All 37 Montalbano episodes available!

All Detective Montalbano episodes available on MHz Choice!

The feast goes on – another new Detective Montalbano episode! This one, “A Diary from 1943” revisits events surrounding the World War II Allied invasion of Sicily during the summer of 1943. It’s got Camilleri’s usual lush mix of love, brutality, drama, comedy and beauty. It also features some familiar faces – are you ready for a round of our favorite game, “Haven’t I seen you before?”

The main guest character in this episode is the American John Zuck, played by Dominic Chianese, who many viewers will recognize as Junior from the HBO series, The Sopranos. In “A Diary from 1943” he plays a Sicilian ex-pat returning to Vigata to revisit his early years. (And yes, he is dubbed into Italian and if you watch his mouth he was speaking his lines in English. Sigh. What can you do?)

Two other supporting characters will be familiar, the first of whom is Nellina Laganà, an accomplished Sicilian theater, film and television actress. She plays the rattled housekeeper who discovered the corpse.

You might remember her hilarious performance in “The Wings of the Sphinx” (2008) as the woman who insists her husband was kidnapped instead of escaping to Cuba for a long weekend. Even with photographic evidence, she refuses to concede he was there! And, based on how this character behaves, you understand her husband’s desire for a break. It’s a really funny cameo.

Angelo Russo and Nellina Laganà in “The Wings of the Sphinx” (2008)

And take a close look at the actor playing the ethical bishop who didn’t want to be too hasty in accepting a large financial gift to the Church.

That’s Angelo Tosto, who also played Biagio, the tortured, intellectually-challenged man who saw incriminating evidence in “Equal Time.” (2005)

Luca Zingaretti and Angelo Tosto in “Equal Time” (2005)

Here’s a fun fact and a call for sleuthing among our viewers. Both these veteran actors, Nellina Laganà and Angelo Tosto are listed as having been in the 1988 blockbuster international classic movie, Cinema Paradiso. But clearly, their roles were not large. Can anyone tell us what scenes they were in or what characters they played?

So sit back, relax, fix yourself a nice cup of coffee or glass of wine and imagine yourself on Montalbano’s veranda by the sea. Meet some new characters you’ll never forget.

It’s June – time to enjoy another MHz Choice favorite!

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Luca Zingaretti reprises his iconic role as Salvo Montalbano in the 33rd and 34th installments of this international blockbuster series, which premiered in Italy earlier this year. Series regulars Cesare Bocci (Mimi), Peppino Mazzotta (Fazio) and Angelo Russo (Catarella) also return in the new episodes, which are again directed by Alberto Sironi, who has helmed every installment of the series from the beginning.