Maigret (TV Series) Maigret chez le ministre (2002) User Reviews

Vive la Quatrieme Republique!

[orebaugh · 7/10 · 4 April 2006]

A sanatorium at Clairfond is buried in a landslide, killing 128, mostly children. The Minister of Public Works, though he wasn't in the government when Clairfond was built, fears a scandal will envelop him. And he's not wrong, once he receives the Calume report. He asks Maigret for some discreet assistance, but it turns out the report is fatal to almost everyone who reads it ...

The highlight here is Bernard Freyd as the Minister (August Point), an honest veteran of the French Resistance trying to survive in the cutthroat Fourth Republic government. More political intrigue than crime-solving, much to Maigret's distaste. But when someone asks for his help, "I'm like a pretty woman. I can't say no."

"Minister, I hate politics, it's over my head."

[garywhalen · 7/10 · 28 January 2024]

Maigret has no desire to step into a pollical problem, but when the new Minister of Public Works explains the situation Maigret agrees to help where he can. A disastrous landslide destroys a recently built children's home/hospital and results in the death of over 120 people, mostly children. A study surfaces of the proposed building project, the Calume Report, done prior to the development of the land. The Minister encounters those who wish to publish it and those who wish to steal it, and so he turns to Maigret for help. And then murders occur and Maigret's distaste for political intrigue no longer matters.

The filmmakers make a solid effort in dramatizing Simenon's novel. The book includes no murders, and the resolution is not satisfying so I'm not surprised the film's story adds a layer or two to keep the viewers attention without messing with the core plot. (Actually, when I read the book years ago, I was surprised there were no murders: "How could none of these characters have found it necessary to kill someone in order to protect themselves?")

This episode's acting and script bring some clarity to the novel's convoluted plot making this episode worth your time. Far from perfect, though, but I can recommend it.