"The Young Montalbano" MUCH better than the older one.....

[jean]

But actually, the wonderful seafood dishes were always rather suggested than shown - and the joke was often that even as he waited, salivating, for the ordered dish to appear, Montalbano would be called away on some urgent police matter, and we never saw him eating it at all.

So the gastronomy was rather as the sex ought to have been.

(Who did eat all Adelina's arancini in the last episode, btw?)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But actually, the wonderful seafood dishes were always rather suggested than shown - and the joke was often that even as he waited, salivating, for the ordered dish to appear, Montalbano would be called away on some urgent police matter.

So the gastronomy was rather as the sex ought to have been.

(Who did eat all Adelina's arancini in the last episode, btw?)

Mmph mnwm

[eighthobstruction]

....I long for the landscape shots as in Vera....seem to remember more of those in earlier series instead of - Mimi reading his newspaper with (I guess) the Red Top equivalent RuMpy Pumpy writ large en Italiano....people endlessly being invited into his office (Homicide-Life on the Streets it aint)...."How are you....take a seat....etc"....getting in and out of cars. In this series I haven't constantly fancied being there except of course when Adelinas battalions o' hive shaped delectables are on display (sic)....then I just want to, er.....+ that bloke who is always typing....(very MALE - that office, could do with a female character or two, esp as Livia has gone all wet....generally very unadventurous photography....

....What does arancini taste like....

[eighthobstruction]

Mmph mnwm

[Nick Armstrong]

But actually, the wonderful seafood dishes were always rather suggested than shown - and the joke was often that even as he waited, salivating, for the ordered dish to appear, Montalbano would be called away on some urgent police matter, and we never saw him eating it at all.

Exactly.

no lingering shots of the gastro-porn I was promised!!

Mind you there was a rather toothsome

melanzane parmigiana

in YM Series 2 Episode 1.

....What does arancini taste like....

Cross between risotto and Scotch eggs - with preferably a nugget of molten mozzarella in the centre...

[eighthobstruction]

....Oh boy oh boy oh boy....nnnnnn nnnnnn....yum

[slarty]

The traditional Arancina that one finds in Sicily is like Street Food, available from market stands, filling stations, cafes ect, come as standard with a Ragu sauce filling, very similar to bolognese, the main alternative is filled with a spinach and melted cheese paste. Just across the street from the "Montalbano house" in Punta Secca is a fast food shop called "Gli Arancini di Montalbano", selling the various varieties. Seemingly, when the film unit is working there, they provide all the Arancini necessary for both film productions, which are all later " snaffled" by the cast and crew.
The Ragu version is delicious hot or cold, the spinach variation is best tried warm.

[Nick Armstrong]

I'm also very partial to the Roman street-food equivalent, Supplì ...

[eighthobstruction]

....STOP IT....



....OOooo Rice Balls with shrimp, nori, and umboshi plum....

....Never been to Italy or Japan....

[Rue Dubac]

Changing tack, does anyone else find the change in the title music annoying? I much prefer that in the bald Montalbano, without the somewhat strident vocals. The old one always suggested to me lizards in the sun, with the possible menace of the odd serpent...
Interesting - to me at least! - that they found an equally bandy-legged actor for the young Montalbano. Young Fazio most disappointing by comparison with older one, for me.

[slarty]

Changing tack, does anyone else find the change in the title music annoying? I much prefer that in the bald Montalbano, without the somewhat strident vocals. The old one always suggested to me lizards in the sun, with the possible menace of the odd serpent...
Interesting - to me at least! - that they found an equally bandy-legged actor for the young Montalbano. Young Fazio most disappointing by comparison with older one, for me.

I quite like the title music. However they would not use the other music from mature Montalbano as it was composed for a different production company, copyright I suppose. They have tried to make the YM series as different in style as much as possible, appart from the police station and surrounds and his house and the beach outside,
the locations are as different as they can make them.

[jean]

Interesting - to me at least! - that they found an equally bandy-legged actor for the young Montalbano.

First thing I noticed - and the only similarity, frankly.

Young Fazio most disappointing by comparison with older one, for me.

Yes, and Mimi too.

[slarty]

The most striking difference is the layout of Montalbano's house. The interiors in MM are almost identical to how the house is all the year round, apart from the bed by the window, which is a large dining/breakfast throughout the year when they are not filming. The rest of the furnishing is very similar to how it looks on film.
In YM however, one could be forgiven for thinking it was a different house if it were not for the windows leading to the terrace/balcony. The furnishing is so different and they block off the main door by putting a large tall shelving unit in front of it. Just shows what can be done with different set designers.
The interiors of the police station are shot at CineCitta in Rome.
I agree that the actors in YM are not as good as in the MM.

[Rue Dubac]

I take your point about copyright, but apart from the vocals the music seems to me quite similar, which is possibly why I find them so jarring.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... apart from the vocals the music seems to me quite similar ...

???!!! Do you mean that the String Tango Music of Bald Montalbano is "quite similar" to the drums, tambourines, guitars and jawharp of Young Montalbano, RueD?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lNsc0zqxC0

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06zdgfg/the-young-montalbano-series-2-5-the-honest-thief