Private Crimes (1993)
This Italian TV mini-series (4 episodes) is directed by giallo great Sergio Martino and stars some of the most recognizable stars of Italian genre cinema, including Edwige Fenech, Ray Lovelock, and Alida Valli. Story: Sandra Venturi, studying to be a singer at the conservatory of music in the Italian town of Lucca, has a promising career in opera ahead of her. On the eve of her nineteenth birthday, during a thunderstorm, the young singer leaves the apartment she shares with her mother Nicole Venturi, a journalist. Sandra is on her way to a secret rendezvous with a married man. He is murdered shortly before Sandra arrives at the deserted villa outside the town which they had chosen as their meeting point. When Marco's corpse is discovered the next morning, Nicole senses that reporting this case will make her famous outside her local region. What she doesn't know is that her daughter is also missing ...
Watch Trailer
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
So much average
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
This six-hour Italian TV mini-series directed by Golden Age Giallo auteur Sergio Martino stars genre favorites Edwige Fenech, Ray Lovelock, and Alida Valli and has been described as a cross between a giallo and TWIN PEAKS -but that's only wishful thinking based on the past reputations of the talent involved. The basic plot line -a teenager's murder rips the lid off a small town's secrets and lies- is not unlike the death of Laura Palmer but the handling, although competent, is nowhere near as deep, quirky, or atmospheric as David Lynch's masterpiece. The meandering murder mystery is too long by half, isn't very compelling, and the body count is low which makes it a missed opportunity at best but the production values are high and the cast is very attractive, especially Fenech who only got better with age. Lovelock looks a bit like Brad Pitt.