Maigret: The Complete Series

ADDED NOTE 6/4/23: This review is of the modern remake of "Maigret", starring Rowan Atkinson. It can be confusing because it appears that today, amazon moved the French series, "Maigret", starring Bruno Cremer, on the same page.This is a great mystery series. Episode 3 has maybe the oddest characters and the most unsettling atmosphere, which is saying something. Episode 4 may have the most excellent character studies, which, again, is saying something. Characters were Georges Simenon's specialty, and I think these four shows, all based on his mystery novels of the same names, capture this. In addition, the evocation of 1955 Paris is excellent. Only 10 years after WWII, Paris was grungy, buildings decrepit, many people poor. But there is hope, and men in hats and suitcoats; women in tailored dresses and little hats....episode 1..."Maigret Sets a Trap" Newspaper headlines blare: "Montmartre Murders! What are the Police Doing?" Why the anger? Because 4, soon to be 5, women have been murdered. They were from all walks of life, but they all had long brown hair. So someone has a grudge against brunettes?...episode 2..."Maigret's Dead Man" Once again, the newspapers are not Maigret's friend. Headlines like "Slaughter in Picardie – Third Farm Attack" make the police sound incompetent. Meanwhile, a plump little man in a tan raincoat and black Homburg runs scared through the Paris streets. He finally finds a phone, and calls the famous Maigret: "Look, you don't know my name, but you've met my wife, Nina.... My name won't mean anything to you, but they're going to kill me.... There are at least two of them and since the 2:20, they've been trying to get me on my own so they can kill me." Nina who? 2:20 what?Trivia: The low-alcohol drink "Suze-Citron" consists of Suze, a clear and bitter aperitif made from gentian root, with a slice of lemon....episode 3..."Maigret's Night at the Crossroads" In Antwerp, Isaac hunches over a bench in his jewelry shop, removing gemstones from their settings. He tells his hovering wife, "The police are all over everybody I know. We need to move the stones now, Sarah, NOW."Sarah pleads, "Let's leave the stones and let's walk away from this...."Isaac gets up, a pouch of the jewels in his pocket. His last words to her are, "If I'm not back by tomorrow morning, I want you to take the items left in the store and leave here.... It will not be safe for you here. And I will be dead." Dreadful prophetic words....episode 4..."Maigret in Montmarte" In a seedy apartment in a seedy tenement, the Countess holds imaginary court while in the throes of a morphine high. How could she be a danger to anyone?But a second woman, husky-voiced and sensual, insists on seeing Maigret. She overheard two men planning to kill a countess. Except she didn't. But the countess is murdered anyway. And then it gets convoluted.After watching this Complete Set, we were dismayed to find out that no more will be made. Perhaps they were too expensive. After all, "Maigret" episodes were filmed overseas inHungary, like movies instead of a TV show.The 4 episodes of Rowan Atkinson's "Maigret" total almost 350 minutes, making each episode almost an hour and a half. In one of the bonus features, Atkinson calls them "movies" instead of episodes. Technically, this ITV series consists of two seasons, of two episodes each. The first two originally aired in March and December of 2016; the last two in April and December of 2017.If you purchase on disc, the shows are presented in 16:9 aspect ratio with 5.1 Surround Sound. English subtitles are available on the episodes and on the two Bonus Features. I thought this was a good show to watch with subtitles to catch the French personal and place names. I personally really appreciated that the British actors did not use fake French accents. And now I know that the great detective's name is pronounced "may GRAY"....Bonus A...(16 minutes) Commentators include Rowen Atkinson (plays Maigret), Ashley Pearce (director episode 1), Shawn Dingwall (plays Inspector Junvier), Leo Staar (plays Inspector LaPointe), John Simenon (producer, son of author George Simenon), Dominic Hyman (production designer) and Ulrike Munch (editor episode 1).On his preparation for the part, Atkinson says, "once we decided he wasn't going to be speaking in a French accent, then the whole job becomes an awful lot easier."John Simenon: "My father wrote 75 Maigret novels and 38 short stories featuring Maigret. But that only accounts for a small portion of his total number of novels that he wrote, which are more than 250."I recommend this Bonus to hear from Hyman why they didn't film in Paris....Bonus B...(14 minutes) New commentators include Thaddeus O'Sullivan (director episode 4), Lucinda Wright (costume designer), Michael Harrowes (editor 2 episodes) and Sjann Gillings (makeup & hair design). O'Sullivan says, "Maigret's characters [in the books] are both complex and unexplained. In a way, when you read a Maigret novel, quite a lot, you have to sort of fill in."Great viewing!Happy Reader

Good

Rowan Atkinson a.k.a. Mr Bean as a Police Judiciaire dectective, Jules Maigret. He plays the role magnifique.

The problem with the many reviews is that they are not sorted as to the major DVD TV Series year and Star. I have watched most, and my favorite portrayal of Maigret is that given by Rowan Atkinson.Maigret TV Series 2016–2017 & 2019: starring Rowan Atkinson as Maigret in 4 episodes over three years.Maigret TV Series 1992–1993: starring Michael Gambon as Maigret in 12 episodes over two years.Maigret TV Series 1991–2005: starring Bruno Cremer, as the most widely known Maigret, in 54 episodes over 14 years.Maigret TV Series 1960–1963: starring Rupert Davies, as the most lauded definitive Maigret, in 52 episodes; Davies's celebrated BAFTA-winning portrayal won the approval of the author; Simenon himself said of Davies, "At last, I have found the perfect Maigret!" "The moment Simenon saw Davies he shouted: "C'est Maigret, c'est Maigret. You are the flesh and bones of Maigret!"Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, Commissaire Jules Maigret, commissioner of the Paris Brigade Criminelle, Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres, who solves brutal murder cases in 1950s Paris, created by writer Georges Simenon.In his investigations, from Montmartre to the remote French countryside, Maigret encounters the dark side of life; yet, he calmly maintains an empathetic demeanor as he explores the complex motives that lie behind every crime. Maigret's method is to put himself in another person's place to search for the reason to understand why the crime was committed; with an extraordinary humanity and insight in the realities of human behavior, he watches and listens in order to solve crimes.We think of Rowan Atkinson as being a gifted comedian and know him best as Mr. Bean. Who would ever think of him as a masterful drama actor. Rowan Atkinson credibly transforms himself into the seriously calm and curious police commissioner Maigret who risks his life to find the culprits. Atkinson's performance is awesome. Simenon's brilliant stories come to life through remarkable scripts, actors and locals; truly mysterious and convincing; holding your interest without pause. How to trap a serial killer stalking women; who stabbed a gambler to death; why release the obvious suspect for the murder of a diamond dealer; who strangled a stripper one day and a duchess the next? Reviews of Atkinson as Maigret have not been remarkable. However, as an avid follower of detective sleuths, I was impressed. A worthy watch, I wish Atkinson could be cast as Maigret in more episodes. The DVD set includes two discs with two episodes and bonus material on each; the episodes are: Maigret Sets a Trap Disc 1-1; Maigret’s Dead Man Disc 1-2; Night at the Crossroads Disc 2-1; and, Maigret in Montmartre Disc 2-2. This order is different from the order the episodes were broadcast.

Item arrived a week sooner than projected. Case was clean and undamaged. I have watched the first disk (of two) and it played fine.

No idea Atkinson (did I get the name right?) could do anything that didn't involve doing something silly and usually highly amusing. Mention the name Rowen and slapstick comes to mind. This time out, he's adequately done a dramatic job of becoming one of my favorite "foreign" detectives, as the pipe smoking French Inspector Maigret once portrayed by a much more serious portrayer, Michael Gambon.I am officially pleased with Rowan Atkinson's job of pulling off one of the best detectives ever written, and wish there was more than the one season. I suppose this role took its toll and Atkinson had to get back to the silly side his avid fans prefer.

I enjoyed this series of 4 stories so very much. I have watched them many times and always noticed something new. I had never seen Rowan Atkinson in anything else, and was surprised to learn he mostly does comedy. His depiction of Maigret is so much more sensitive than those I’ve seen before. I just wish he would film more episodes.