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Aurelio Zen

In English with mostly English Actors
3 Episodes Set in and around Rome

Editorial Comment: At the end 2010, the BBC showed this three-episode mystery series based on Michael Dibdin's Aurelio Zen novels. PBS in the United States showed them in July/August, 2011. They were very good but it was a bit off-putting to see Italian characters played by British actors and speaking English. The episodes were based on the first three books but shown in the order of Vendetta, Cabal, and Ratking. In attempting to set the stage for an ongoing series, all were based in and around Rome and the screenplays added new characters which are required for a TV series. Because of this they lacked the Dibdin strength of setting each novel in a different Region of Italy. They were produced by Left Bank Pictures who also did the BBC Wallander series starring Kenneth Branagh.

Many Dibdin fans were disappointed in the Zen TV series. This was understandable and I agree with all of their points. There is always a problem when the BBC takes on shows set in non-English speaking countries with British actors. In the Zens, they chose two actresses whose native tongue is not English (Tania and Zens mother, which was poorly cast)... therefore the confusion of a variety of English accents. In spite of all of that, I still enjoyed the series -- the shows are different from the novels. Since Dibdin's novel were written in English, it's unlikely that the Italians would have produced the series in Italian. The BBC has opted out of the next 3 episodes, planned by Left Bank Pictures, which may mean that they will not be filmed as scheduled for release in 2012.

Commercial Availabilty of DVDs for the HomeVideo Market
Episodes 1-3
Region 1, NTSC
Buy from Amazon.com
Episodes 1-3
Region 2, PAL
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Episode Descriptions

The episode information below was obtained from Wikipedia.

Episode 1
VENDETTA

Detective Zen is sent to a remote village to re-investigate a murder, which may spark a political scandal. Zen is under pressure from the politicians and the Chief of Police, but he would rather be spending time with Tania, the Chief's beautiful assistant. Meanwhile, a gangster is after Zen, seeking revenge. 
Episode 2
CABAL

The death of a famous aristocrat, Umberto Ruspanti, leads Detective Zen into the shadowy world of the Cabal—an organisation more powerful and secret than the Mafia. The Ministry want a quick verdict of suicide, but Zen's not so sure. Meanwhile, things are looking up with Tania.
Episode3
RATKING

Detective Zen works against the clock to recover the kidnapped Ruggerio Miletti, a wealthy industrialist with political ties. The involvement of the manipulative family and a beautiful grieving widow complicate matters. Meanwhile Tania's husband does everything he can to get rid of Zen.