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A short thread about a very unexpected (at least to me) and slightly morbid connection between these two recent arrivals.
A couple of weeks ago, I ordered the new, English friendly, 4K restoration of Alberto Sordi’s charming, “an Italian in Great Britain” 1966 feature Fumo di Londra, perhaps best known for its fantastic Piero Piccioni score.
While waiting for the disc to arrive I went on a week-long trip, where I started reading Stephen Gundle’s ”Death and the Dolce Vita: The Dark Side is Rome in the 1950’s” about the true crime Montesi case.
In 1953, the 21-year old Wilma Montesi was found dead on a beach under mysterious circumstances and the book covers the way the press covered the case as a potential conspiracy and the ensuing criminal investigation of the case.
The book is very well-written and meticulously researched, covering not only the case, but also contextualises Italy’s post-war society, as well as Rome’s La Dolce Vita-scene in a great way.
So at this point you’re probably wondering about the connection about a 1953 true crime case and the 1966 Alberto Sordi film?
Well, it turns out Fumo di Londra composer (and personal favourite) Piero Piccioni (Camille 2000, The 10th Victim, In the Eye of the Hurricane), the son of a prominent politician, was a much gossiped about suspect in this tragic case.
Piccioni’s was on trial and reluctantly produced a witness, none other than actress Alida Valli, with whom he’d been having an affair. She provided Piccioni with an alibi for crucial dates and even if he wasn’t completely written off as a suspect, he wasn’t convicted.
Won’t write any more about the case for those that want to read the highly recommended book, but I found this bit of morbid trivia fascinating. Guess it shows how little I know of the lives of the composers whose work I spend so much time listening to.
