Maigret: The Complete Series

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This was before the feminist movement in France and Belgium, in the films taking place in the 1950s and 1960s. The Bruno Cremer Maigret series is excellent, because it is in French with English subtitles, which I don't mind. He is well supported by Jack Galloway and James Larkin as Janvier and LaPointe, respectively, with Geoffrey Hutchings giving what is, in my mind, the definitive portrayal of the faithful Sgt. Also the locations and sets make you feel as if you are right there on the case with the Chief Inspector and his men.

The Cremer Maigret varies in quality with the directors, but he is almost always brilliant, playing his hunches and guiding his investigations with a deep psychology that truly honors the original Simenon novels.

There are 12 episodes and of course some are weaker than others but the acting is always good even in the small parts and it looks great.

Maigret in Montmarte" In a seedy apartment in a seedy tenement, the Countess holds imaginary court while in the throes of a morphine high. The nephew is interested in girls more than crime though and pulls out the machismo whenever he appears to be slacking off, to impress his uncle. And it goes almost without saying, the French version pulls no punches and has a much darker way of exploring aspects of the French character that the heart of Simenon; Cremer spends a lot of time listening to people and asks questions which seem strange but reveal hidden truths.Sporting his pipe that seems a nod to Sherlock Holmes, the pragmatic, reserved and refined Maigret investigates murders in his singular unhurried manner and inevitably discovers the truth. The best episodes of the first season, "Maigret Goes to School" and "Maigret Sets a Trap", do offer some fun, but they are weak and undistinguished efforts compared to other ITV mystery shows of the time and certainly when compared to the Bruno Cremer series. International film star Bruno Cremer (The Octopus, Sorcerer) is unsurpassed as Georges Simenon's beloved Parisian Inspector in this long-running French series based on the bestselling novels. While strolling through my PBS station I came upon Maigret but the British addition with Roan Atkinson.

Have now watched the first 12 'cases' and have been gobsmacked at the timelessness of the production. Plus, the hero is far quieter and not really true to the book impression, Simenon's hero has a sense of fun, and cracks the occasional joke. The settings are so authentic 1950s and although it is shot in colour it seems black and white as the scenes are dreary, which adds to the ambience.I like to check all my purchases when they arrive as it might be a while before I get to watch them in full. The series was filmed in Budapest which makes a very good 1950's Paris (although Maigret worked from 1930 to 1972 in the novels, by which time he would have been about 88) and spares us establishing shots of the Eiffel Tower every two minutes. In these newly remastered HD filmed adaptations of Georges Simenons bestselling crime novels, international film star Bruno Cremer (The Octopus, Sorcerer) brings the beloved Parisian Inspector Maigret to life. Simenon's brilliant stories come to life through remarkable scripts, actors and locals; truly mysterious and convincing; holding your interest without pause.

All the shows are great, plenty budget compared to the much-loved Davies versions done by the BBC in the early 60s, a good team faithful to the books, and lots of good support acting.We take intellectual property concerns very seriously, but many of these problems can be resolved directly by the parties involved. In addition, each episode is 90minutes long and the actor is very close to the Maigret, that I envisaged in my imagination, whilst reading the books. Other fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes, and even Columbo are great at catching the culprits.