The Facts of Murder: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1959
Director: Pietro Germi
Writers: Alfredo Giannetti, Ennio De Concini, Pietro Germi
Cast: Pietro Germi, Claudia Cardinale, Franco Fabrizi, Cristina Gaioni, Claudio Gora, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Saro Urzì, Nino Castelnuovo

Release Date: January 2nd, 2024
Approximate running time: 114 Minutes 42 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: $39.95

"Inspector Ingravallo has been called to a Roman apartment building to investigate a robbery. Once there he questions the tenants but soon realizes something is amiss. As the investigation progresses a simple robbery leads to a murder case..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Facts of Murder was restored in 4K from the original camera negative by Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with RTI-Mediaset and Infinity+ at L'immagine Ritrovata"

The Facts of Murder comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.1 GB

Feature: 33.2 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; there are no issues with hiss or distortion. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds and the score are well-represented.

Extras: 

Extras for this release include a video essay titled What's Black and Yellow All Over? All Shades of Italian Film Noir by Paul A. J. Lewis on the presence of noir trends in Italian cinema and the evolution of the genre (18 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary titled The Man With the Cigar in His Mouth about Pietro Germi featuring interviews with his colleagues and collaborators including Mario Monicelli, Claudia Cardinale, Stefania Sandrelli, and Giuseppe Tornatore (38 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Pietro Germi expert Mario Sesti (46 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 20-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, an essay titled The Facts of Murder and Hybridization in Italian Cinema written by Roberto Curti, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Directed by Pietro Germi, whose other notable films are Four Ways Out, The Railroad Man, Divorce Italian Style, and Seduced and Abandoned.

The narrative revolves around a police detective investigating two crimes that happened in two days that are connected.

When one thinks of Italian thrillers, they think of Gialli, directed by Mario Bava and Dario Argento, which gave Italian thrillers a more hard edge with gory kill sequences and stylish visuals that heighten the mood. And though there have been solid examples of thrillers in Italy that predate the films of Mario Bava and Dario Argento, like Luchino Visconti’s Ossessione and Pietro Germi’s The Facts of Murder, these earlier examples of Italian thrillers owe more to American film noir than they do to the giallo.

Every great thriller has a memorable moment that sets the stage for the investigation that follows. Case in point: The Facts of Murder, a film that actually has two such moments that are ultimately tied together. The first of these moments starts off in silence as the camera slowly pulls away from a shot of a hallway, and as it's much its way up the side of the building, silence is disrupted by a gunshot. And when the dust has settled, it is revealed that there has been a robbery, and the thief was shot at as they fled. The other of these moments occurred a day later in the apartment next door to the first crime. And this time around, a woman has been murdered.

When it comes to the performances, I can only think of one word: flawless. The most memorable performance was by Pietro Germi (who also directed this film) in the role of Inspector Ciccio Ingravallo. He delivers a commanding performance of a character who is willing to put the rules to their limit to catch a killer. Another strength of his performance is how his character effortlessly shifts from calm to aggressive. Another performance of note is Claudia Cardinale (Once Upon a Time in the West) in the role of Assuntina, a servant girl who witnessed the first crime, and she also holds the key to unlocking the killer's identity.

From a production standpoint, The Facts of Murder is a film where everything perfectly falls into place. Though most of the narrative is about moments where the police are investigating, that does not mean that the narrative is not overflowing with tension. In fact, the well-constructed narrative does a phenomenal job building the moment toward the moment of truth. Another strength of the narrative is that it uses flashbacks in the final act, which put the missing pieces of the puzzle into perspective. Ultimately, The Facts of Murder is an extraordinary film that serves as a perfect transition film between noir-influenced Italian thrillers and the giallo.

The Facts of Murder gets a definitive release from Radiance Films, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer