Il commissario Montalbano, the Italian detective drama launched in 1999 and starring Luca Zingaretti as the character created by author Andrea Camilleri, returned last march on RAI 1 with its 37th episode: Il metodo Catalanotti.
Written by Francesco Bruni, Andrea Camilleri, Salvatore De Mola and Leonardo Marini with Valentina Alferj, Il metodo Catalanotti is based on the novel by Camilleri (first published in 2018) (1). After the interruption of his visit to a lady, Mimì Augello discovers the dead body of a man and asks for help from Salvo Montalbano. The commissario and his deputy try to find a solution when they are called for another body elsewhere. Except that this is the dead man of Augello. His name was Carmelo Catalanotti and he was an amateur theatre director with a very peculiar way to choose his actors.
Salvo meets Antonia Nicoletti, the new chief of forensics. Something begins and something ends but is it the 22-year old TV series? The successive deaths of three important figures of Il commissario Montalbano — Andrea Camilleri, director Alberto Sironi and production designer Luciano Ricceri — between 2019 and 2020 had an understandable impact on Luca Zingaretti's motivation to continue. That's why Il metodo Catanalotti was announced as a possible final episode. However, two novels have not been adapted for television: Il cuocco dell'Alcyon (2019) and Riccardino (the last one, published in 2020).
Fortunately, it seems that there will be two more episodes (2). Il commissario Montalbano should end on a high note and the bittersweet Il metodo Catalanotti is quite frustrating for a conclusion. Mimi's antics and the investigation in the amateur theatre community are the highlights of the episode. The romance is its weakest part and the treatment given to poor Livia Burlando, Salvo's long-suffering fiancee, is regrettable. The late Alberto Sironi is co-credited as the director of Il metodo Catalanotti with star and helmer Luca Zingaretti.
With Cesare Bocci (Mimì), Peppino Mazzotta (Giuseppe Fazio), Angelo Russo (Catarella), Antonia Truppo (Maria Del Castello), Carlo Cartier (Carmelo Catalanotti), Marina Rocco (Eleonora Ortolani), Monica Dugo (Anita Pastore), Aglaia Mora (Dr. Barresi), Maurizio Bologna (Antonio Scimè), Giampiero Ciccio (Rosario Lo Savio), Gaetano Aronica (Ernesto Lopez), Greta Scarano as Antonia and Sonia Bergamasco as Livia. Also with Aldo Messineo (Enzo), Raniela Ragonese (Enza), etc. Il commissario Montalbano is produced by Palomar and RAI Fiction.
Produced by Carlo Degli Esposti, founder and president of Palomar, Nora Barbieri and Nicola Serra with Max Gusberti. Marco Camilli is the producer for Palomar and Erica Pellegrini produces for RAI. Gianfranco Barbagallo exec produces. Chrystelle Robin is the production manager.
Music composed and conducted by Franco Piersanti. Cinematography by Franco Lecca. Distributed by Rai Com. Il commissario Montalbano is aired in the UK by BBC Four as Inspector Montalbano and in France on France 3 as Commissaire Montalbano.
In the United States, the series is available on MHz Choice under the title Detective Montalbano. The SVOD service will show this episode on July 6th as The Catalanotti Method.
(1) In English its title is The Sicilian Method.
