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Wellington

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 31, 2012
531
578
Started watching this show on BritBox, crime show staring Rowan Atkinson (ill admit, its hard taking him seriously as im always waiting for him to break out in a Mr. Bean). He does a good job, and even more interesting is his character smokes a pipe often, a black straight billiard looking thing, very cool. He uses matches, its made me like the show even more haha. Anyone watch it?
 

hairvise

Can't Leave
May 23, 2018
440
2,711
San Francisco
I saw the first season (two episodes) of the newer BBC production and enjoyed it. Atkinson is excellent, though a very different Maigret than the french version with Bruno Cremer, who is more of a hulking figure.

My library here in San Francisco subscribes to Hoopla, so card holders have access to this service for free. Hoopla has something like 8 seasons of the Bruno Cremer Maigret--I just finished season one and really enjoy the atmosphere that it paints.

Great pipe smoking in both. Cremer you can tell was a natural pipe smoker, though I think that he was an inveterate cigar smoker, which eventually caused his demise, sadly.
 
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scloyd

Lifer
May 23, 2018
5,938
12,031
Here's a whole thread I started last year about the Maigret TV series and books.
I've read a few of the book and watched almost all of the Bruno Cremer Maigrets. I haven't started any of the Gambon Maigrets yet...waiting to start those this winter when I'm stuck in the house more.

I enjoy the books more after I've seen the TV episode.
 
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trubka2

Lifer
Feb 27, 2019
2,470
21,640
Here's a whole thread I started last year about the Maigret TV series and books.
I've read a few of the book and watched almost all of the Bruno Cremer Maigrets. I haven't started any of the Gambon Maigrets yet...waiting to start those this winter when I'm stuck in the house more.

I enjoy the books more after I've seen the TV episode.
Thanks to that damn thread, I started reading the books and an now on book 50, Maigret Enjoys Himself. I definitely should have taken the deal on Amazon - 400$ for the whole series.


I like the Mr Bean version well enough, but he really is too small for the role. Gambon is terrible, as are the screenplays they gave him to work with. I'll start watching the French versions when I finish the books. Watching the actors trying to smoke a pipe makes me wince. That had to hurt like hell, puffing away like that.
 

alexander87

Might Stick Around
Aug 8, 2017
78
92
Thanks to that damn thread, I started reading the books and an now on book 50, Maigret Enjoys Himself. I definitely should have taken the deal on Amazon - 400$ for the whole series.


I like the Mr Bean version well enough, but he really is too small for the role. Gambon is terrible, as are the screenplays they gave him to work with. I'll start watching the French versions when I finish the books. Watching the actors trying to smoke a pipe makes me wince. That had to hurt like hell, puffing away like that.
I loved the Michael Gambon series! Horses for courses as they say. They were smoking those poor pipes hot though for sure. I thought the Aitkins series was good too. I avoided it at first because I figured like all remakes it would be too modern but I didn’t notice any of that. I read the first book last year and liked it. I’ll probably read a few more this year. I love Royal Yacht as well and it’s fun to smoke it while reading the books or watching the show since Simenon was a RY devotee.
 
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rodo

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 1, 2014
157
259
Central Arkansas
I always wondered what blend Simenon smoked! My wife is a huge fan of the books so I ordered the set of all the French/Cremer DVDs. Oh my, there a a vast quantity of DVDs: 36, each with two episodes. Wish we'd started the series at the beginning of the pandemic. We find not only the stories (mostly) good, but production quality is up to par as is acting. Notably, we are only about seven episodes in but we like the way the stories do not stay in the same context: this time in Paris, next time in the country, another time in a posh house, at a cafe. Maigret goes to where the crime happens. The pipe smoking aspect still rather takes me by surprise each time I see him puffing away, so unused to seeing anyone on the screen smoking a pipe. Fits the character perfectly.
 
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alexander87

Might Stick Around
Aug 8, 2017
78
92
I always wondered what blend Simenon smoked! My wife is a huge fan of the books so I ordered the set of all the French/Cremer DVDs. Oh my, there a a vast quantity of DVDs: 36, each with two episodes. Wish we'd started the series at the beginning of the pandemic. We find not only the stories (mostly) good, but production quality is up to par as is acting. Notably, we are only about seven episodes in but we like the way the stories do not stay in the same context: this time in Paris, next time in the country, another time in a posh house, at a cafe. Maigret goes to where the crime happens. The pipe smoking aspect still rather takes me by surprise each time I see him puffing away, so unused to seeing anyone on the screen smoking a pipe. Fits the character perfectly.
Here you can see he has a massive tin of the good stuff right on his desk for quick access :sher:
B4B650DD-D3D8-42C4-B30A-040CC7FB9337.jpeg
 
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hairvise

Can't Leave
May 23, 2018
440
2,711
San Francisco
Here you can see he has a massive tin of the good stuff right on his desk for quick access :sher:
Wow, writing freehand! I always imagined him banging this stuff out on a manual typewriter while smoking a pipe!

Has anyone read any of Simenon's "serious" novels? If so, any suggestions?
 

alexander87

Might Stick Around
Aug 8, 2017
78
92
Three tins on the desk. Royal Yacht, Four Square and the third at the bottom...? Looks like another Four Square.
As dumb as this sounds I did not notice the other tins. I wonder what Four Square blend he liked.
 

trubka2

Lifer
Feb 27, 2019
2,470
21,640
I loved the Michael Gambon series!
I'm sure it's good, but it's just not Maigret. Gambon plays it with way too much garrulousness. Maigret is brooding, shy and impassive, but also acutely sensitive. Extreme empathy is both his detective superpower and his kryptonite. He sure as shit doesn't do bonhomie. It's silly, I know, but I get offended for Simenon.

Thanks for that cool picture! I read 50 of his books without thinking to Google him. I'm surprised by the tobacco choices. I thought it would be some beastly caporal shag or something.
 
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autumnfog

Lifer
Jul 22, 2018
1,129
2,465
Sweden
In the biography on Georges Simenon by Pierre Assouline there is a lot of pipe smoking photos.

I know this thread is about the TV series, but If you are a fan of Maigret it could be interesting.
 
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