The Facts of Murder

The Facts of Murder, released in Italy as Un maledetto imbroglio, is a 1959 Italian crime mystery directed by Pietro Germi, who also plays the lead role of a Roman police commissioner investigating a killing. The screenplay, co-written by Germi with Alfredo Giannetti and Ennio de Concini, is adapted from Carlo Emilio Gadda's 1957 novel Quer pasticciaccio brutto de via Merulana, and the narrative carries a strong current of social criticism. Alongside Germi, the ensemble includes a young Claudia Cardinale, Franco Fabrizi, Eleonora Rossi Drago and Nino Castelnuovo, while Carlo Egidi designed the sets. Considered a landmark of Italian crime cinema, the picture was restored and brought back to screens in 1999, with fresh showings in both Italy and the United States.