Inspector De Luca (TV series)
Inspector de Luca (Italian: Il commissario De Luca) is an Italian television series produced and broadcast by RAI, based on the De Luca trilogy (1990-1996) of detective novels by Carlo Lucarelli. The USA DVD box title is Detective De Luca with the tag line, "He's not a fascist/ He's not a partisan/ He's just a cop."
| Inspector De Luca Il commissario De Luca | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Created by | Carlo Lucarelli |
| Starring | Alessandro Preziosi |
| Country of origin | Italy |
| Original language(s) | Italian |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | RAI |
| Original release | 27 April – 11 May 2008 |
Concept and scope
Covering the period from 1938 to 1948 in Bologna,[1] the series centers on Commissario Achille de Luca, and is set from the height of Fascist era in Italy to the immediate post-war period.
Dashing and attractive to women, De Luca is depicted as an honest cop, a determined and principled policeman working in a corrupt and politically charged environment. While concerned only with truth and justice but not for the bigger picture,[1] he manages to avoid taking sides.
Production
The series comprises four episodes, three of which are based on novels by Lucarelli, while the first serves as a prequel, introducing the character and the milieu. The series was directed by Antonio Frazzi, who also co-wrote the episodes with his brother, Andrea and with Lucarelli. The series was first screened on Italian television in 2008. It was shown in the UK on BBC Four in March and April 2014. It is available on DVD in Italian with English subtitles. The films are dedicated to Andrea (b. Florence, 1944 – d. Florence, 5 May 2006).
Characters
- Alessandro Preziosi: Insp. Achille De Luca, a police detective in northern Italy.(4 episodes)
- Corrado Fortuna: Sgt. Leopoldo Pugliesi, De Luca's assistant. (4 episodes)
- Rolando Raquello: Insp. Roberto Rosseta, a politically astute colleague of De Luca's. (3 episodes)
- Raffaela Rea: De Luca's lover. (2 episodes)
- Stefano Pesce: Guido Leonardi, head of Partisan police. (2 episodes)
Episodes
| No. | Title | Based on | Setting | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Unauthorized Investigation" | (telescript only) | Summer 1938 | 27 April 2008 | |
| When a prostitute is killed, De Luca investigates what he believes to be a cover-up.[2] | |||||
| 2 | "Carte Blanche" | Carta Bianca | April 1945 | 28 April 2008 | |
| De Luca heads a murder investigation leading him to probe the private lives of the rich.[2] | |||||
| 3 | "The Damned Season" | L'Estate Torbida | June 1945 | 4 May 2008 | |
| On the run after the fall of Mussolini, De Luca is roped into investigating the murder of a local peasant.[2] | |||||
| 4 | "Via Delle Oche" | Via Delle Oche | April 1948 | 11 May 2008 | |
| Back in Bologna after Rome, now demoted to Vice, De Luca investigates when a man is found hanged in a brothel.[2] | |||||
Notes
- DVD sleeve notes
- BBC episode guide