Customer Reviews

The Maigret Collection

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It would be great if the due care had been taken and these episodes of the MAIGRET series had been lovingly restored the way many bad movies are now routinely. But at least these shows are on DVD and we can again enjoy the gripping and often deeply moving stories and be reminded again what a wonderful actor Michael Gambon is. He is one of the few actors to play a detective who projects the intelligence that his character is supposed to have, and buttresses it with wit and humanity to spare. And he is often brilliantly supported by both the series regulars and a great selection of guest stars (think only of Frances Cuka as the desperate and embittered niece of a murder victim in "Maigret and the Mad-Woman" or Christopher Benjamin as the troubled husband of a missing woman in "Maigret and The Burglar's Wife" and you'll get the idea). And unlike many period films or TV shows, this one recreates the frayed edges and hum-drum details of life as it was lived 50 years ago, which gives the shows a comfortable, lived-in quality that adds to their appeal. And yes, someday, someone will hopefully restore the prints to their original condition. I mean, they've probably done it for movies by Russ Meyer--doesn't something this good deserve deluxe treatment?

The Maigret DVD Collection will be a welcome library addition for those mystery fans who prefer complexity over activity, deliberation over impulse and atmosphere over everything else.

The 12 episodes that appear on four discs were produced by Granada Television and originally aired in Britiain over two seasons in 1992 and 1993. They were shown on PBS in the United States, and later on some public television stations in Canada. Adapted from the novels of Belgian-born writer Georges Simenon (who moved to Paris as a young man), the series effortlessly blends Maigret's intuitive detection style with a sympathetic and very Gallic view of the seedy denizens of the Parisian demi-monde. The Inspector is ably assisted throughout by the same three loyal colleagues, and is frequently chided by his nemesis, the Examining Magistrate.

In this superb series, Granada Television's meticulous production values are combined with consistently brilliant direction to yield 12 television episodes of unusual quality. There's not a dud among them. In each case, the crime unravels at a leisurely pace against a densely textured backdrop of Parisian or rural French daily life. Except that those familiar with this series will know that all of the lovingly photographed boulevards, sinister night streets and bustling sidewalk cafes were not filmed in France at all, but in Hungary. Nonetheless, it all looks agreeably French and faithful to the period setting of the novels.

The principal casting is English of course, with Michael Gambon a standout as the droll and humane Inspector Jules Maigret. Supporting him are a roster of some of the best of British film actors, with exceptional turns by Edward Petherbridge, Peter Barkworth, Tony Doyle and Jon Finch, and capped with a startling performance by Susie Lindeman in the series' final episode, Maigret and the Maid. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent british series on Inspector Maigret - excellent episodes and actors. I also enjoyed the french production - with Bruno Cramer playing the role of Maigret.
Both series are excellent and will delight Maigret (Simenon's) fans.
My point: this series deserves a MUCH BETTER presentation on DVD. Quality is fair, far below my expectations (seems we are not watching a DVD...), and subtitles are missing; at least closed caption avaliability. This makes a big difference for people from abroad, like me - and english subtitles, IMHO, is the minimum I would be expecting from an excellent DVD set like this one.

Koch Vision present "THE MAIGRET COLLECTION" (2005) (646 mins/Color) (Dolby Digital) --- featring Michael Gambon as the famous pipe-smoking Parisian sleuth. From Montmartre to the remote French countryside, Maigret probes the dark side of the human psyche with understated elegance and precision --- A dozen tales of death, intrigue, and ingenious police legwork fill this collection of Inspector Maigret mysteries --- Based on Georges Simenon's popular novels, which have tantalized readers for more than half a century --- This show is so realistic! Michael Gambon is great as Inspector Maigret, and his subordinates and the bad guys are all great characters as well --- The cases the Chief Inspector solves are really very interesting, also the locations and sets make you feel as if you are right there on the case with the Chief Inspector and his men --- It's great to sit back and watch him slowly solve a mystery --- You can tell that a lot of thought was put into the making of this show --- Concerned more with "why" than "who," Maigret's profound perception of the realities of human behavior and extraordinary psychological insight make him one of fiction's most interesting and unique sleuths --- One of the best-selling authors of all time, Georges Simenon is most famous for his more than 100 novels and short stories featuring Chief Inspector Maigret of the Paris police

The Maigret Collection (Disc One)
The Patience of Maigret
Maigret and the Burglar's Wife
Maigret Goes to School

The Maigret Collection Disc (Two)
Maigret and the Mad Woman
Maigret on Home Ground
Maigret Sets a Trap

The Maigret Collection (Disc Three)
Maigret and the Nightclub Dancer
Maigret on the Defensive
Maigret and the Minister

The Maigret Collection (Disc Four)
Maigret and the Hotel Majestic
Maigret's Boyhood Friend
Maigret and the Maid

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Michael Gambon
Date of Birth: 19 October 1940 - Dublin, Ireland
Date of Death: Still Living

Special footnote, actor Michael Gambon after joining the National Theatre, under the Artistic Directorship of Sir Laurence Olivier, Gambon went on to appear in a number of leading roles in plays written by Alan Ayckbourn. His career was catapulted in 1980 when he took the lead role in John Dexter's production of "Galileo". Since then, Gambon has regularly appeared at the Royal National Theatre and the RSC. Roles include, King Lear, Othello, Mark Anthony and Volpone. He was described by the late Sir Ralph Richardson as being "The Great Gambon" and he is now considered to be one of the British theatre's leading lights. He was made a CBE in 1992 ... In 2002, was named the successor to the late Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. His Potter debut will be in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) ... He has twice played two roles previously played by Richard Harris. The character of Jules Maigret, which Richard Harris played in a 1988 TV movie and secondly Albus Dumbledore of the Harry Potter Movies.

DVD EXTRAS:
1. Episode Synopses, Cast & Credits, Weblinks
2. Includes Essay "Georges Simenon, "The Man Behind Maigret"

Great job by Koch Vision for releasing "The Maigret Collection" (2005) - Michael Gambon as Chief Inspector Maigret, the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the BBC mini-series film market...order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch drama mixed with an outstanding cast and director --- just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 646 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV6613 ~ (6/12/05)

This is not the first British detective show on DVD that features great scripts and acting, and rather disappointing video transfers. The Poirot DVDs of the 1 hour shows, as welcome as they are, so far generally have the quality of mediocre VHS. I would say the Maigret shows are aren't quite that good. There are occasional scenes that are so grainy that they look like they were transferred from 8mm film. Even when this is not the case, much of the 12 episodes have little to boast of in terms of video quality.

I would like to know what the rationale is for putting out DVDs that cost this much that do not have the very best image quality.
The only reason I can see for buying this set is if your tapes are getting worn out, as mine nearly are. The stories and acting, of course, are wonderful.

My rating is average of high score for acting and story, and low score for image quality.

Jules Maigret, Chief Inspector (Commissaire) of the Paris police department, is the popular creation of the prolific and hugely popular French author, George Simenon (1903-1989). Simenon produced more than close to 200 novels, something like 150 novellas, and other works. Together, these works have global sales of around 550 million copies. Maigret is the subject of 75 of those novels and 28 of the short stories written between 1931 and 1972.

Maigret has been the subject of a number of dramatizations and this 12 episode version was done over two seasons in 1992 and 1993. Michael Gambon, whom I always enjoy, does a fine job in bringing the detective to life. The series seems to place all the stories in a post WWII Paris and other parts of France that still feel the strain of recovery. Now, the stories were written in various decades including before the war. But you know how one must adapt things for a television series. The twelve episodes (and the year the novel was written) are:

Disc One
The Patience of Maigret (1965)
Maigret and the Burglar's Wife (1951)
Miagret Goes to School (1953)

Disc Two
Maigret and the Mad Woman (1970)
Maigret and the Home Ground (1932)
Maigret Sets a Trap (1955)

Disc Three
Maigret and the Nightclub Dancer (1950)
Maigret on the Defensive (1964)
Maigret and the Minister (1954)

Disc Four
Maigret and the Hotel Majestic (1942)
Maigret's Boyhood Friend (1968)
Miagret and the Maid (I could not identify story this episode comes from)

Maigret is a very smart, humane, and effective inspector. He smokes his pipe, enjoys his drinks (particularly hard cider), and food as he works through his cases. Maigret is a very patient man and does things his own way, but not in a way that will lose the support of his very bureaucratic superiors. He understands the politics of the civic bureaucracy, but dislikes it intensely and is usually able to manipulate it effectively. His junior officers are fiercely loyal and also quite effective. They know their jobs and do them with the kind of professional efficiency we admire. Maigret is also fair to the criminals and treats them as people who have made mistakes rather than as evil incarnate. His primary technique for exposing the guilty party is to get them to keep talking, to keep telling falsehoods until they trap themselves. Miagret often shows sincere affection for some of the long time professional criminals who know the rules and do their "jobs" with their kind of professionalism. The inspector even ponders the reality that he likes his gangster he is trying to catch more than the bureaucrat he serves.

Violence is generally shown by its effects and rarely onscreen. When it does occur it is shocking to the characters and their shock effects us even in our violence soaked age. The seediness is also handled rather modestly by today's standards. The atmosphere of the series is the kind of dark and smoky world of detective novels. Remember, these stories are as much about the little things in life, the ambiance of their times, as much as it is about being a detective story. I think the series was filmed in Eastern Europe somewhere.

The cast is very good. You may know Gambon as the Dumbledore who took the role after Richard Harris died. It turns out that Harris had also played his own strange version of Maigret years before Gambon took this turn as the French Detective. Two women, Ciaran Madden and Barbar Flynn, play Maigret's wife and I have no idea why. Both do a good job with a role that helps us understand the personal side of Maigret. She also helps him with his cases at times by considering some of the emotional motivations of those involved.

Terrific, entertaining, and a wonderful break from the silly sex and violence nothings that fill the tube nowadays. Very much recommended.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

I was thrilled to find this series on Amazon, I remember watching it on PBS in San Diego many years
ago, it made a great addition to our DVD collection.
The stories are good, no blood and gore, easy to understand, keeps your interest.

I have not read Georges Simenon's books in the original French, but if the translations are fair representations, he was a writer who did not waste a word. He know exactly where the story lay, he focused on that, and he went after it forthwith. These Canadian TV versions of 12 Maigret novels are faithful to the books in almost every detail--right down to the wasp Maigret chases around his office. Thank heavens the directors did not decide to "Improve" upon Simenon's plotting and color.

The acting is excellent throughout. The sets certainly have the feel of Paris, although I have never been there. My only criticism is that the DVDs I received have places where the video breaks up, and there are other places where it sounds as if a second or so was missing.

Nonetheless, any Simenon/Maigret fan will find these a treasure.

The Maigret Collection is the most enjoyable series of mysteries I have yet to see. Michael Gambon is great in his part as well as all of the other actors and actresses in the series.. i just wish there were more stories . Highly recommend it.

Michael Gambon plays Maigret with confidence and, other than all the British accents, looks very much the part. The stories are interesting mysteries and cause much confusion for the players and the viewers. If I could fault anything it would be that, perhaps due to time constraint, the plots are resolved very quickly - and not always completely. The viewer is occasionally left scratching his or her head wondering how Maigret reaches the conclusions he does. That said, I always anticipated the next episode and seeing Maigret again. He quickly becomes familiar and like a friend or colleague.

It is also nice to recognize actors we have seen in other mystery series such as "Frost", "Prime Suspect", and "Cracker".

Overall the series is entertaining and displays colorful country scenes when Maigret gets out of Paris (or is it Prague?). The complete set is reasonable priced and I only regret there are not more episodes in the series. Not the best I have seen, but pretty good and recommended.