Just saw this version on the Talking Pictures (UK) channel. We had previously seen the same story done in the old (60s) BBC version with Rupert Davies (about an hour runtime) and later (90s) in the two series with Michael Gambon (died just recently) as Maigret (runtime about 90 mins).
I see two previous reviews, wjspears and garywhalen, both seem to lavish praise on the slow thoughtful way that the story wanders along to a final (& rather odd IMO) ending. I can agree that it was nice to see Mme Maigret in attendance, back to his old home town, and she (played by the excellent Anne Bellec) does provide some nice touches with her reactions.
BUT -- sorry, the reviewers should see the other 2 versions that I mention, both IMO vastly superior. In this one by halfway I couldn't care less who the culprit was (I knew from the other versions) I just wanted them to hurry up! Masses of wordy speeches about this or that, dragging the story very slowly along, all tortuously slow.
The Rupert Davies one showed the Count as a wasteful dilettante in a few lines of dialogue, this one was banging on for about half an hour to show the same effect. I'm glad I'm coming late to this Cremer version, if I'd seen these first I doubt if I'd have bothered with Maigret at all?!!