La piovra (1984– )

Corrado Cattani is a police inspector whose life is devoted to fighting the Italian mafia (known here as "La Piovra" or "The Octopus"). Even as his family and life are being destroyed by ... See full summary »

Stars:

Michele Placido, Barbara De Rossi, Patricia Millardet

4 wins.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Michele Placido	...	Commissario Corrado Cattani (6 episodes, 1984)
Barbara De Rossi	...	Contessa Raffaella 'Titti' Pecci Scialoia (6 episodes, 1984)
Patricia Millardet	...	Magistrato Silvia Conti (6 episodes, 1984)
Remo Girone	...	Tano Cariddi (6 episodes, 1984)
Nicole Jamet	...	Else Cattani (6 episodes, 1984)
Angelo Infanti	...	Sante Cirinná (6 episodes, 1984)
Pino Colizzi	...	Nanni Santamaria (6 episodes, 1984)
Renato Mori	...	Vice-Commissario Giuseppe Altero (6 episodes, 1984)
Eurilla del Bono	...	Anna Caruso (6 episodes, 1984)
Cariddi Nardulli	...	Paola Cattani (6 episodes, 1984)
Geoffrey Copleston	...	Alfredo Ravanusa (6 episodes, 1984)
Jacques Dacqmine	...	Professor Sebastiano Cannito (6 episodes, 1984)
Paul Guers	...	Professor Gianfranco Laudeo (6 episodes, 1984)
Flavio Bucci	...	Don Manfredi (6 episodes, 1984)
Florinda Bolkan	...	Olga Camastra (6 episodes, 1984)
François Périer	...	Avvocato Terrasini (6 episodes, 1984)
Michele Abruzzo	...	Prosecutor Scardona (5 episodes, 1984)
Massimo Bonetti	...	Vice-Commissario Leo De Maria (4 episodes, 1984)
Erina Spoto	...	Irina, the Cattanis' housekeeper (4 episodes, 1984)
Luigi Atzeri	...	Police Officer Martini (4 episodes, 1984)
Raoul Bova	...	Gianni Breda and Carlo Arcuti (3 episodes, 1984)
Simona Cavallari	...	Ester Rasi (3 episodes, 1984)
Rosangela Pagana	...	Rosa, Terrasini's niece (3 episodes, 1984)
Domenico Gennaro	...	Antonio, Cirinná's Cousin (3 episodes, 1984)
Patrizia Allegra	...	Spilungona, Ravanusa's Daughter (3 episodes, 1984)
Giuseppe Pierini	...	Cirinná's Second Cousin (3 episodes, 1984)
Franco Tranchina	...	Chief Morelli (3 episodes, 1984)
Maria Denaro	...	Cirinná's Mother (3 episodes, 1984)
Marcello Perracchio	...	Accountant Lo Spanno (3 episodes, 1984)

Storyline

Corrado Cattani is a police inspector whose life is devoted to fighting the Italian mafia (known here as "La Piovra" or "The Octopus"). Even as his family and life are being destroyed by ruthless criminals, the intrepid comissar keeps fighting...

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Plot Keywords:

police | mafia | truth | murder | infidelity | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Italy France UK West Germany

Language:

Italian English French

Release Date:

11 March 1984 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Octopus

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rai Uno Radiotelevisione, Télécip, Channel 4

Technical Specs

Runtime:

402 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The music composer was Riz Ortolani, as per the film credits. However the music was performed by Enio Morriconne, becoming one of his biggest hits, and issued as a double CD.

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Quotes

Comtessa Raffaella Pecci Scialoia: I'm so scared of death... It's always so... unexpected.

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Connections

Followed by La piovra 8 - Lo scandalo (1997)

User Reviews

One of the best series ever, and not just about the mob.

First of all, this series has the best music ever seen in film. Ennio Morricone in my mind has the stature of a Beethoven or Bach or Wagner.. really he's that good, and his music will last that long.

Now that this is out of the way .. to have a series that lives up to Ennio's music is really a miracle.

If you think about it, TV has always been a "second hand" medium when it comes to quality. Well, as TV series go .. this doesn't feel like a TV series.

Even if it's long, and the whole series has two or three arcs over 7 seasons, it's not diluted at all. It's focused from beginning to end so you only grow more attached to the characters, you invest more and more emotion in it. It's like the best tragic movie you can think of, tweaked at 75% intensity, but with incredible peaks of emotion, and keyed to the most beautiful music on earth.

Think about the countless hours you've spent watching garbage in front of the TV, and try to get this series and watch it, as revenge. :)

I can't see anything better being made on TV.