Maigret and the Minister

Some 30 actors, including Charles Laughton and Gerard Depardieu, have portrayed the fictional Parisian police detective Jules Ma”gret in French, English, German, Japanese, Italian, and American dramatizations. The BBC has adapted Simenon's mysteries to both radio and television. Ironically, the writer who did the TV versions, the late Giles Cooper, is Britain's greatest radio playwright, while the various dramatists on the radio programs are undistinguished. No wonder then that this anthology of four cases, produced for radio in 1977, lacks verve and personality. Nonetheless, if you don't mind the cast sounding more English than French, you'll appreciate the easy grace and professionalism of the production, the high quality of the acting, and the clever plotting of the stories. The prolific Maurice Denham is an easy-going, world-weary Ma”gret, who relates his adventures to Michael Gough, a distinguished classical thespian playing a sympathetic, urbane Simenon. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine