Maigret's Dead Man (2016)

Maigret plunges into the murky Parisian underworld.

Director:

Jon East

Writers:

Stewart Harcourt (screenplay by), Georges Simenon (from the novel by)

Stars:

Ian Puleston-Davies, Dorottya Hais, Mark Hadfield

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian Puleston-Davies	...	Inspector Colombani
Dorottya Hais	...	Nicole (as Dorrottya Hais)
Mark Hadfield	...	Albert Rochain
Iván Fenyö	...	Pietr
Dénes Bernáth	...	Victor Poliensky
Grant Stimpson	...	Barman
Karen Gagnon	...	Police Telephonist
Rowan Atkinson	...	Chief Inspector Jules Maigret
Shaun Dingwall	...	Inspector Janvier
Leo Staar	...	Inspector LaPointe
Peter Schueller	...	Reveller
Mark Heap	...	Dr. Moers
Hugh Simon	...	Dr. Paul
Matt Devere	...	Detective
Russell Dean	...	Post Office Clerk (as Russel Dean)

Storyline

A series of vicious, murderous attacks on three wealthy farms in Picardy hit the national headlines and the elite Brigade Criminelle at the Quay Des Orfevres is called upon to lend its expertise in tracking down the brutal gang responsible for the slaughter. However, Inspector Maigret is resolute in investigating the murder of an obscure anonymous Parisian, an investigation that ultimately solves both crimes.

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Plot Keywords:

slaughter | farm house | car hitting pedestrian | running into traffic | switchboard | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

Czech English

Release Date:

25 December 2016 (UK)

Also Known As:

Maigret's Dead Man

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fragile Films, Ealing Studios, Maigret Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

First English-language adaptation of this particular Maigret story; neither the Rupert Davies series nor the Michael Gambon had used it.

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Goofs

At 32 minutes and 10 seconds into the film, Chief Inspector Jules Maigret and two other inspectors follow a lead to the Au Petit Albert pub. Maigret puts a black glove on his right hand to open the door to the pub.

They all enter the pub and investigate inside.

While looking around, one of the inspectors finds a picture frame on a dresser and picks it up with his bare left hand as Maigret stands to the inspector's right side looking on at the picture.

The movie then cuts to a close-up shot of the picture frame showing the pictures. In this close up shot, the inspector's left hand is seen holding the left side of the picture frame, as he shows the picture to Maigret standing to his right side.

The inspector then asks Maigret (while the movie holds the close up on the picture frame) "Do you recognize anyone." At this time Maigret's bare, non-gloved left hand is seen coming into the bottom of the frame to grasp the picture frame.

Just as Maigret grabs the picture frame, the movie then immediately cuts to a wide shot at a low angle showing the inspectors looking at the picture frame.

The continuity goof is now clearly visible at this point because Maigret is now holding the picture frame with his now gloved, right hand.

Since the cut was a seamless straight cut which immediately carried the the scene, there was not time for Maigret to switch the picture frame to his right hand.

This is the continuity error.

On a side note, both inspectors initially handle the frame (before the continuity goof) with their bare hands which can leave their fingerprints on the outside of the picture frame.

This handling of the picture frame with their bare hands negates the initial concern Maigret implied when first putting on his right hand glove when opening the door to the pub.

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Quotes

[to the man who murdered Albert Rochain and who has just described him as "a little man - a nobody"]
Chief Inspector Jules Maigret: I want you to know that his name was Albert Rochain and that he had a wife and that they were trying to start a family. And for all his little bets and his little winnings, his life was more successful than yours, because *he* didn't end up like an animal in a cage, despised by everyone, with nothing to look forward except his execution.

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Crazy Credits

In the final credits the character played by Matt Devere is listed as "Detetctive"

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Connections

Version of Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret: Maigret et son mort (1970)

User Reviews

Perfect re-creation of 1950s Paris

This is a way better instalment than Maigret Sets A Trap, which was so predictable as to be barely held up by some of the cream of English acting talent. Maigret is an interesting idea. There are no French accents here. One has to wonder what British actors are doing playing Frenchmen in France, but such a scenario has been shown to work well in certain circumstances. It worked really well in Spartacus and Rome for example, although in Spartacus serious attempt was made to reflect Latin. It works well here too. Great trouble has been made to reflect the times and culture. No doubt ladies delighted at their fashions, and men felt the part in their suits. Rowan Atkinson is well cast, and does a good job, though I doubt he'll win any awards, the role isn't that demanding and probably reflects his true character more than does his comedy. There was another TV series similar in intent to this one some years back called Jericho. I thought that had real authenticity, if slightly exaggerated, especially when looking at urban London bonhomie of the 1950s. Here's a thought: Isn't it refreshing to watch a detective series where the lead detective is NOT undergoing some unbelievably distracting trauma at home? That's both Jericho and Maigret (as far as I've seen). And for that alone I most certainly welcome this new player to my tv screen.