anyone like Montalbano?

Hi Roses, oh yes, Salvo has a big fan club on Gransnet, including The Young Montalbano

www.gransnet.com/forums/television_and_radio/1193453--MONTALBANO-ALERT

There's a few Montalbano fans around here, roses and threads about him and young Montalbano.

Snap, Grannyknot

It's the legs, you see, rosesarered !

Hmm, well I do quite like it, but the plots are pretty far-fetched, there are only three locations, the acting is a bit over the top and the whole thing would be better condensed down to an hour. The Livias are improbable, Caterella is just silly and Mimi is annoying. Sicily is nice to look at but appears to be in a bad state of repair.
Oh and Salvo is bandy.

My brother-in-law is a big fan of Montalbano so we took him over to Sicily to see where the series is filmed. We have always loved Sicily and it only takes 90 minutes by catamaran from Malta, or 20 minutes by air.
It is true that some parts are shabby and run down, but there are many beautiful places with a lot of history and wonderful scenery.

Does anybody like Montalbano??????????????????
I could name a few!

Sorry Mamie but over the top, silly, and annoying = Italian! And I'm married to one! Of course Sicily is in a bad state of repair, any money put into it is siphoned off by the Mafia.
Salvo is bandy .........your point being????
I will admit that I am not impressed by the new Livia who seems about 15 years younger than the original.
Do give the books a try. Camilleri has a lot to say about the political situation in Italy and they are very funny.

I love it and find it light hearted and funny. Would never miss it or in fact any of the other offerings on BBC4, the only channel for me on Saturday nights.

Well I was mostly joking, Deedea. I have read the books as well. I think the Caterella character just about works in the books, but is not done well in the TV version, because the linguistic jokes about the spoonerisms don't come off. The subtitles are very dodgy too. I still the the adaptations are far too long, don't always make sense and could do with much sharper editing. Montelbano's bandiness is a very long-running joke on here.

Didn't realise there had been other threads about the series, as I am pretty new to Gnet.Glad there are lots of others who enjoy it [it validates my enjoyment.]Yes, Caterella does seem a bit too OTT and could probably do with a bit of paring down, he shouldn't always fall through Salvo's office door!] That apart, The acting seems first class, and I had read that the location[can't think of it's name] was built of sandstone in the 18/19th century and is now crumbling away.I like the sense of history, family, and just plain differnt-ness of the whole thing. Is Salvo bandy? Hadn't noticed. Doesn't matter though, he isn't meant to be a heart throb as such.I settle down to watch with a glass of nice red wine and simply relax.

In a word - YES

I was wondering when you'd make an appearance on this thread, soop!

Another fan here - but where are you all to be watching now? I thought the last short series on BBC4 ended months ago?
And how do you get the books - on Amazon uk in english?

Yes the books are on Kindle. You can pick them up quite cheaply sometimes.

While he is away I comforted myself , first with Borgen and now with The Bridge. BBC 4 on Saturday nights is wonderful. During the dark cold dark nights we could do with some lovely Italian sun and Salvo's smile - who notices his legs?

You can't miss 'em when he wades out of the ocean, chest-hair clinging and the sun reflecting off his pate...

I have the dvd's to watch but also have Sky+, so it's on a lot.

I also like the way everyone is rather formal with each other, and so seem very polite.Everyone has a secret lover, and nobody gets fat in spite of all the pasta.Everyone loves babies and children and pets. I love the crumbly buildings and geraniums, the sea views, the dusty cars [I dont think they bother with seatbelts.] I love the appreciation of food and coffee and wine. I think these dark nights I will be watching it a lot.

We missed the first series and have been given the first DVD - so this evening we watched the first episode - put some things into perspective but also they made mistakes with the Young Montalbano -- Mimi mentions in this episode that they had worked together 4 years and then Livia says they have been together 8 years!! With this info we thought that the ages of the actors were not right if so short a time was supposed to have elapsed. Still love it though!!

Now you've reminded me about him wading out of the ocean I shall probably have to go and have a lie down Ana
Italians are very formal rosesarered everyone always shakes hands when a group gather together and the rules of formal/informal address are strictly adhered to. One of our friends was quite offended when my husband said Ciao to her when they'd only just been introduced.
There are a lot things that don't add up in Young Montalbano, Catarella doesn't appear till the second book so certainly shouldn't be in it and one wonders whether Livia would have stuck with him for so long! But I still love it

If I ever need a second husband Deedaa I think I would like an Italian one.

Oh please take mine I could send him to you with a coffee machine and a packet of pasta!

A done deal Deedaa [grins]