Gleefully maligned by the pre-Nouveau Vague gang in their Cahiers du Cinéma days, the so-called ‘Quality French Cinema’ was rarely as bad as they claimed . . . except when it was. As in this exasperatingly dull Jean Delannoy film, taken from an oft-adapted Georges Simenon Inspector Maigret policier. (Michael Gambon & Rowan Atkinson did it for their respective Maigret tv series.) In theory, Jean Gabin, now well into belt and suspenders mode, should have easily followed the likes of Pierre Renoir, Michel Simon & Charles Laughton as the sedate, pipe-smoking detective. But the script tries for misplaced dynamism, with Maigret verbally browbeating suspects like Perry Mason coming down hard on a recalcitrant witness. Even that wouldn’t matter if Delannoy came up with more than a handful of atmospheric shots to set the tone. But there’s not enough back street alley scenes to liven things up. The film huffs & puffs, but even with a rich cast (Annie Giradot; Lino Ventura; many more with little to do), never takes off.
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Gabin did a couple more Maigrets, with and without Delannoy. Instead, try another great actor, Harry Baur, as Maigret in Julien Duvivier’s far superior LA TÊTE D'UN HOMME/’33. (See below)
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