Maigret et les témoins récalcitrants
- Episode aired Feb 12, 2005
- 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
91
YOUR RATING
Murder occurs in a family that has fallen from Grace. Maigret is on the case.Murder occurs in a family that has fallen from Grace. Maigret is on the case.Murder occurs in a family that has fallen from Grace. Maigret is on the case.
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Claude Aufaure
- Le comptable
- (as Claude Auffaure)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- ConnectionsVersion of Vzpurní svedkové (1983)
Featured review
"Everyone is quiet here. Too quiet."
A member (a son) of the once wealthy Lachaume family is found murdered in his bed. There is evidence of a burglary. The Lachaume family business (makers of sweet butter biscuits and wafers) has faded as has their house, its furnishings, and (it seems) the family members' vigor. They and the business rely on the wife of one of the Lachaume sons. While it is quickly apparent to Maigret that the "burglary" is not the motive for the murder, the cause is emmeshed in the family's fortunes (or lack thereof) and untying those strands is no small task. Maigret will visit this family who say little, who close their doors, who look with disdain on the world outside. He will tour a tannery. And he will visit a lesbian club where works the sister of the murder victim-a woman who disowns and has been disowned by her family. Eventually a simple clue involving bed linens allows Maigret to work backwards from how the murder must have occurred and thus to who did it and from there the events that led up to that unexpected death.
In some of the Maigret mysteries it's the victim you remember the most, and in others it's the perpetrator, but here I find the most memorable thing to be the Lachaume family home. From the exterior to the corridors to the family rooms to the bedrooms it reeks of the faint musty smell of decay. I applaud the director for capturing it perfectly, because without this the mystery-the murder and its causes-would fall flat.
As for adherence to the novel, this episode remains faithful. Both include an intrusive magistrate, and while the book's ending occurs in the magistrate's office with the magistrate leading the questioning, this film's ending occurs in the family home with Maigret driving the questioning. This doesn't affect the resolution, but it does leave out one last incident in the film that is included in the book-one that doesn't occur at the end of the film but is implied will occur.
In some of the Maigret mysteries it's the victim you remember the most, and in others it's the perpetrator, but here I find the most memorable thing to be the Lachaume family home. From the exterior to the corridors to the family rooms to the bedrooms it reeks of the faint musty smell of decay. I applaud the director for capturing it perfectly, because without this the mystery-the murder and its causes-would fall flat.
As for adherence to the novel, this episode remains faithful. Both include an intrusive magistrate, and while the book's ending occurs in the magistrate's office with the magistrate leading the questioning, this film's ending occurs in the family home with Maigret driving the questioning. This doesn't affect the resolution, but it does leave out one last incident in the film that is included in the book-one that doesn't occur at the end of the film but is implied will occur.
helpful•10
- garywhalen
- Sep 2, 2023
Details
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
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