Paula Hammond - Features EditorOver a period of five decades, Georges Simenon’s beloved sleuth, Inspector Maigret, appeared in 75 novels and 28 short stories. There have been over 300 screen adaptations too — from the 1949 film The Man on the Eiffel Tower, starring Charles Laughton, to the recent Rowan Atkinson TV series.
However, the crème de la crème is undoubtedly, Cécile is Dead, which combines the work of the unsung master of French cinema — Maurice Tourneur (The Devil’s Hand) — with Simenon’s master detective.
Inspector Maigret (Albert Préjean) of the Parisian police has a problem. Every few days, Cécile Pardon (Santa Relli), comes to the station to report that someone has broken into the house she shares with her elderly aunt. At first the Inspector dismisses here claims — beisdes, he’s far too busy investigating a gang of counterfeiters to pay attention to her fanciful claims. However, everything changes when Cécile is found dead in the very same police station in which she’s been pleading for his help.
One of three Inspector Maigret films made in occupied France during World War II, Cécile is Dead boasts glorious cinematography by Pierre Montazel, art direction by Guy de Gastyne – a set designer for Marcel L’Herbier and René Clair – and music by Roger Dumas, who scored Tourneur’s The Devil’s Hand.
This month, this French crime classic comes too Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, as part of Eureka’s Masters of Cinema series. This is a cracking Noir tale, and must-buy for fans of detective fiction.
