Commissioner Ricciardi and Gambrinus

by Simona Vitagliano

“Luigi Alfredo Ricciardi has a gift that is also a huge curse. He can perceive the last thoughts of those who left with a violent death, whether it be murder, suicide or accident. But do not think that this power is alone an advantage. It is also a persecution: anyone who has suffered a traumatic death persecutes him with continuous apparitions “.

With this flash, a few months ago, Lino Guanciale presented to journalists the latest fiction in which he took the role of the protagonist: the “Commissario Ricciardi”, inspired by the homonymous work by Maurizio De Giovanni.

Fiction

What should we expect from this fiction set between Naples and Taranto?

Like the original work, it is set in the 1930s and, therefore, in full fascist dictatorship. The protagonist has a very particular and concrete sixth sense that he calls “the fact”: in practice, as anticipated by Guanciale, he manages to solve very complicated cases thanks to his ability to perceive the thoughts that invaded the victims’ mind before to die.

The cast includes Antonio Milo in the role of the faithful brigadier Maione of the Spanish Quarters, Enrico Iannello in those of the coroner (anti-fascist!) Bruno Modo, Rossella Ferraro in the role Sofia, Nunzia Schiano to impersonate Rosa Vaglio and Vera Ratti to interpret the object of love of the commissioner, Enrica Colombo; Serena Iansiti, Adriano Falvino, Giovanni Allocca, Fulvia Sacchi and Peppe Servillo (in the guise of Don Pierino) are also worth mentioning.

Filming at Gambrinus

What place could have represented those years better, if not the local historians of the Gran Caffè Gambrinus?

In September, in fact, the Neapolitan Belle à‰poque temple was transformed – once again – into a film set to welcome the adventures of Commissioner Ricciardi: for the occasion, a 1930s setting was recreated by dismantling the external gazebo and paying interiors and exteriors at the shooting, which were divided between a coming and going of vintage cars and the commissioner’s favorite table, the one overlooking the immensity of Piazza del Plebiscito.

The work sees the direction of Alessandro D’Alatri, already author of several films and expert hand behind other fiction of the caliber of “The bastards of Pizzofalcone” (second season, also inspired by the works of De Giovanni) and should go on the air in the second half of 2020.

It is already, however, one of the most anticipated titles of the next TV season!