Romanzo criminale Dal romanzo alla serie tv

Giancarlo De Cataldo’s novel Romanzo criminale (2002) has been adapted into a movie (dir. Michele Placido 2005) and also into a successful television series (dir. Stefano Sollima, two seasons, 22 episodes, 2008-2010). This chapter compares the three variants of this biography of the Banda della Magliana, a criminal organization which was active in Rome from the late 1970s until the early 1990s. The analysis focuses on narrative and ideological differences, especially in episodes in which the Magliana gang comes into contact with Italy’s violent ‘years of lead’. While the novel prefers a mix of ‘epic’ and detective modes to relate these events, the movie’s main narrative focus shifts towards the lives and personalities of various gang members and their environment. In the popular television series, there is an even stronger focus on the criminals’ private and family lives, their love stories and intimate feelings. Thus, their obscure connections with some of Italy’s mysteries and secrets are pushed even more into the background.