George Simeon’s murder/mystery novels were turned into movies. They are set in 1950’s Paris. Period pieces, of course I would be interested.

I checked-out the complete Maigret dvd series starring Rowan Atkinson from the library. I was hooked. My husband and I watched the videos and I wanted more Maigret, however, that was all. Then, I found Maigret movies starring another actor, Michael Gambon. We were back in business. But how did they compare?

I recall Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean. His goofiness and his funny little car But there is more to Rowan Atkinson, the actor, than meets the eye. He shows another dimension to his acting skills in his portraial as chief inspector Maigret. This very serious, likable, detective and his charming wife, Madame Maigret, played by Lucy Cohu had me glued to the screen. By the time the serious was over, Rowan Atkinson was Maigret to me.

I was not familiar with Michael Gambon until we watched him star in Maigret, although he is a famous actor in his own right. I must say, to be honest, I was not as captured by Gambon’s rendition of Maigret. His detectives were also not as appealing to me, except for Lucas, played by Geoffrey Hutchings. I thought that his wife, Madame Maigret, played by Ciaran Madden, came across too harsh. Having said that, I still enjoyed the movies.

Would I have felt differently had I seen Gambon’s version of Maigret first? Maybe, but I really do not think so. There were a couple of movies with the same titles played on both versions and I preferred the ones on Atkinson’s dvd. Why? Not only because I liked the characters, but I also felt the story was easier to follow. I felt lost in a couple of movies featuring Gambon. The story was not explained as well. My husband agreed with me on this point. This was a script problem not an acting problem. I felt the cast from the series starring Rowan Atkinson was more likable all around. The costumes were also more interesting to me as well.

So, if choosing a Maigret series to watch, I would recommend the one starring Rowin Atkinson. However, everyone has there own taste. Do like I did and watch them all. It’s always fun to compare and there are more titles and different titles on the Gambon set.

As always, Happy Viewing!