Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Private Crimes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 20, 2024

Sergio Martino's "Private Crimes" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include recent program with Sergio Martino; recent program with Edwige Fenech; and new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It would be very, very unfair to write that Sergio Martino’s TV series Private Crimes was inspired by David Lynch’s classic TV series Twin Peaks. Private Crimes is unquestionably an original Italian production with distinct Italian qualities. And yet, it is very easy to identify numerous similarities between Private Parts and Twin Peaks.

Here are a few: Private Crimes is set in a picturesque small town. Shortly after its opening credits disappear, a beautiful young girl is killed, and when her body is discovered, many dark secrets begin to resurface. An outsider searches for the killer. As the dead girl’s past is reconstructed, the story expands in multiple directions and the outsider is pulled into a deep rabbit hole.

Here are a few other similarities: The first couple of beats of the main theme in Private Crimes instantly remind of the famous theme from Twin Peaks. Like Lynch, Martino’s camera appreciates beauty and slows down, which is quite unusual for Italian TV series. (Italian TV series are very talky and tend to move fast). And here is one other very interesting detail: In America, Twin Peaks ran between 1990 and 1991, while in Italy Private Crimes premiered on RAI TV in 1993.

The small Italian town is called Lucca and is the home of middle-aged, divorced journalist Nicole Venturi (Edwige Fenech), who is originally from a different part of the country. Nicole lives with her daughter, Sandra (Vittoria Belvedere), an aspiring singer, whose idol is the legendary Maria Callas. Nicole knows about Callas, but does not know that outside of the local conservatory Sandra has a different idol. It is Marco Pierboni (Joe Kloenne), a very wealthy businessman and playboy, who is old enough to be Sandra’s father and has been her secret lover. When Marco is murdered and at the same time Sandra goes missing, Nicole begins learning about her daughter’s private life from her best friend, Chiara (Silvia Mocci).

Not too long after that, the devastated Nicole is able to locate Sandra’s cold body with the help of local medium Ada Roversi (Annie Girardot), whose son, Paolo (Lorenzo Flaherty), was once her boyfriend. Detective Stefano Avanzo (Ray Lovelock), a veteran with great instincts, then begins profiling and tracking down Marco and Sandra’s killer. All early leads point to Marco’s family, which is torn apart by internal intrigues and feuds, but carefully protected by its most influential member, the widow Matilde Pierboni (Alida Valli). Frustrated by the lack of progress, Nicole begins a separate investigation to identify the killer of her daughter and, in the process, accidentally discovers that her best friend (Victoria Vera) is running a prostitution business and the owner of a popular nightclub (Maja Maranow) knows plenty about Sandra’s relationship with Marco. Several anonymous letters then redirect her investigation, too.

Old and new promotional materials imply that Private Crimes is a made-for-TV giallo project, but they are seriously misleading. There are a few segments where Martino opens up his old bag of tricks, and they emphasize the dark and tense atmosphere that defines his famous gialli, but Private Crimes is a classic contemporary Italian crime melodrama. In fact, it is a classic Italian crime melodrama with an unmistakable 1990s identity.

Fenech is the star of Private Crimes and understandably the camera is never too far away from her. However, while the hunt for the killer is underway, a lot happens in the peripherals where other characters face interesting dilemmas, so there are always new angles to observe the progress. Also, these switches keep introducing material that makes it very difficult to guess the identity of the killer.

Martino directs with unmistakable confidence, which is the main reason the four episodes of Private Crimes look equally impressive. This is not as easy as it reads because while Fenech grieves multiple characters undergo consequential transformations and alter the nature of the drama and suspense, preparing for a resolution where just about all of them seem to have had good reasons to see Marco killed.

Fenech produced Private Crimes with Pietro Innocenzi (Quiet Days in Clichy). Apparently, Martino was willing to do a second season of Private Crimes, again with Fenech, but despite a tremendous reception in Italy, he did not get an offer from the top brass at RAI.

Private Crimes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Private Crimes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release introduces a recent 2K makeover of Private Crimes that was prepared from original 16mm materials provided by RAI in Italy. On my system, all four episode of Private Crimes looked terrific. In fact, my only minor criticism pertains to encoding, which could have been optimized a little bit better. I did not see any serious anomalies, but I think that in a few areas there could have been a few tweaks to strengthen grain exposure. The rest is great. Delineation, clarity, and depth are either very good or excellent. Color balance is lovely, too. In fact, this is one of the most convincing looking makeovers of an older Italian production that I have seen in quite some time. Image stability is excellent. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Finally, the surface of the visuals looks very healthy, too. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Private Crimes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All exchanges are clear and easy to follow. There are no stability issues either. Music has a very important role throughout the series, and the dynamic contrasts it creates are quite nice. Also, there are some good effects during the more atmospheric sequences. The English translation is excellent. However, in the final episode, I noticed a few spelling errors.

Private Crimes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Edwige, Queen of Giallo - in this recent program, Edwige Fenech discusses her professional relationship with Sergio Martino and the famous genre films they made together, as well as the conception and production of Private Crimes and its themes and unique qualities. Also, there are some very interesting comments about the reception of Private Crimes and Fenech's work as a producer of the series. In Italian, with English subtitles. (24 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Kat Ellinger.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Giallo in Lucca - in this recent program, Sergio Martino discusses the evolution of his illustrious career and Edwige Fenech's role in it, the conception and production of Private Crimes, and his willingness to introduces changes to complete screenplays. Also, Mr. Martino reveals that he was willing to do a second season of Private Crimes but was turned down by RAI. In Italian, with English subtitles. (28 min).

Private Crimes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A giallo, even an unorthodox one, will not introduce a complex character like the one Edwige Fenech plays in Sergio Martino's four-part TV series Private Crimes. Some elements of giallo are present in it, and occasionally they produce a familiar atmosphere, but Private Crimes and Martino's notorious genre films do not have much in common. This is a good thing because with the murder element the rich, multi-layered melodrama of Private Crimes becomes very, very interesting. It is very Italian too, which is a quality I find enormously attractive. This two-disc set from Severin Films is sourced from a wonderful recent 2K master that was prepared on behalf of RAI in Italy. It is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.