Maigret et l’affaire Saint-Fiacre (1959) - film review

Inspector Maigret returns to his home town and is reminiscing over his past when he receives a call for help from the Duchess of Saint-Fiacre.  She has just received an anonymous letter informing her that she will soon die.  A short while later she does indeed die, from a heart attack.  Convinced that she was murdered, Maigret begins his investigation...

Jean Gabin reprises the role of Inspector Maigret for the second time in what is one of the best film outings for Georges Simeon’s famous detective hero.  The self-assured and efficient direction comes from Jean Delannoy, one of the pillars of quality cinema of the 1940s and 1950s, who, at the time, was being vilified by the hot-headed young critics of the Cahiers du cinéma.  Whilst not Delannoy’s best film, Maigret et l’affaire Saint-Fiacre is a fine example of the detective thriller genre, benefiting from talent on both the acting and writing side.

© James Travers 2002

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?