MAIGRET AND THE DEAD LOVER
- Colin Fraser
- 7 minutes ago
- 2 min read
TWO AND A HALF STARS An ambassador has died as has the husband of an aristocrat. Could the two events be related? Fortunately Detective Maigret is on the case.
DRAMA FRANCE French #MAIGRET Starring Denis Podalydès, Irene Jacob
The sheen in which Pascal Bonitzer has wrapped MAIGRET AND THE DEAD LOVER is a delight of nostalgia-France, from the trench coat and pipe, to the cafés, galleries and restaurants. Denis Podalydès makes a terrific Maigret, all weary stares and Gallic impatience, perfectly cast as France’s Most Celebrated Detective™ (and so much more convincing than Gerard Depardieu’s recent turn). Thing is, all this wrapping is considerably more interesting than the crime at the heart of the story.
An ambassador was secretly in love with an aristocrat, she recently became a widow. Weeks later, the ambassador’s body was found in the library by his housekeeper. She isn’t saying much. MAIGRET is essentially a procedural dressed up as a whodunnit, except that Bonitzer has rather misplaced the whodunnit part. We are given a pretty good idea of what happened almost from the outset, and from there Maigret proceeds methodically towards an inevitable conclusion. He interviews people, asks questions, spots inconsistencies and generally demonstrates why he is better at being a detective than everyone else in the room.
All perfectly respectable, but where are the surprises? There are no great reversals, no ingenious gotchas, no bait-and-switch revelations, no moment when you slap your forehead - mon dieu! - and realise you have been looking in entirely the wrong direction. There is barely even a moment when Maigret looks particularly surprised himself. He knows how to solve the crime; unfortunately, the film doesn't seem particularly interested in making us wonder how he’ll do it.
There are compensations. Podalydès inhabits Maigret beautifully, while the supporting performances, particularly Irène Jacob, add texture to a world of aristocratic hauteur and tightly buttoned-up secrets. And at around 80 minutes, the film has the good grace not to outstay its welcome. Oddly though, here’s that rare film that would actually benefit from being longer. Give us a scene or two with the butler, or Professor Plum, indeed anyone who knows how to twirl a moustache. It would have given us some sorely needed frisson.
The distinction between Maigret and Belgium’s Most Celebrated Detective™ (Poirot) is as long as The Nile. Maigret knows how to solve a crime; Poirot also knows how to entertain. MAIGRET AND THE DEAD LOVER is beautifully turned out, finely performed and perfectly competent. It is also, regrettably, a little like watching someone do the crossword. However, fans of either will be in their element.
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