Film Review
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
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Jean Delannoy film:
La Française et l'amour (1960)
Film Synopsis
Recently returned to his home town of Moulins, Superintendent Maigret is
happily reminiscing on his past when he receives an unexpected telephone
call from the Countess of Saint-Fiacre. Audibly distressed, the countess
confides that she has just received an anonymous letter telling her that
she will die in a very short time. The next day, the countess does
indeed die - from a fatal heart attack. Convinced that the unfortunate
woman was murdered, Maigret begins his investigation by calling on her residence
and questioning the people who were closest to her.
The two most likely suspects are the countess's wayward son Maurice and her
devoted secretary and lover, Lucien Sabatier. Among his many duties,
the latter was tasked with selling his employer's valuable possessions. As
Maurice and Lucien both stand to inherit the countess's estate it is tempting
to think that one or maybe both of them had a hand in her death. Then
there is the countess's efficient estate manager, Gautier, whose son Émile
works for a bank. It is the latter who reveals that the countess was
forced into selling off most of her land in order to bankroll her son's extravagant
lifestyle.
One intriguing aspect of the case is that, just before the countess died,
her son's suicide was erroneously reported in the local press. Maurice
is not only alive and well, he is incensed and keen to know who is responsible
for this wicked practical joke. The reported suicide turns out to be
more than just a joke. Maigret realises that whoever murdered the countess
must also have passed the news of her son's demise on to the newspaper. The
intention was obviously to bring on a cardiac arrest when the old woman read
the news of Maurice's apparent suicide in the paper. It was a cunning
plan, brilliantly executed - but who is the mastermind who concocted it?
Maigret assembles his suspects and unmasks the killer in their midst...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.