Saw this on the UK Talking Pictures channel. We've previously seen the BBC 60s Maigret (Rupert Davies), the ITV series of the 90s (Michael Gambon), and the more recent efforts with Rowan Atkinson in the lead.
I see that Messrs Spears and Whalen have reviewed this episode, as they did the one last week, the extremely tedious visit back to Maigret's home town.
This one does at least deserve the higher ratings, as it is very atmospheric, set in a harbour town where strangers are regarded with suspicion -- especially police strangers. One review describes it as a Normandy coast setting, though the battered old ship that features in the story has Lorient as its home port, right over on the west coast, and one of the characters refers to journeys to and from Nantes - also the Atlantic west coast.
However, on talking to Lucas in Paris, Maigret gets sent a most junior member of the 'team' (Verduret) a name I've never seen mentioned in umpteen books. Maigret also tells him to his face that he's "useless" - which the book Maigret would just never do!
It's an extreme oddity of these Cremer Maigret films that Lucas, his trusty assistant in almost all of the books, hardly ever appears, a very odd change and to what effect?
The story has been dealt with in the other reviews, and Maigret does gradually get under the skin of the locals, and pinpoint the murderer. However, this story runs to nearly 2 hours, and the same book was told most efficiently by the old Rupert Davies version is only one hour -- but then he DID have Lucas helping on that occasion?!
A further oddity is that this episode features several what seem to be Irish actors, one wonders why?! Was there some French acting strike, and some were recruited from Ireland for minor roles?! I'd love to know!