Pleased as I am to find that Rowan Atkinson can play straight roles, the Maigrets who have gone before(Cremer, Gabin, Gambon and co) have no competition in the new series. In spite of some excellent performances (Madame Maigret radiates decency and warmth while scarcely saying a word, whether she's serving drinks,comforting a widow or simply giving Maigret an extremely speaking look), "Maigret's Dead Man" never rises from the floor due to lackluster directing. All those distorted shots, lurid lighting and "artistic" camera angles gave me the impression that John East had seen Moulin Rouge far too often.
Even though we are treated to some background detail that those who have read the original novels will find pleasing (as for example Maigret's love of a hot coal fire to roast himself before in order to think a case through), too many things were ever so slightly wrong. I can't blame it on the fact that Hungary has to do duty for postwar Paris; the Bruno Cremer series was also shot in Central Europe, but at least they got the lighting and architecture right for Paris. The direction was slow and lackluster, the police officers supposedly masquerading as habitues in a local bistro stuck out a mile in their gabardines and hats, and the film went on for far too long. A judicious use of sound stages would have served the purpose much better.
A strange offering for Christmas Day, what with torture and mass murder, sociopaths and showgirls. With such a volatile mixture, how did it all turn out so very bland?
Even though we are treated to some background detail that those who have read the original novels will find pleasing (as for example Maigret's love of a hot coal fire to roast himself before in order to think a case through), too many things were ever so slightly wrong. I can't blame it on the fact that Hungary has to do duty for postwar Paris; the Bruno Cremer series was also shot in Central Europe, but at least they got the lighting and architecture right for Paris. The direction was slow and lackluster, the police officers supposedly masquerading as habitues in a local bistro stuck out a mile in their gabardines and hats, and the film went on for far too long. A judicious use of sound stages would have served the purpose much better.
A strange offering for Christmas Day, what with torture and mass murder, sociopaths and showgirls. With such a volatile mixture, how did it all turn out so very bland?