Saw this on the Talking Pictures channel, UK older films and TV. They showed the entire collection of the Rupert Davies Maigret episodes (BBC, early 60s) and are now showing this quirky, slow-paced French one (90s) with subtitles.
The atmosphere is very French, lots of slow thoughtful looks, and Maigret wastes few words, which fits with the books, as does the actor's rather lumbering figure.
No real complaints re the lead portrayal, except that in the books he does crack the odd joke, and has some repartee with faithful R-H man Lucas. In this however, Lucas hardly ever appears, not even mentioned in most episodes, which is STRANGE - I cannot recall a book without him featuring in some way!
This particular episode is quite like the Rupert Davies version (though that one wrapped up the mystery in an hour!) and the one by Rowan Atkinson (ITV), though that one was also nearly 2 hours runtime, and had an extra subplot with a crooked cop. Here in the French one there are some nude sketches of the leading lady (would have lit up the BBC switchboard in the 60s!!), and a couple of shots of her trying to persuade Maigret by showing a lot of leg. Or at one point while getting changed (and under arrest!), a lot of everything. Tres Francais?!
The series is OK though, the subtitles are not an issue, but just WHERE did Lucas get to?!!