[.ca] The Maigret Collection

From Amazon.com:
An absolute must for fans of Georges Simenon's beloved sleuth, Inspector Jules Maigret, the four-volume Maigret Collection is the finest detective series from Britain's Granada Television since the late Jeremy Brett gave us his definitive portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the 1980s. Included in this collection are the first 12 episodes from the series, originally broadcast in 1992 and starring the masterful British actor Michael Gambon (now Sir Michael Gambon) as Maigret of the Paris Surete. Among the programs is "Maigret and the Burglar's Wife," which does honor to Simenon's compassionate tale of a retiring thief whose accidental encounter with a corpse sets in motion one of Maigret's most intense psychological duels. The equally compelling "Maigret's Boyhood Friend" finds the detective on a case drawing suspicion to an old school chum, while "Maigret Sets a Trap" is a wonderful production of Simenon's puzzler about a serial killer whose patterns of motivation and action must be deciphered before he can be caught. Gambon is the latest in a long tradition of familiar leading men (from Jean Gabin to Richard Harris) who have played Simenon's blunt but humane, occasionally whimsical, and magnificently insightful investigator. Yet Gambon is perhaps uniquely suited to the part: a popular star with none of the baggage of a brand-name icon or the self-effacing obligations of a character actor. He captures perfectly Maigret's measured but hardly inscrutable presence in the eruptive underworld of Paris crime. --Tom Keogh

"The Maigret Collection ... Michael Gambon ... Koch Vision (2005)":
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)

Right On Target:
On the screen Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret mysteries have had a checkered history ,even in France, with productions of varying quality. This British adaption with an excellent Michael Gambon in the lead role is one of the finest adaptions in any language. The actors portraying Maigret's fellow officers are just as I imagined them from the books. The producers wisely avoided having the mainly British cast go overboard doing French accents. The officers avoided it and the British actors who do tread lightly as to avoid falling into carrictature .Those non British actors with accents are allowed to speak in their normal voice. It works surprisingly well. Although the books were written over a period of 30 or so years the producers have settled on a Paris of the mid 1950's to set them in. Some Paris locales are used but the majority of the shooting was done in Budapest, Hungary. Much of 19th Century Budapest was modeled on Paris and many parts of it today still have the flavor of small neighborhood Paris of the 1940's and 1950's. Simenon's stories are really character studies clothed is a mystery story and the script writers capture that quite well in their adaptions. My only complaint...I wish they had done more of them.

Picture qualitys ok--the storys are just a little dull:
I've read several reviews complaining about the picture quality in this set--perhaps it could have been a little sharper--but all things considered, I didn't have any problem with the quality of the video-the same can not be said for the stories-which tended to move along quite slowly--sometimes becoming almost boring. Gambon was much better in "The Singing Detective" which is not to say that these storys are "bad"-but when compared to other crime/detective shows like Midsomer Murders, Inspector Lynley, Inspector Morse or a Touch of Frost the episodes here are inferior. Worth watching-but if it's possible to rent them-I would recommend that over purchasing.

OK, so the prints AREN'T perfect . . .:
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?

A Hidden Gem in the genre:
I am a devotee of the characters Morse, Brett's Holme's, Inspector Frost, Cracker with Robbie Coltrane, Rumpole. This series ranks right up there in that respect, Gambon is an brilliant Maigret. Akl the plots are good but some are exceptional and the ambiance and the relationships are all spot on. The picture quality I can live with. I agree that a great deal of thought was put in to each episode and the feel of the series is completely realistic just like in Morse. I can't wait to get back to Paris after watching this series, you can practically smell it watching the series. Can't recommend highly enough to those that like the genre.