Maigret a peur
- Episode aired Nov 1, 1996
- 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
94
YOUR RATING
Maigret investigates a series of murders in a small town.Maigret investigates a series of murders in a small town.Maigret investigates a series of murders in a small town.
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Anne-Lise Fritsch
- Léontine Page
- (as Anne Lise Fritsch)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Featured review
"I'm afraid. Of the consequences of certain methods."
Returning home to Paris from a conference, Maigret has a planned stopover in the town of Fontenay to visit an old friend, the town's magistrate. Upon arriving and before meeting his friend, Maigret learns that there have been two murders in the town, and those who see him assume he's there to investigate the case. Maigret explains, repeatedly, that no, he's not there to help with the murder investigation. No surprise to the viewer, though, that upon a third murder Maigret involves himself. Maigret's friend Chabot welcomes Maigret's help and provides him with details of the town's social structure, the position of the murder victims in that structure, and the town people's suspicions.
I've read all of George Simenon's Maigret mysteries. Some more than once. As with any mystery the "incident"-usually a murder-and the conclusion are the hooks that grab a reader, but when it comes to Simenon, as with other great mystery writers, the best parts are the lingering moments in between beginning and end. In this episode, as with the book upon which it's based, it's conversation that fills the story, particularly the conversations' subtleties-the things one "hears" between the lines-that drive Maigret to the denouement. This film is in complete alignment with the novel: no padding, no added subplot, no change in dialogue. The solution and rationale for the murders is solid, and Maigret's deductive abilities are fair and reasonable, EXCEPT . . .
Maigret makes one slight move from, say, Point A to Point B to get to C. (I don't want to give anything away.) His getting to point A is a bit-just a bit-of a stretch, but once there his continued revelation of the events all fit with the evidence and with what Maigret had picked up in all those conversations. (After watching the ending I thought that the filmmakers must have left out something that's in the book, maybe a bit of dialogue or a thought Maigret had, so I checked. Nope, they didn't. They went with what Simenon wrote and left it as is.)
While all the Maigret films in this series have lengthy and important dialogues I would say that this one is solely a series of such, and that's OK with me. It's part of why I like Simenon. But be prepared. Yes, the payoff is worth it.
I've read all of George Simenon's Maigret mysteries. Some more than once. As with any mystery the "incident"-usually a murder-and the conclusion are the hooks that grab a reader, but when it comes to Simenon, as with other great mystery writers, the best parts are the lingering moments in between beginning and end. In this episode, as with the book upon which it's based, it's conversation that fills the story, particularly the conversations' subtleties-the things one "hears" between the lines-that drive Maigret to the denouement. This film is in complete alignment with the novel: no padding, no added subplot, no change in dialogue. The solution and rationale for the murders is solid, and Maigret's deductive abilities are fair and reasonable, EXCEPT . . .
Maigret makes one slight move from, say, Point A to Point B to get to C. (I don't want to give anything away.) His getting to point A is a bit-just a bit-of a stretch, but once there his continued revelation of the events all fit with the evidence and with what Maigret had picked up in all those conversations. (After watching the ending I thought that the filmmakers must have left out something that's in the book, maybe a bit of dialogue or a thought Maigret had, so I checked. Nope, they didn't. They went with what Simenon wrote and left it as is.)
While all the Maigret films in this series have lengthy and important dialogues I would say that this one is solely a series of such, and that's OK with me. It's part of why I like Simenon. But be prepared. Yes, the payoff is worth it.
helpful•50
- garywhalen
- Sep 24, 2023
Details
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
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