MIDSOMER MURDERS - SERIES 21, EPISODES 3 & 4: THE STING OF DEATH & WITH BAITED BREATH

The 21st series of Midsomer Murders (four 90-minute episodes) premiered last December in the United States on streaming services Britbox and Acorn TV. 

In the United Kingdom, episodes 1 and 2 aired on ITV on January 21st and February the 4th respectively. The venerable detective drama stars Neil Dudgeon (DCI John Barnaby), Nick Hendrix (DS Jamie Winter), Annette Badland as pathologist Dr. Fleur Perkins and Fiona Dolman (Sarah Barnaby). Isabel Shaw plays Betty Barnaby.

- The Sting of Death (Episode 3): There's a potentially dangerous swarm on the loose after a case of bee rustling with violence. DCI Barnaby and DS Winter visits the victim, master beekeeper and historic honey producer Ambrose Deddington. Sarah finally convinces a reluctant John to attend a yoga class. An excellent episode written by Julia Gilbert (Agatha Raisin) and directed by Matt Carter.

With Bryan Dick (Cyrus Babbage), Jack Fox (Jude Deddington), Derek Griffiths (Reverend Nigel Bookthorpe), Griff Rhys Jones (Ambrose), Ben Starr (Noah Moon), Imogen Stubbs (Tamara Deddington), Nina Toussaint-White (Hannah Bookthorpe), etc.

- With Baited Breath (Episode 4): Fishermen are eager to catch a giant fish (supposed to lurk in a lake) during the Solomon Gorge "Fishaton". Their plans are threatened when hundred of participants arrive for the Psycho Mud Run, including Jamie and Sarah Barnaby. Most regrettably, the slow and clumsy With Baited Breath is a weak way to conclude this 21st series. 

The fish thing and the mud run weirdly sound like two distinct scripts. Maybe they shouldn't film Barnaby and Winter off duty after all. With Aneurin Barnard (Freddie Lamb), Eleanor Fanyinka (Jade-Marie Pierce), Nitin Ganatra (Eric Skye), Miles Jupp (Cornelius Tedbury), Nicola Stephenson (Izzy Silvermane), etc. Written by Jeff Povey. Directed by Jennie Darnell.

Produced by Bentley Productions (an All3Media company) for ITV.  Produced by Guy Hescott. Co-produced by Ian Strachan. Exec produced by Michele Buck and Louise Pedersen. Music composed by Evan Jolly. Midsomer theme composed by Jim Parker. Editing by Simon Starling (Episode 3) and Peter Williams (Episode 4). Cinematography by Al Beech. Costumes designed by Sue Thomson. 

Based upon the books by Caroline Graham. Distributed by All3Media International. France 3 will show Episode 1 on March 8.

http://midsomermurders.org/midsomer.htm 
http://evanjollymusic.com/ 

Series 21, Episode 2:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/01/midsomer-murders-series-21-episode-2.html 

Series 21, Episode 1:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/01/midsomer-murders-series-21-episode-1.html 

CAPTAIN MARLEAU (CAPITAINE MARLEAU): VEUVES MAIS PAS TROP (FRANCE 3)

France's favourite gendarme meets the mortician.

No matter that Capitaine Marleau was once a brilliant detective drama created by Série Noire author and crime fiction expert scriptwriter Elsa Marpeau for director/producer Josée Dayan. What the fans enjoy most is neither the plots nor the guest actors (even David Suchet or Isabelle Adjani). It's when Corinne Masiero, its star, delivers Marleau's one-liners and social commentaries.

With 7 to 8 million viewers, the series can afford everything. Like shoehorning the capitaine in an aborted film project of Dayan (Double Jeu) or in a novel of Marc Eisenchteter, the story editor of Capitaine Marleau since 2018 (Ne plus mourir, jamais). Corinne Masiero can afford a lot too. The actress is reputed to ad lib, to the point that she's also credited with the writers: "Avec la complicité de Corinne Masiero". Not sure that the scribes asked for it.

Capitaine Marleau has become a one-woman show full of easy jokes, meta-references, free antics and the political views of Corinne Masiero. They are well-known in France as she's very vocal about them. Pace è Salute, the irritating previous episode, caught almost 7 million viewers (31.4%!) so you'd think the forces behind France's most watched drama don't mind that it turned into stand-up comedy. Well, for Veuves mais pas trop it looks that they were a tad worried.

An anonymous tip brings Captain Marleau in the funeral parlor of Stanislas Turner after the disappearance of a dead body and an accusation of murder. The quite confused plot is less interesting than a curious case of countless cut clues. The editing seems to be used to restrict the effects of Corinne Masiero's freewheeling and in Veuves mais pas trop it shows right from the start. Anyway a couple of scenes cannot be saved.

Turner is played by Édouard Baer with a bit of Otis, his character in Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra. Bruno Lochet (Le crime lui va si bien) plays Adjudant Michel Pichon. He's the second member of the Deschiens theater company to be a deputy of Marleau after Philippe Duquesne in Pace è Salute. Belgian actor and French television legend Jean-Claude Drouot makes a welcome return as the Falstaffian pathologist Leopold Salaun. 

With Anne Brochet (Martine Lemaître), Isabelle Candelier (Juliette Massoni), Maïra Schmitt (Ariane Turner), Nicolas Robin (Melchior Turner), Valentine Cadic (Virginie Lemaître), Olivier Broche (Dr. Morel), Noémie Lenoir (Marguerite Vitali), etc. Produced by Josée Dayan and Gaspard de Chavagnac. Co-produced by Passionfilms and Bel Ombre Films with France Télévisions, Pictanovo and the support of Région Hauts-de-France.

With the participation of RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse and R.T.B.F. (Télévision belge). Olivier Schmitt is the production manager. Cinematography by Stefan Ivanov. Editing by Yves Langlois. Music composed by Catherine Lara and Cyrille Lehn. Capitaine Marleau is available in the U.S. on VOD service MHZ Choice under the title Captain Marleau. Written by Sylvain Saada with Corinne Masiero. Directed by Josée Dayan.

Veuves mais pas trop will premiere on France 3 on February 25th.

See also:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/02/captain-marleau-capitaine-marleau-pace.html (Pace è Salute)
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/10/captain-marleau-capitaine-marleau.html (Quelques maux d'amour)
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/10/capitaine-marleau-grand-huit-france-3.html (Grand Huit)

CAPTAIN MARLEAU (CAPITAINE MARLEAU): PACE È SALUTE (FRANCE 3)

Capitaine Marleau is France's favourite gendarme and she knows it.

The bottom line: L'Enquête corse.

Captain Marleau is in a Corsican forest when she's accidentally wounded by a hunter. She's brought to the home of a retired GP, Dr. Paul Crivelli. There's a smell of gas in the house and Crivelli is found dead near his wife Marie, who's unconscious. Marleau interrogates Lesia Crivelli, their daughter, who left Paris where she was a surgeon to become the successor to her father. Lesia's ex-fiancé, who was meant to succeed to Paul, didn't take her return well. A man who beat his wife wants to take revenge on Lesia Crivelli because of her intervention. 

What the fans of Capitaine Marleau like most is neither the plots nor the guest actors (even David Suchet or Isabelle Adjani). It's when Corinne Masiero, its star, delivers Marleau's one-liners and social commentaries. With almost 8 million viewers, the series can afford everything. The actress is reputed to ad lib, to the point that she's also credited with the writers. Pace è Salute is heavy on easy jokes, meta-references and Corinne Masiero's views (well-known in France). Even the postcard shots of the beautiful Corsica cannot prevent the feeling that those 90 minutes last three hours (including 30 minutes of clichés).

With Mélanie Doutey (Lesia Crivelli), Philippe Duquesne (Major Fortin), Catherine Rouvel (Marie Crivelli), Brigitte Sy (Victoire Bracconi), Maria Ducceschi (Restitude Corsa), Laurent Capelluto (Pierre Russo), Cédric Appietto (Ange Castola), Daniel Martin (Dr. Luc Martinez), Jean-Pierre Bouvier (Jacques Ardouin), Didier Landucci (Hubert Ricciardi), Jean-Marc Michelangeli (Henri Ricciardi), etc. Produced by Josée Dayan and Gaspard de Chavagnac. Co-produced by Passionfilms and Gaspard & Co with France Télévisions and the support of Collectivité de Corse.

With the participation of RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse and R.T.B.F. (Télévision belge). Jean-Christophe Cardineau is the production manager. Cinematography by Stefan Ivanov. Editing by Yves Langlois. Music composed by Catherine Lara and Cyrille Lehn. Marc Eisenchteter is the story editor. Capitaine Marleau is available in the U.S. on VOD service MHZ Choice under the title Captain Marleau. Series created by Elsa Marpeau. Written by Marc-Antoine Laurent and Jean-Marc Taba with Corinne Masiero. Directed by Josée Dayan.

Pace è Salute will premiere on France 3 on February 18th.

See also:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/10/captain-marleau-capitaine-marleau.html (Quelques maux d'amour)
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/10/capitaine-marleau-grand-huit-france-3.html (Grand Huit)

CAMPING PARADIS - S11E05: MA VIE EST BELLE (TF1)

Launched in 2006, Camping Paradis was created by Michel Alexandre, Ludovic Pion-Dumas & Anne Badel. 

Produced by JLA Productions with TF1, this comedy series is centered on the everyday life and problems of Tom Delormes, the owner of the Camping Paradis, and his team.

The regular cast members of Camping Paradis since its start are Laurent Ournac (Tom Delormes), Thierry Heckendorn (André Durieux) and Patrick Guérineau (Xavier Proteau). Humorist Candiie plays Audrey Dukor since season 8. Patrick Paroux (Around the world in 80 days, Amelie) recurs as Christian Parizot, the most faithful client of the campsite. In 2017, Camping Paradis celebrated its 50th episode and left the 90-minute format for the same 2 x 52-minute as TF1's long-running comedy/drama Joséphine, ange gardien. The characters of the two hits met two years ago in an episode of each series. 

Ma vie est belle is the third episode of Camping Paradis directed by Laurent Ournac. It was penned by Laurent Mondy (Le prix de la loyauté, Commissaire Magellan), who wrote several other episodes and co-wrote the Camping Paradis side of the crossover. The title is a nod to La vie est belle, the French title of It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946). The friends of Tom Delormes want to celebrate his 35th birthday but Tom is depressed because of his life at the Camping Paradis. An encounter with a wasp sends him in the office of an angel who looks like Monsieur Parizot.

The celestial being shows Delormes what would have been his life if he had married the love of his youth, if he had two teenage children, if he were a rich campsite franchise owner and if his sister Elsa managed the place. Ma vie est belle is a fun and often hilarious exercice de style with a welcome touch of self-parody. Patrick Paroux shows once again his brilliance, particularly when one of those irritating drone shots (so used by French contemporary television fiction) ends badly for the drone.

The guest cast includes notable performances by Mathieu Coniglio and Gaëlle Gauthier as different characters in each of Tom's alternate lives and by Bartholomew Boutellis as the guru-esque Zacharie. Also with Barbara Probst (Elsa), Esther Valding (Zoé), Clarisse Lhoni-Botte (Christelle), Charlotte Boillot (Campeuse gym), Sarah Brooks (Jeune campeuse inspectrice), etc. Produced by Jean-Luc Azoulay and Richard Berkowitz. Bernard Paccalet exec produces. Alain Bucaille is the production manager.

Produced with the participation of RTL-TVI and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Music by Frédéric Porte. Main title song composed by Sébastien Lipszyc, Emmanuel Lipszyc and Franck Lascombes. Cinematography by Olivier Guarguir. François Salisch is the production designer. Costumes by Nathalie de Belleval. Sandrine Diot is the artistic coordinator. Main title sequence by Cinespi. Distributed by TF1 Studio.

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/09/camping-paradis-un-ange-gardien-au.html (Camping Paradis: Un ange gardien au camping)
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/03/josephine-ange-gardien-trois-campeurs.html (Joséphine, ange gardien: Trois campeurs et un mariage)