Jean Gabin and his first appearance as Inspector Maigret
This film by Jean Delannoy started a small series with CESAR award winner (h.c.) Jean Gabin as Maigret, invented by Georges Simenon. Instead of Montmartre like in the book, the film takes place in the Marais, not far from the Place des Vosges.
A terrible series of murders of women shakes the district. Maigret uses a trick by having an innocent man (Guy Decomble) arrested. In this way he hopes to spur the ambition of the real perpetrator. And actually: There is another murder attempt. The perpetrator escapes near a popular butcher's shop. The investigation quickly focuses on the Maurins. There is the artistically gifted Marcel (Jean Desailly) and his sophisticated wife Yvonne (Annie Girardot). His mother (Lucienne Bogaert), who is quite strange, still lives in the house. And there is also a mysterious gigolo (Gerard Sety) with whom the young madame always meets...
A good crime plot, convincing character studies and integration into the milieu make this crime classic. The evocative interiors of the apartments are also great, as they reveal a lot about their residents. Jean Gabin impresses as Maigret in all three films. He is supported here by "his inspectors" Olivier Hussenot and Lino Ventura (1919-1987), who would soon become a major star of French cinema.
Definitely worth seeing!
This film by Jean Delannoy started a small series with CESAR award winner (h.c.) Jean Gabin as Maigret, invented by Georges Simenon. Instead of Montmartre like in the book, the film takes place in the Marais, not far from the Place des Vosges.
A terrible series of murders of women shakes the district. Maigret uses a trick by having an innocent man (Guy Decomble) arrested. In this way he hopes to spur the ambition of the real perpetrator. And actually: There is another murder attempt. The perpetrator escapes near a popular butcher's shop. The investigation quickly focuses on the Maurins. There is the artistically gifted Marcel (Jean Desailly) and his sophisticated wife Yvonne (Annie Girardot). His mother (Lucienne Bogaert), who is quite strange, still lives in the house. And there is also a mysterious gigolo (Gerard Sety) with whom the young madame always meets...
A good crime plot, convincing character studies and integration into the milieu make this crime classic. The evocative interiors of the apartments are also great, as they reveal a lot about their residents. Jean Gabin impresses as Maigret in all three films. He is supported here by "his inspectors" Olivier Hussenot and Lino Ventura (1919-1987), who would soon become a major star of French cinema.
Definitely worth seeing!