From: The Dept of Obscure TV (2#) -

MHz Worldview International Mystery series is about to undergo a change, although it's hard to predict how it will affect each individual branch of the network syndication.

They have announced that they are going to expand the series to a nightly basis instead of a weekly show.

Meanwhile, on Sundays we have been watching Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series. At first, I found it a bit jarring to hear German being spoken against the backdrop of Venice, but I learned to mostly ignore that. I liked the actor who played the protagonist for the first few episodes, but then a different actor took over the role.

Why is this series which takes place in Venice being produced in German? We usually presume in such a case that it's because the financial consortium which produces it got German money. But that's not quite the explanation here.

In another of Chris Arth's outstanding feature pieces, we learn that Donna Leon actually lives in Venice and was only sufficiently comfortable with a TV series which would be at some distance in order to better ensure her privacy and personal safety. I could really relate to that.

Venice is known for its qualities of light, so beloved to generations of painters. This production company has been blessed with a cinematographer who demonstrates a heightened sensitivity to almost elusive moments of beautiful shifting light.

In a recent episode he carefully captured the interior of a villa or palazzo, the walls of which had been washed with a pale pinkish rosy tint of a pigment like Tuscan Red and, for a moment, some incandescent bulbs radiated a yellow glow within the room's embrace.

The last episode showed what happens when Venice floods with Acqua Alta. It can be very messy to get around!

:: MHz International Mystery ::

:: Donna Leon ::

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