam
Fabulous Atmospheric Sicilian Detective Tales
Four wonderful hour and a half length episodes with the gorgeous Sicilian detective, his amusing colleagues and his complicated relationships - what could be better on a rainy... Read more
Published 12 days ago by bunnygalore
Montalbanotastic
This is a must have for lovers of the quirky italian detective. Food loving, whisky drinking Montalbano holds his detective team together with a unique style of leadership, helped... Read more
Published 26 days ago by Big Bando
INSPECTOR MONTALBANO COLLECTION ONE DVD
I have read a few of the books, I enjoyed
them very much.
The series brought to life the books, some of
the characters are a wee bit different, but
you... Read more
them very much.
The series brought to life the books, some of
the characters are a wee bit different, but
you... Read more
Published 1 month ago by crazmazy
HUMANITY & WARMTH
Sicily's Commissario Montalbano is very much his own man. Not for him is the often offered promotion, which would mean sitting at a desk. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. L. Rees
5 star dvd fantastic inspector good item fast delivery
these item is faboulous and reliable i am impress also for the quality, the company is good and the delivery was next day all in all i am very pleased with this dvd
Published 1 month ago by F1redpower
Commissario Montalbano
This is yet another fantastic example of high quality European TV drama - it is magnificent! The acting, the scenery and locations (Sicily), the scripts and the plots are all... Read more
Published 1 month ago by The Rocker
Amazing!!!
Simply great! Italian or the be precise "sicilian" police drama very well written by Andrea Camilleri outstanding author). Read more
Published 1 month ago by vmail
Wife loved it!
Arrived very promptly. My wife had missed the first two episodes on TV, but we don't have very fast broadband so trying to catch up on the series on iplayer was very irritating. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Ud-din
Even better than I had hoped
This is a most enjoyable series, based closely on the excellent series by Andrea Camilleri. Every character is well acted, in some cases brilliantly acted and the scenery and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ainm eile
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