In Paris, on a cold night, the remains of a young girl are abandoned on a sidewalk. It will later be established that the deceased was probably a minor, suffered from undernourishment, and wore fake jewelry. So much information that contrasts with the haute couture dress she wore the night of her murder. Who was she? This is the mystery that Superintendent Maigret, in the film that bears his name, will try to elucidate.
Set in the 1950s and exuding an icy elegance, Maigret is taken from the novel Maigret and the dead girl (1954). The film marks the long-awaited return of Patrice Leconte to the world of Georges Simenon. As proven in 1989 by his bewitching Mr Hire, the French filmmaker is very comfortable in the darkness of the Belgian novelist. A statement reinforced by this second incursion which, if it does not reach the same heights of mastery as the previous one (Mr Hire is perhaps, with The hairdresser’s Husband and Yvonne’s perfumethe most beautiful Leconte), turns out to be very inspired nonetheless.
With his co-screenwriter Jérôme Tonnerre (Confidences too intimate, The women of 6e stage), Patrice Leconte takes many liberties with the novel, notably by instilling a rather unprecedented benevolence in the taciturn Maigret (“You would have thought he was in a bad mood, but those who knew him knew that was not the case wrote Simenon), as well as by omitting the dry, almost cruel notes of irony present in the novel – especially during its denouement. Lognon’s concurrent investigation was also excised. Wise choices.
Another successful aspect of the film lies in this choice to evoke, from visits to the morgue to futile encounters with potential witnesses, the tedious reality of an investigation.
Purity and atmosphere
The film is also skilful in recreating a believable “formerly” as refined as the pages of a Simenon can be. In this respect, the consecrated formula according to which “Simenon is an atmosphere”, Leconte has perfectly integrated it. In Maigretthis translates into a cold invoice (forged by the light of Yves Angelo, director of photography of All the mornings of the world) which, by interplay of oppositions, further highlights the said benevolence of the commissioner.
The commissioner who quickly makes the investigation a personal matter by bringing it – literally – home. And for good reason: his late daughter would have been the same age as the victim. Hence the outbursts of melancholy that arise here and there.
In the role of “Madame Maigret”, who knows how to guide her husband, Anne Loiret is perfect. In that of Jeanine, a former friend of the victim, Mélanie Bernier suggests a moving despair behind an ambitious and calculating façade. The revelation of the film is however Jade Labeste, as a young girl who follows a path strangely similar to that of the dead, and whom Maigret will take under his wing.
Chiseled replies burst forth, as when the commissioner is asked: “What are you doing to force people to talk?” And he replied: “Nothing. I listen. We expect no less from the director of Ridiculous.
The plot, for the count, is more poignant than enigmatic, which might sound like a flaw for a detective film, but in this case it’s a compliment. In fact, unlike a whodunit by Agatha Christie, the film, like Georges Simenon’s novel, is not so much concerned with the “who” as with the “why”. And again, it is first and foremost the curator’s desire to restore the dead woman’s identity that propels the story.
Disturbing Echoes
The victim having also been, as we discover, an aspiring actress before her horrible death, we can only make the connection with the Elizabeth Short affair. Nicknamed “The Black Dahlia,” this other real-life aspiring actress made posthumous headlines when her dismembered body was found in a wasteland in Los Angeles.
Unsolved to this day, this sordid crime inspired a novel by James Ellroy which was adapted by Brian De Palma. Besides, in Maigretthe film extract where the victim appears is a tribute to the Black Dahlia by the American filmmaker, who used a related process.
In the role of the commissioner previously played by big names like Michel Simon, Jean Gabin and Bruno Cremer, Gérard Depardieu (who himself lost a child) is fabulous, all interiority, small gestures and speaking looks. However, it is of course impossible not to think of the allegations of rape and sexual assault of which the star is the subject. Reminder: in 2018, actress Charlotte Arnould alleged that Gérard Depardieu had raped her. In 2019, the case was closed without further action by the Paris prosecutor’s office. At the end of 2020, after other steps by Charlotte Arnould, an examining magistrate ordered the indictment of Gérard Depardieu. For the record, in France, an indictment leads either to a referral to a court or to a dismissal. To date, no decision has been rendered, and the presumption of innocence prevails.
Nevertheless, the film talking about a vulnerable young actress and powerful predators, a certain disorder does not fail to manifest itself during viewing. At the same time, and it’s terrible to admit it, but it would be dishonest not to admit it, this echo in relation to current events adds an additional morbid fascination to the film. Even Simenon could not have invented this.