Arguably Jean Tarride set a precedent when he directed his father Abel, who took the role of Maigret in this fairly dismal movie. It's probably just as well that he didn't aspire to be a John Huston (who, of course, memorably directed his own father, Walter, in both The Maltese Falcon, uncredited, and The Treasure of Sierra Madre). There have now been literally hundreds of both cinema and TV movies featuring Maigret but the very first two occurred in the same year, 1932, and this was one of them. Perhaps fortunately the other was La Nuit de carrefour directed by Jean Renoir because had this been the only one the franchise may well have died there and then. Tarride begins reasonably well with some atmospheric shots but a 'stage' drunk who turns out, sure enough, to be the first victim of a shadowy killer, sets the tone which is consistently lowered until it is more a question of enduring rather than enjoying what Tarride puts in front of us. Of interest only as a curio.
Review of Le chien jaune
