Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Facts of Murder Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 31, 2023

Radiance Films tends to list its supplements on the Main Menus of its discs under the names of the creators, participants or interview subjects, rather than any titles the bonus items may have, and in this particular case, a supplement listed as Paul A. J. Lewis actually has the much more piquant title What's Black and Yellow All Over? All Shades of Italian Film Noir, which finds Lewis drawing tethers between film noir, giallo, Poliziotteschi, and, kind of incredibly, Neorealism, all courtesy at least in part due to the rather interesting career of Pietro Germi, who both stars in and directed this "whodunit". While there are arguable connections between Germi and gialli, as Lewis details in his visual essay, and the film's emphasis on police procedures may tangentially qualify it as a Poliziotteschi, to call The Facts of Murder a giallo would probably be misleading. That said, the film does feature a killing (as evidenced by its very title), and while not exactly in the same way that early Neorealists like Visconti or Rossellini handled things, there are some passing touches of a vérité sensibility, even if the overall film is decidedly glossier and more stylized than is typically thought of in the Neorealist genre.

While probably too blatantly theatrical to qualify as "actually" Neorealist, a cacophonous opening sequence finds a crowded Italian apartment building reacting to a robbery, which offers a chance to introduce a glut of characters in basically one fell swoop. Inspector Ciccio Ingravallo (Pietro Germi) is the chief police officer investigating the crime, which seemed to target an Italian official, and which resulted in the theft of some valuable jewelry, which the thief seemed to know the location of. Almost instantly, a housekeeper named Assuntina (Claudia Cardinale) who works for the victim's neighbor Liliana Banducci (Eleonora Rossi Drago) is questioned, since a clue left behind in the victim's flat may implicate Assuntina's boyfriend Diomede (Nino Castelnuovo). Suffice it to say that a jewel thief turns out to be the least of Ingravallo's investigative problems once one of the major supporting characters turns up dead.

If the main "mystery" here is frankly never all that compelling, the characters are really a rather fascinating cross section of classes and socioeconomic statuses in the still wobbly post-World War II environment of Rome. The film probably has a few too many red herrings for its own good, but despite some clunkiness in the plotting, performances are typically excellent, and a very young Cardinale shines as a put upon woman attempting to navigate a potentially perilous situation.

The Facts of Murder Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Facts of Murder is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. There's an opening text card detailing a 4K restoration, some of which is reproduced in Radiance's insert booklet, as follows:

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.

This is a stellar looking presentation which offers excellent clarity and some really commendable fine detail levels throughout, especially on some of the close knit patterns on any number of outfits (kind of humorously, probably more so with the men's suit jackets than anything any of the women wear). Contrast is solid throughout, with excellent black levels and really beautifully modulated gray scale. Even some potential problem areas like smoky nightclubs present no issues in the compression department, and grain also resolves naturally throughout the presentation. I noticed no damage or other age related wear and tear of any major import.

The Facts of Murder Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Facts of Murder features a nice sounding LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Italian (there are a few isolated lines in English courtesy of an uppity American woman who gets drawn into the investigation). This features a perhaps surprisingly "Hawksian" approach to dialogue, where several crowded scenes find people talking over each other within a general sense of impending (or actually realized) chaos, but despite the "busy-ness" of things, lines remain clearly delivered despite any passing tumult. More "standard" dialogue scenes offer no problems of any kind, and Carlo Rustichelli's score also resonates well. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Facts of Murder Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Mario Sesti (HD; 46:36) is a newly produced interview with critic Mario Sesti, who discusses Pietro Germi in general and this film in particular. Subtitled in English.


• The Man With a Cigar in His Mouth (HD; 38:51) is an archival documentary by Mario Sesti from 2005 which features interviews with some friends and collaborators of Pietro Germi. Subtitled in English.


• Paul A. J. Lewis (HD; 18:40) is newly produced visual essay which actually bears the title What's Black and Yellow All Over? All Shades of Italian Film Noir.

Additionally, Radiance provides a nicely appointed insert booklet with an essay by Robert Curti which further examines some of the "combo platter" of genres addressed in What's Black and Yellow All Over? All Shades of Italian Film Noir. Additionally, packaging features Radiance's quasi-Obi strip.

The Facts of Murder Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's maybe just a little odd that Pietro Germi seems not to be that well remembered on this side of the pond, despite the fact that he took home a Best Screenplay Academy Award for Divorce Italian Style, and received an additional Oscar nomination for directing that film. As is gotten into in some of the supplements on this disc, Germi's career was really rather breathtakingly varied, and includes not just writing and directing, but acting as well. The Facts of Murder may not exactly offer an Agatha Christie level mystery, but it has some interesting twists and turns, and it certainly features a notable cast and a rather fascinating look at Roman life in the late fifties. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.