Saw this on the Talking Pictures channel (UK, old films and TV). They had previously shown the 1960s series (50+ episodes, BBC, B&W) featuring Rupert Davies, a generally acclaimed Maigret.
We've also seen the excellent 12 episodes (2 series) that ITV did (90s) with Michael Gambon as Maigret (terrific portrayal) and the less successful later efforts with Rowan Atkinson in the lead.
This Cremer version is of course French, with subtitles, but they are not too wordy, so fairly easy to follow. Also very French, lots of atmosphere, meaningful looks, thoughtful silences.
I see some reviews refer to how faithful this version is to the books, a ludicrous statement in one respect, as Lucas, his main assistant in all the books I've seen, has almost completely disappeared!
I haven't liked all the episodes so far of this Cremer version, but THIS one is WONDERFUL, Maigret has to puzzle out what caused a *** amongst an oddball group who spend much of their time - well, certainly the summer -- lazing in the sun off the south coast (filmed at Porquerolles). Unusually he has a Scotland Yard inspector following him - to learn from his methods -- as well as his nephew, who the producers seem to have decided is now his long-term assistant (sorry Lucas, pushed aside again?!).
The other present reviews (inc Spears and Whalen) have outlined the story, and the assorted characters, very well. Maigret points out to the visiting English detective that he really has no 'method', other than to plod about chatting in an almost friendly way about who knows who, why are they on the island, how did people get on with the deceased, etc.
He gradually extracts little snippets of info from the cast of characters, gets some background details from Paris (despite complaining how long it will take), then spots that a nosy telephonist (who puts all the calls through to and from the island -- this IS the 1950s!) has a secret hobby of listening to the calls!
The victim had suddenly boasted of a chance to make some big money, and it seems he had also suddenly taken an interest in art.
With the victim turning out to have been killed by a bullet from the same gun involved in an earlier ***, a case that featured another character of the island's summer residents, Maigret gets two birds in one. The episode is a great example of Maigret at work, not quite typical as most of his cases are generally in the grey and sometimes rainy confines of Paris!
