"A Man's Head" (the original book's title upon which this episode is based) was one of George Simenon's earlier Maigret mysteries, and it shows in both the book and this film. A gimmick of sorts is used to determine the murderer, and though the film's is a slight variation on the book's, they are similar "gimmicks." That's OK though, I think, though it does weaken the conclusion of the story. I do think this episode is worth your time as it captures the atmosphere of a Maigret mystery as well as any I've seen. One doesn't read Simenon's Maigret mysteries simply for setup, epiphanous moment, and denouement. I would say the same is true of watching this series. Getting to and finding out "Who did it?" matters, yes, but only a bit. The best parts are the lingering moments in between.
Much of Maigret's time, and thus ours, is spent at La Coupole, an American bar/bistro. It is a place of clinking glasses, expensive alcohol and food, younger women, and older men . . . And wafting smoke and many mirrors. This is the world that Simenon describes so well in his novels. Through the camera we see across the room a middle-aged couple of whom it is obvious can't really afford the oysters they've ordered. And over there an older man wishing he were younger as he hears the laughter of the young women, regulars at the place. People with cigarettes in hand going to phones downstairs. The smoke and mirrors are most appropriate. Deception and misdirection drive the plot and that plot is spun by one of the characters (a character I believe inspired by Shakespeare's Iago). Maigret is convinced that a convicted (and soon to be executed) man is not guilty of the double murder that led to his death sentence. Under watchful eyes Maigret provides the means for the convict to escape prison. Only in doing so, thinks Maigret, will the truth come out. The plot will include a rich American couple, the husband's lover, a former medical student, a man who dies at a bar (whom we never see and who, by the way, is not a character in the book), and the escaped convict.
While not actually shot in Paris, who cares? This is the Paris of the late 40s and early 50s, maybe not in reality but the Paris of our imagination, the Paris that Simenon paints in his stories. Capturing that look and feel is crucial if one is to film Simenon. I applaud the filmmakers.
(BY THE WAY, In Simenon's Maigret stories, Maigret's assistants change with some being given more prominence than others in different books. Those assistants include Lucas, LaPointe, Torrence, Dufour, and Janvier. The filmmakers sometimes condense these characters into maybe one or two where in the book there are two or three or more. It seldom, if ever, affects the story or plot. While it's true that Lucas appears more in the novels than in this series he is NOT in every novel as Maigret's right hand man-as one reviewer persists in claiming. And I read a criticism of the Dufour character in this episode. Well, he's in the book and plays an important role and the part as written for this film reflects the character as found in the book.)
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