Maigret et la princesse

As I get older the threads of memory of the long-ago days begin to twine together, and the past begins to seem more immediate--more recent--than it actually is. Now that time has gone by, I see the results of past actions and inactions. Simenon captures this sense of the past--and it's about more than nostalgia--in his novel "Maigret and the Old People" (the source for this episode). An elderly former ambassador Saint Hilaire is found dead, shot multiple times. Who would want him dead? What sort of anger would drive someone to shoot him repeatedly? Maigret, understandably, delves into the man's past to find the answer. But is the answer there? Letters, the devotion of the man's housekeeper, and the memories of a princess begin to intersect, and as they do Maigret realizes fully the events that led to the man's death.

Prior to watching this episode, I wondered how the filmmakers would capture the story of the novel--a concern I had with other episodes in the series--since it's so driven by old letters and bits of memories. The film did what I hoped it would do: As I watched I cared about these people and understood their motives within the film's parameters. Having said that, after watching this episode I decided to go back and read the novel again. And maybe that says a lot about how nice this episode is.

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

We've also seen the excellent 12 episodes (2 series) that ITV did (90s) with Michael Gambon as Maigret (terrific portrayal) and the less successful later efforts with Rowan Atkinson in the lead.

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 in one respect, as Lucas, his main assistant in all the books I've seen, has almost completely disappeared!

I haven't liked all the episodes so far of this Cremer version, but THIS one is pretty good, a mysterious murder of a former diplomat, and also a man who conducted a platonic love affair with a Princess for many years.

The review by Whalen details much of what happens, but I'd add that the acting is terrific, as usually the case with this series.

However, the old BBC series (60s), told the same story in half the time, quite effectively too!

The makers of this episode were very remiss in retitling it as they did. "Maigret et la princesse" suggests a completely different narrative from the one we actually get, based on Simenon's 1960 novel "Maigret et les vieillards" - Maigret and the old people - which much more accurately reflects the story's real subject matter: enduring love, life's compromises and the ravages of time.

It plays out essentially as a three-hander between the Commissaire, an elderly, newly-widowed princess and the dead man's equally elderly housekeeper and sometime lover in an effort to establish who shot him (four times!). There are the usual distractions: needless to say, this being Simenon à Paris, there is a visit to a brothel to prove an alibi; and relatives and potential inheritors are all duly examined, revealing the depths of distrust and dysfunction that permeate all families in whodunnits.

But what distinguishes this episode from most of the others is the tight focus on the two women, aged around 80 (as was the minorly aristocratic victim they both loved). The roles are superbly acted; and in truth the autumnal regret that hangs over the whole episode's narrative of decades of either unrequited or purely platonic love ends up enveloping Maigret as well, who it might be noted has never looked either so old or seemed so tired before. It all makes for a highly ruminative story, punctuated by the Commissaire's voice-over narrations of extracts from the gigantic stash of love letters the dead Count has kept writing for over 50 years.

You need to be of a certain age and experience yourself to feel the force of this - I can't imagine any child of the digital era sticking with this for even so much as five minutes - but if you are, the end result is actually deeply touching. Try to watch it if you can.