Maigret (TV Series) Maigret et le corps sans tête (1992) User Reviews

Maigret - but not as we're used to

[Tony-Holmes · 8/10 · 28 March 2023]

Saw this on the Talking Pictures channel (UK, old films and TV). They had previously shown the 1960s series (50+ episodes) featuring Rupert Davies, a generally acclaimed Maigret.

This Cremer version is of course French, with subtitles, but they are not too wordy, so fairly easy to follow. Also very French, lots of atmosphere, meaningful looks, thoughtful silences.

I see some reviews refer to how faithful this version is to the books, a ludicrous statement, as Lucas, his main assistant in all the books I've seen, has disappeared.

This episode was also a bit hard to watch, as we'd seen the same story a few months ago in the Davies series -- this one had the story as quite a different tale, same murder victim, same characters, but a different murderer (or was it self-defence?!).

But the acting is very strong overall, Aurore Clement (I now discover an acclaimed film actress) is superb as the murdered cafe owner's wife, downtrodden and beaten over many years.

True to the source material

[wjspears · 9/10 · 14 October 2020]

It has been many years since I read the short novel that this episode is based on. So I cannot testify to the accuracy of all the plot points. But if you are familiar with the Simenon Maigret novels, at all, then you know that plot is often secondary to characters and their motivations. And in that regard, this episode feels very true to the Simenon style of story telling.

Bruno Cremer is not my conception of what Maigret would look like, But Cremer's mannerisms and moods are "spot on", imo., Bruno Cremer makes an excellent Jules Maigret.

The plot is that pieces of a naked body are found in the river by a small French town. What is ultimately missing is the head. The pieces are of a man--which causes Maigret to nod slightly and puff his pipe, saying "That's different!"

Who is the dead man? Who is the killer? These are clearly important questions to Superintendent Maigret, But equally important is "Why go to all this trouble?"

Watching Maigret slowly piece together the "Why" is part of the pleasure of this episode. But equally enjoyable is watching the war of patience and wits between the suspects and Maigret.

For instance, when one suspect asks why Maigret is interested in a seemingly unrelated and irrelevant matter, and asks, "Why do you want to know?" Maigret shrugs, "I like to understand. It is why I do this job, to understand".

For many viewers, this episode may seem plodding and dull. For viewers looking for "action", they should look elsewhere (and should also avoid the Simenon entire Maigret series of novels). There is little or no action, to speak of, in this episode--the killing itself happens before the episode even begins.

But if watching characters, suspects and otherwise, act and react--or in this case, attempt NOT to react--is something you find enjoyable, then I would recommend looking for this 1992 episode of Maigret, and, very likely, the entire Bruno Cremer Maigret series.

"Why would they have waited all this time?"

[garywhalen · 9/10 · 19 August 2023]

A dismembered body is found in a canal. A bistro owner is away on a trip, and his wife seems unconcerned. A young man on a bicycle alludes the police. Who would go to the trouble of cutting up a corpse? And why? Maigret zeroes in quickly on some suspects but the rationale escapes him for a while. The episode's conclusion aligns with the book but with this difference: In the book's final pages Maigret conjectures as to the most likely chain of events that led to the murder and is convinced of who actually dealt the fatal blow; whereas in this episode the murderer admits to the crime and describes the chain of events. Both endings agree and yet both provide a modest level of ambiguity. What might we do for love? And what might we admit to doing for love?

Wjspears provides an excellent and more detailed review, so no need for me to write more.