The Bruno Cremer "Maigret" series is exceptional and reminds me of those great British books-to-television mystery series from the 80s/90s such as Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes, David Suchet's Hercule Poirot, and (my favorite) John Thaw's Inspector Morse. What I enjoy most about the Cremer series is how well it captures the atmosphere--from bars and bistros and apartments and mansions to the wet pavement of the streets to the peripheral noises to the varied dialogue to the quiet moments--that the author George Simenon brings to his books (both his "Maigret" titles and his other novels--I've read them all).
Prosper, part of the kitchen staff at the Majestic Hotel, discovers a body in the basement. The wife of a rich vacationing American has been murdered. But why was she in the basement? And what motive might someone have for murdering her? The novel upon which this episode is based is a complicated one, and I was unsure how well it would transfer to film. The director, scriptwriter(s), and actors manage to pull it off quite well. Two differences between the novel and the film: 1) There is a second murder in the book that does not occur in the film (but it does not affect the story at all). 2) A birthmark in the film replaces hair color in the book.
Prosper, part of the kitchen staff at the Majestic Hotel, discovers a body in the basement. The wife of a rich vacationing American has been murdered. But why was she in the basement? And what motive might someone have for murdering her? The novel upon which this episode is based is a complicated one, and I was unsure how well it would transfer to film. The director, scriptwriter(s), and actors manage to pull it off quite well. Two differences between the novel and the film: 1) There is a second murder in the book that does not occur in the film (but it does not affect the story at all). 2) A birthmark in the film replaces hair color in the book.