L'anonima Roylott is a weirdly fun 1930s Italian mystery

I think you should probably watch this if you have a soft spot for those 1930s mysteries where everyone looks slightly suspicious just by breathing. If you're looking for high-octane action or something that makes sense every second, you’re gonna hate it. 🕵️‍♂️

It is definitely for the crowd that enjoys dusty library aesthetics and people arguing in suits. It’s a bit clunky, but honestly, that’s part of why I liked it.

The whole thing centers on this company, Roylott, which sounds like something out of a Sherlock Holmes story. Actually, it feels a lot like those old detective novels you find in a bin at a garage sale.

There is a lot of talking. Like, a lot of talking in rooms that look like they haven't been dusted since the Great War.

The main guy, Romano Calò, has this way of looking at the camera that makes you think he forgot his lines or he's trying to stare through your soul. It’s great.

I noticed this one scene where a character walks into a room and the shadow on the wall is twice as big as he is. It’s so dramatic for no reason at all. 🎬

It reminded me a little bit of the atmosphere in Ghost of the Rancho, even though that’s a totally different kind of movie. Just that weird, slightly empty feeling in the background of the shots.

The plot is about an inheritance, because of course it is. Everyone in 1936 was apparently fighting over a dead uncle's money in these movies.

There is this woman, Cesarina Gheraldi, who shows up and she’s just... intense. Her eyes are wide in almost every shot like she’s just seen a ghost or a very large spider.

The pacing is sort of like a tired horse. It trots along, then it stops to eat some grass for ten minutes, then it starts running for no reason.

I found myself rewinding one bit because I couldn't tell if a character was actually dead or just really bored. The acting style back then was just built different, I guess.

It’s got that same grainy, rough-around-the-edges quality you see in The Hound of Silver Creek. It’s not polished, and the sound is kind of buzzy in the background.

One thing that really stuck out was the hats. Everyone has a perfect hat.

There’s a moment where three guys are standing in a hallway and they all tip their hats at the same time. It’s unintentionally funny and I love it.

The director, Raffaello Matarazzo, wasn’t doing the big melodramas he got famous for later yet. You can see him trying to figure out how to make a thriller feel scary without much money. 💸

Some of the transitions are so abrupt it feels like the film roll just snapped and they glued it back together. It’s a bit jarring but it keeps you awake.

I wouldn't say the mystery is super hard to solve. If you pay attention to who looks the most like a villain, you’ll probably get it in twenty minutes.

But the journey there is kind of cozy. It’s a rainy Sunday afternoon type of movie.

There's a scene in an office where a phone rings and the way the actor jumps... it’s like he’s never heard a phone before. I laughed out loud at that part.

It’s much better than something like Life's Whirlpool which just drags and drags. This at least has some personality in its weirdness.

The ending happens very fast. Like, the movie realizes it’s almost out of time and just throws the solution at your face.

It’s not a masterpiece, and I think some of the supporting actors were probably just people they found on the street that morning. Especially the guy playing the clerk who just stares at the wall.

But there’s a charm to it. It’s a solid little piece of Italian history that doesn’t try to be more than a spooky evening.

If you can find a version with decent subtitles, give it a spin. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything.

It's just a bunch of people in nice coats being mean to each other in the dark. Sometimes that’s all you need. 🌙