Wednesday 29 December 2021

BEST WISHES

Thank you for your ever-growing interest, your fidelity and your trust.

We wish you in advance all the best for 2022.

Thursday 16 December 2021

THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES - SERIES 1, EPISODES 4 TO 6 (CHANNEL 5/ACORN TV)

[FAVOURITE OF THE YEAR] An English antiques dealer becomes an amateur sleuth in the south of France after the suspicious death of her husband.

The bottom line: À savourer sans modération.

 
The Madame Blanc Mysteries (formerly The Reluctant Madame Blanc) is a  6 x 60-minute mystery comedy-drama shown in the U.K. on Channel 5 and available in the U.S. on the SVOD service Acorn TV. The series was created by actress and television presenter Sally Lindsay, whose CV includes Still Open All Hours, Mount Pleasant, Scott & Bailey and Coronation Street. In The Madame Blanc Mysteries, she also stars as Jean White, who runs a successful antiques business in England with her husband Rory. Jean's life is turned upside down when he dies in a car crash on his way home from Sainte Victoire, a little town in southern France known as an antiques hub. She learns from her sollicitor that all of their money has disappeared and their shop will be repossessed.

Fortunately, Jean still owns is a cottage they bought in Sainte Victoire. Rory was supposed to bring back a very expensive ring but it wasn't in his personal effects found on the scene of the accident so she travels to France in search of explanations. André Caron, head of the Sainte Victoire gendarmerie, knows nothing about the ring. Worse, Rory was often seen with a woman and everyone thought she was his wife. Jean White suspects her husband's death wasn't accidental so she starts her own investigation amongst the colourful Franco-British denizens of Sainte Victoire. The "other woman" turns out to be a dangerous adversary but Jean is helped by Dominic "Dom" Hayes, a friendly taxi driver. What happened to Rory and the disappearance of the ring are not the only mysteries she has to solve.
 
Directed by Dermot Boyd (The Worst Witch), The Madame Blanc Mysteries was written by Sally Lindsay with actress Sue Vincent (Mount Pleasant). In the series Vincent plays garage owner Gloria. Dom Hayes is played by Steve Edge (Starlings). The both iconic Sue Holderness (Only Fools and Horses) and Robin Askwith (the Confessions films, The Canterbury Tales, If....) play wife and husband Judith and Jeremy Lloyd-James, who live in their family chateau. Alex Gaumond, a Canadian actor and singer who starred in several West End musicals, is Gendarme André Caron. The other regulars are Narayan Hecter as Gloria's son Xavier, Margeaux Lampley (Céline), Aonghus Weber (Niall), Alaïs Lawson (Claudette Hayes),  Jacqueline Berces (Gendarme Richard), Félicité Du Jeu (Section de recherches, Waking the Dead) as Adele, Djinda Kane (Simone), Sanchia McCormack (Charlie) and Olivia Caffrey as Barbara.
 
The Madame Blanc Mysteries continues its excellent detective stories in the mold of Bergerac and Lovejoy while building a riveting series arc. In the surprising fourth episode, Caron calls Jean White for her expertise when a very valuable painting from the collection of a local art dealer is stolen after a violent assault on its owner. Simone and Charlie have a problem with a painting too, when a client says they sold him a fake. With Andrei Claude (Vikings) as Victor and Anthony Eldridge (Louie). Episode 5 leads Jean and Dom to Lourdes, where Jean White consults a friend about a priceless relic stolen in the church of a murdered priest. Niall's obnoxious mother visits her son without warning, much to the annoyance of poor Céline. American actor and voiceover artist David Coburn, whose extraordinary career is like an encyclopedia of cult TV in its own right (1), plays Sasha Ruse. Father Durand is played by French actor Jean-Baptiste Fillon (Mission: Impossible - Fallout).

Also with Belgian actor Éric Godon (Le temps est assassin, Professor T., Salamander) as Father Donadieu, Corinne Jaber (Molière of the Best Actress in 2001) as Paulette, Nicky Lewis (Karen), Julia Montgomery Brown (Vivienne Dumonet) and Eilish O'Carroll (Mrs. Brown's Boys) as Niamh. Jean White gets her ring back, Claudette's mother  reappears and "the other woman" wants revenge in the stunning sixth episode. Comedian, TV presenter and actor Paul O'Grady has a wonderful guest appearance as David. Will Jean stay in Sainte Victoire? Anyway, the deliciously Vigata-esque (2) French town is definitely in the same alternate reality as Saint Marie (Death in Paradise) and as fictional. The Madame Blanc Mysteries was actually filmed in Malta and Gozo and the locations are truly gorgeous. 
 
The very good music is by Hague & White aka Chris Hague, Joel White and Steve White (the husband of Sally Lindsay). The beautiful title song is called Passing Through and the song heard at the beginning of the first episode is Loin by Louise Courtois. The Madame Blanc Mysteries is produced by Clapperboard Studios and Saffron Cherry Productions (3) for Channel 5 and Acorn TV. Mike Benson, Sally Lindsay and Caroline Roberts-Cherry exec produce. Produced by Andy Morgan. Zlatina Rankova is the line producer. Vanessa Attard is the production coordinator. Cinematography by Sean Van Hales. Editing by Roy Demery. Costumes designed by John Krausa. Produced with the support of the Government of Malta via the Malta Film Commission and the support of incentives for the Film industry provided by the Governement of Ireland. Captivating, charming and fun, The Madame Blanc Mysteries deserves a second series.
 
(2) Vigàta is the town of Il commissario Montalbano
(2) Sally Lindsay is the creative director of the company.
 
https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/sue-holderness-madame-blanc-mysteries-newsupdate/ 

Tuesday 7 December 2021

LES PETITS MEURTRES D'AGATHA CHRISTIE: LE VALLON & MOURIR SUR SCENE (FRANCE 2)

Commissaire Annie Gréco (Émilie Gavois-Kahn) of the Commissariat de Lille is back with Inspector Max Beretta (Arthur Dupont) and psychologist Rose Bellecour (Chloé Chaudoye). Launched in January 2021, the 1970s era of France 2's long-running period crime drama Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie continues with a couple of excellent episodes: Le Vallon and Mourir sur scène.

« Bellecour, débarassez-moi de votre mère. »

Written by Flore Kossinetz, Hélène Lombard and Gabor Rassov, Le Vallon is loosely based on Agatha Christie's novel The Hollow (Le Vallon in French). A woman dies during a plastic surgery operation at the luxury clinic of Professor Rivière, a renowned establishment. Later, Rivière's assistant Doctor Colin is found dead with a bullet in his head by Barbara Bellecour. The wealthy mother of Rose Bellecour was going to consult for her cheekbones. Commissaire Gréco and Inspector Beretta investigate with the assistance of Rose, who discovers that Barbara could be involved. Max's anger management doesn't get any better when he learns that Delphine (his separated wife) has a lover named Paulo. Commissaire divisionnaire Servan Legoff talks to Rose Bellecour about his childhood.

Weed dealer and unexpected expert in seduction Paulo Romero is played by Estéban, who delivers a hilarious performance. The actor's real name is Michael Bensoussan and he is also the singer of the band Naive New Beaters under the pseudonym of David Boring. With Pierre Cassignard (Professor Rivière), Aurélia Petit (Geneviève Rivière), Quentin Baillot (Alexandra Ehle) as Servan Legoff, Benoît Moret (Pathologist Jacques Blum), Christèle Tual (Barbara Bellecour), Nicolas Lumbreras as hippie hotel owner Bob, Savério Maligno (Rateau), Alexandre Russo (Cassard), Maryne Bertieaux (Delphine), Raphaëlle Cambray (Véronique Delmas), Thomas Debaene (Doctor Colin), etc. Directed by Alexandre Coffre (Les Aventures de Spirou et Fantasio).

 « C'est comme si vous me disiez qu'un fan des Beatles veut tuer John Lennon. C'est stupide. »

Penned by Éliane Montane and Thomas Mansuy, Mourir sur scène isn't adapted from a book by Agatha Christie (1). The tour of Nelly and Sky, the favourite pop singer duo of French teenagers, stops at the Colisée of Roubaix. Rico, a client of Rose Bellecour, claims that Sky stole one of his songs for the duo's latest hit. When he rushes to the Colisée, Rose follows him to prevent a catastrophe. Unfortunately, a guitarist is killed by the fall of a spotlight during a rehearsal while trying to save Sky. Rico swears he has nothing to do with it and Bellecour tells Gréco and Beretta that he's her cousin! Max happens to be a guitar player so Annie decides to send him amongst the musicians working with Nelly and Sky to protect the singer. 

Three years after the memorable Mélodie mortelle from the previous era, Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie couldn't resist a return to the world of show business.  Mourir sur scène captures the style of the Variétés from the 1970s with a song called Il était un homme. This episode was actually filmed after another one titled Quand les souris dansent, yet to be aired by France 2. It may cause a minor continuity problem regarding Gréco and Blum (2). Fast-paced comedy, great dialogues, aptly chosen actors and lavish production values remain the trademarks of the series. The work of production designer Moundji Couture (the operating theatre in Le Vallon and the "TARDIS" stage in Mourir sur scène) is extraordinary. Just like the costumes by Céline Guignard, especially the very Space: 1999 uniforms of the clinic employees.

Actor and humorist Thomas VDB (Alexandra Ehle) plays Rico. With Louka Meliava (Sky), Solange Fréjean (Nelly), Quentin Baillot, Benoît Moret, Christèle Tual, Nicolas Lumbreras, Stéphane Debac (Patrick Puech), Savério Maligno, Alexandre Russo, Bruno Georis (Oskian), etc. Directed by Nicolas Picard-Dreyfuss. Co-produced by Sophie Révil's Escazal Films and France Télévisions, with the support of Pictanovo and Région Hauts-de-France. Produced with the participation of TV5 Monde and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Sophie Révil and Denis Carot are the line producers. James Prichard, Basi Akpabio and Leo Desoyza are the associate producers for Agatha Christie Ltd. Cvetanka Atanasova is the production manager.

Music composed and conducted by Stéphane Moucha. Songs Il était un homme, Androgyne Idole and Tout à moi (Mourir sur scène) composed by Stéphane Moucha. Cinematography by Jean-François Hensgens (Le Vallon) and Bertrand Mouly (Mourir sur scène). Edited by Bertrand Nail (Le Vallon) and Céline Cloarec (Mourir sur scène). Casting by Michaël Laguens. Main title sequence designed by Romain Segaud. Characters created by Flore Kossinetz, Éliane Montane, Gabor Rassov and Sophie Révil. Distributed by France Télévisions Distribution. Le Vallon and Mourir sur scène will be shown by France 2 on December 10th and December 17th, respectively.

Special thanks to Christophe Kerambrun.

(1) Mourir sur scène is the title of a famous song by French singer Dalida.
(2) Or not. We haven't seen Quand les souris dansent.

https://lespetitsfans.wixsite.com/lpmac/les-petits-fans
https://twitter.com/lespetitsfans
https://twitter.com/ACCriminalGames

See also:

http://naivenewbeaters.artiste.universalmusic.fr/

https://www.coliseeroubaix.com/histoire
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2021/02/les-petits-meurtres-dagatha-christie-la.html

Wednesday 1 December 2021

THE CODE (LE CODE) - SERIES 1, EPISODES 1 & 2: PROFESSION DE FOI & PRESUMÉ COUPABLE (FRANCE 2)

[Favourite of the Month] Idriss Toma, a successful lawyer, brutally faces the consequences of his work for the rich and powerful. He decides to help those who really need him. 
 
The Code (Le Code) is a top-tier 6 x 52-minute legal drama from the makers of Double Je and Cherif which premieres today on French pubcaster France 2.

« Donnez-moi 30 secondes. »
 
Created by Lionel Olenga, Cécile Even and Nicolas Robert (1), Le Code is produced by Making Prod and L.O. Productions with France Télévisions. The series stars the talented and charismatic Daniel Njo Lobé, frequently seen on television (Meurtres à..., Astrid et Raphaëlle, Marseille...) or on stage and heard in numerous French dubbings (he's the voice of Idris Elba in Luther). Here he plays lawyer Idriss Toma, whose latest triumph in a parisian court comes at a price when he's shot with three bullets while celebrating. Toma survives and returns to Lille, his hometown, but a small piece of bullet stuck in his head can kill him at any moment.  Smart, charming and self-confident, he wants to help people in need of a second chance against the judicial system. 
 
Idriss is now a partner in the law firm Ayad-Toma-Vanhoven specialized in criminal defense with a passionate lawyer named Nadia Ayad and Jeanne Vanhoven, the eccentric "living legend" of the Bar of Lille. The trio is helped by two young collaborators, Claire Caldeira and Maxime Laffargue, and the firm's legal assistant Élodie Nedelec. In Profession de foi, the very effective (right from the pre-credit sequence) first episode, Idriss Toma and Claire Caldeira defend a woman about to be judged for the murder of her violent companion. Idriss has a problem of his own as he tries to reconnect with his daughter Chloé after the death of her mother. Nadia must take care of a compulsive shoe stealer. 
 
11 years after the end of the long-running legal drama Avocats et associés (1998-2010), the genre makes a flamboyant return on France 2 thanks to the impeccably crafted Le Code (directed by Jean-Christophe Delpias). Its creators, producers and scriptwriters brilliantly blend the spirit and the tone of U.S. classics from Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley like L.A. Law, Murder One or Boston Legal with the specificities of French criminal procedure. Daniel Njo Lobé is surrounded by a perfect regular cast. Naidra Ayadi (Stillwater, Zone Blanche) plays Nadia Ayad. Theatre, movie and TV actress Christiane Millet is fabulous as Jeanne Vanhoven, a character reminiscent of Boston Legal's Denny Crane (William Shatner) (2).  
 
There's also Barbara Probst (Missions, Camping Paradis) as Claire, Théo Frilet (Maxime Laffargue), Catherine Demaiffe (Le sang de la vigne) as Élodie and Wendy Nieto (Crimes parfaits) as Chloé Barbier. Nadia and Maxime confront the formidable prosecuting attorney Jacques Kowalski in Présumé coupable, the gripping second episode where a young man with a heavy criminal record is accused of shooting down the owner of a grocery store. Chloé gets in big trouble and Idriss wants to be her lawyer. All the characters promise interesting developments, judging from those two episodes written by Lionel Olenga, Cécile Even and Nicolas Robert. 
 
The excellent guest stars of Profession de foi are Annelise Hesme (Nina) as Estelle Lantez, Stéphane Blancafort (Tandem) as Carl Roussel, Gwendolyn Courvenec (Avocate générale Christiansen), François Bureloup (Chérif) as Mr Garcia, Guillaume Faure (Julien Gurou), Fleur Geffrier (Das Boot, Double Je) as Louise Litt, etc. Alban Casterman (Tandem, Al Dorsey, détective privé) makes an appearance... on a photo. The guest cast of Présumé coupable is of the same quality: Grégoire Bonnet (Scènes de ménages, Nina) as Avocat général Kowalski, Elias Hauter (Jérémy Dutertre), Pascal Casanova (Président Toumou), etc. Produced with the participation of TV5 Monde. Filmed with the support of Région Grand Est, Ville de Reims and Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims.
 
Produced by Stéphane Drouet and Lionel Olenga. Music composed and performed by Michael Tordjman and Maxime Desprez (Double Je). Cinematography by Dominique De Wever. Editing by Thaddée Bertrand (Episode 1) and Nathalie Langlade (Episode 2). Sophie Schmidt is the production manager. Main title design by Mathieu Decarli. This year, Daniel Njo Lobé won the Best Actor award (French competion) at the Séries Mania Festival for Le Code. The series was filmed in Lille, Épernay, Reims and Paris. Distributed by Mediawan Rights, Le Code is available on Salto, the French streaming service, since November 24th.
 
Special thanks to Christophe Kerambrun and Nicolas Robert.

(1) Based on an original idea from Lionel Olenga.
(2) Her name is a nod to the character of Grace Van Owen in L.A. Law.

 
See also:
 

Wednesday 17 November 2021

THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES - SERIES 1, EPISODE 1 TO 3 (CHANNEL 5/ACORN TV)

[FAVOURITE OF THE YEAR] An English antiques dealer becomes an amateur sleuth in the south of France after the suspicious death of her husband.

The bottom line: À savourer sans modération.
 
The Madame Blanc Mysteries (formerly The Reluctant Madame Blanc) is a  6 x 60-minute mystery comedy-drama which premiered last month in the U.K. on Channel 5 and started in the U.S. this week on the SVOD service Acorn TV. The series was created by actress and television presenter Sally Lindsay, whose resume includes Still Open All Hours, Mount Pleasant, Scott & Bailey and Coronation Street. In The Madame Blanc Mysteries, she also stars as Jean White, who runs a successful antiques business in England with her husband Rory. Jean's life is turned upside down when he dies in a car crash on his way home from Sainte Victoire, a little town in southern France known as an antiques hub. She learns from her sollicitor that all of their money has disappeared and their shop will be repossessed.

Luckily, Jean still owns is a cottage they bought in Sainte Victoire. Rory was supposed to bring back a very expensive ring but it wasn't in his personal effects found on the scene of the accident so she travels to France in search of explanations. André Caron, head of the Sainte Victoire gendarmerie, knows nothing about the ring. Worse, Rory was often seen with a woman and everyone thought she was his wife. Jean White suspects her husband's death wasn't accidental so she starts her own investigation amongst the colourful Franco-British denizens of Sainte Victoire. The "other woman" turns out to be a dangerous adversary but Jean is helped by Dominic "Dom" Hayes, a friendly taxi driver. What happened to Rory and the disappearance of the ring are not the only mysteries she has to solve.
 
Directed by Dermot Boyd (The Worst Witch), The Madame Blanc Mysteries was written by Sally Lindsay with actress Sue Vincent (Mount Pleasant). In the series Vincent plays garage owner Gloria. Dom Hayes is played by Steve Edge (Starlings). The both iconic Sue Holderness (Only Fools and Horses) and Robin Askwith (the Confessions films, The Canterbury Tales, If....) play wife and husband Judith and Jeremy Lloyd-James, who live in their family chateau. Alex Gaumond, a Canadian actor and singer who starred in several West End musicals, is Gendarme André Caron. The other regulars are Narayan Hecter as Gloria's son Xavier, Margeaux Lampley (Céline), Aonghus Weber (Niall), Alaïs Lawson (Claudette Hayes),  Jacqueline Berces (Gendarme Richard), Félicité Du Jeu (Section de recherches, Waking the Dead) as Adele, Djinda Kane (Simone), Sanchia McCormack (Charlie) and Olivia Caffrey as Barbara.
 
In the second episode, Jean White helps an elderly woman whose mother and brother were taken by the Nazis during World War II. She has an old book containing a riddle that could lead to a treasure. Meanwhile, Sainte Victoire welcomes the producer of a TV programme called A New Life in France. Natasha Cashman (Détectives) and François-Eric Gendron (Avocats et associés, Le Proc) are in the guest cast. The 1980s themed 35th wedding anniversary party of Judith and Jeremy goes wrong in the third episode. Comedy legend Paul Chuckle guest stars as Gloria's dad Trevor. With its excellent detective stories, a riveting series arc and a cast of quality, The Madame Blanc Mysteries is a must see for fans of mystery/detective dramas.
 
The deliciously Vigata-esque (1) Sainte Victoire is definitely in the same alternate reality as Saint Marie (Death in Paradise) and as fictional. The Madame Blanc Mysteries was actually filmed in Malta and Gozo and the locations are truly gorgeous. The very good music is by Hague & White aka Chris Hague, Joel White and Steve White (the husband of Sally Lindsay). The beautiful title song is called Passing Through and the song heard at the beginning of the first episode is Loin by Louise Courtois. The Madame Blanc Mysteries is produced by Clapperboard Studios and Saffron Cherry Productions (2) for Channel 5 and Acorn TV. Mike Benson, Sally Lindsay and Caroline Roberts-Cherry exec produce. Produced by Andy Morgan.
 
Zlatina Rankova is the line producer. Vanessa Attard is the production coordinator. Cinematography by Sean Van Hales. Editing by Roy Demery. Costumes designed by John Krausa. Produced with the support of the Government of Malta via the Malta Film Commission and the support of incentives for the Film industry provided by the Governement of Ireland.
 
(1) Vigàta is the town of Il commissario Montalbano
(2) Sally Lindsay is the creative director of the company.
 
 

Monday 18 October 2021

MAGELLAN (COMMISSAIRE MAGELLAN): MORTEL REFRAIN (FRANCE 3)

The beloved French mystery series Commissaire Magellan comes to an end with its 38th episode.
 
Created by Laurent Mondy (Les Cordier, juge et flic), Commissaire Magellan was launched on pubcaster France 3 in 2009. Produced by Jean Luc Azoulay's JLA Productions with France Télévisions (and 13ème Rue) and set in the fictional northern town of Saignac, it stars Jacques Spiesser as Commissaire Simon Magellan. Selma Kouchy plays Lieutenant Selma Berrayah, his deputy. The other regulars are Nathalie Besançon as Magellan's companion Florence Higel (a journalist for the local paper La Sentinelle), Franz Lang as Simon's nephew Ludo and Marie de Stefano as Cordelia (the commissaire's younger daughter).
 
Commissaire Magellan crossed over twice (in 2016 and 2018) with Mongeville, another hit of the channel. Jacques Spiesser is brilliant as the debonair detective in those old school whodunnits, built according to a proven formula, which deliver what the fans like and expect. In many respects, this  heir to Les cinq dernières minutes, Navarro (a production of Jean-Luc Azoulay) or even Derrick (1) is France's answer to Midsomer Murders. In February 2021, Mongeville and Commissaire Magellan were officially axed by France 3 in spite of their healthy ratings (even in repeats). Written by Anton Voyl (2) and directed by Stéphane Kopecky (Joséphine, ange gardien),  Mortel refrain was filmed between October and November 2020 in the Département du Nord.

Mathieu Deschamps, a singer famous 15 years ago, prepares his return with a new album and a tour when he's killed in a recording studio. Commissaire Magellan and Lieutenant Berrayah investigate in the victim's entourage, starting with his wife, his stepdaughter and his producer.  It's Simon's birthday soon and Paul Gavrillac, his longtime friend, arrives at his house without warning. He's quickly followed by Barbara, Magellan's ex-wife, who didn't warn either. Both are depressed for the same reason. The plot of Mortel refrain looks like it has been done a gazillion times but at least Jacques Spiesser and his character make a proper goodbye, subtle and elegant. 
 
Series favourites Bernard Alane (Paul) and Agnès Soral (Barbara) provide the highlights of this episode with Franz Lang. The guest cast includes Anne Caillon (Demain nous appartient) as Elsa Deschamps and Jean-Pierre Michaël (Ici Tout Commence, R.I.S. Police Scientifique) as David Gordon. Also with Avy Marciano (Stéphane Larrieux), Éric Boucher (Mathieu Deschamps), Julien Crampon (Corentin), Bertille Chabert (Juliette), etc. Produced by Richard Berkowitz. Exec produced by Olivier Guedj. Jean-Marie Aumont is the production manager for JLA. Elizabeth Bonnay is the production manager for France Télévisions. Music by Frédéric Porte. Cinematography by Jonny Semeco. Commissaire Magellan is available in the U.S. and Canada on SVOD service MHz Choice under the title Magellan
 
(1) Not to mention, Les Cordier, juge et flic (naturally).   
(2) Most probably a pseudonym (a reference to La Disparition, the novel by Georges Perec). Thomas Luntz is credited as the writer in the press release which announced the filming of this episode.

Wednesday 13 October 2021

MCDONALD & DODDS - SERIES 1, EPISODE 2: A WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS (ITV)

Created by scriptwriter Robert Murphy (DCI Banks), McDonald & Dodds is a British mystery drama set in the beautiful town of Bath — in the west of England and launched in 2020. The series is produced by Mammoth Screen (Endeavour) for ITV and Britbox.
 
McDonald & Dodds is a most pleasant take on the mismatched detective duo, where the crime-solving genius isn't in the foreground. The smart and effective DCI Lauren McDonald teams up with the unassuming DS Dodds (no first name known), a middle-aged man who dips his chips in butter and has a keen eye for details.
 
« Back home, we had a massive argument about Spotify etiquette.
- Spot...? »

Series 1 of McDonald & Dodds  consists of 2 x 90 minute episodes. The ever brilliant Jason Watkins (The Crown, The  Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies) is Dodds, alongside an excellent regular cast: Tala Gouveia (Cold Feet) as McDonald, James Murray (Cucumber, Primeval) as Chief Superintendent John Houseman and Jack Riddiford (DC Darren Craig). Pearl Chanda (DC Laura Simpson) was replaced by Lily Sacofsky (Sanditon) as DC Milena Paciorkowski in Series 2 (1). Jane Crawford, a patient of an expensive rehab clinic, is found hanged in her room. DCI McDonald rules out suicide when Sergeant Dodds notices an important detail... at the cost of a water pipe.
 
« Have you ever met anyone who's evil?
- Twice. »

The detectives meet Kelly Mulcreevy, the therapist in charge of the group which included Jane. They interrogate the remaining members: Miles Stevens, Mary Costair, Alison Speirs and Maheeda Abaasi. Lauren and Dodds must find out what is "the 13th step". Their investigation is complicated from the inside of the police station, and not only because of Houseman's management. McDonald "weaponises" the little sergeant, who knows the game of boules, the History of Bath and reads French. The likeable tandem faces a devious adversary in A Wilderness of Mirrors, thoroughly written by series creator Robert Murphy.
 
We learn a bit more on Lauren's life with her (unseen) boyfriend but also about Dodds.  McDonald & Dodds is an affectionate homage to Columbo in a superb setting reminiscent of Inspector Morse's Oxford. Of course, the guest cast of this episode is first class: Caroline Catz (Doc Martin) as Alison Speirs, Hugh Dennis (Not Going Out, Outnumbered) as George Holden, Michele Dotrice (Mary Costair), Freddie Fox (Miles Stevens), Suzanne Packer (Jane Crawford), Charlotte Ritchie (Call the Midwife) as DS Irene Ross, Joanna Scanlan (Kelly Mulcreevy) and Kiran Sonia Sawar (Murdered by my Father) as Maheeda Abaasi.

Produced by Amy Thurgood. Co-produced by Sarah Lewis. Exec produced by Preethi Mavahalli, Robert Murphy and Damien Timmer. Music by Blair Mowat (Happy!). Cinematography by Tim Palmer BSC. Editing by Andy Morrison. Titles by Liquid TV. Distributed by ITV Studios. McDonald & Dodds will premiere in Switzerland on RTS Un on Saturday, October 23rd and in France the day after. Filming of Series 3 has started this week. A Wilderness of Mirrors was helmed by Laura Scrivano.

(1) 3 x 90 minute episodes.

Friday 24 September 2021

ARSÈNE LUPIN - SEASON 1, EPISODE 2: VICTOR DE LA BRIGADE MONDAINE (ORTF, 1971)

In the Netflix series Lupin, Omar Sy follows the steps of Arsène Lupin, the literary gentleman thief created by Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941). Amongst the previous adaptations of the author's work, the best known is Arsène Lupin (1971-1974). Starring Georges Descrières in the title role, this version remains one the most popular series in the History of French television. 

Europe in the 1920s. Charming and elegant, Arsène Lupin steals without violence. He's a master of disguise who ridicules the authorities and the best sleuths, though himself enjoys to play the detective. Particularly if a beautiful woman is involved. 

« Voler oui! Et encore, à condition de ne voler que des nantis, que des injustes ou des exploiteurs. Et d'ailleurs Lupin ne vole pas. Il rétablit l'équilibre.  »

Maurice Leblanc's iconic character first appeared in 39 short stories and 17 novels between 1905 and 1939. Several actors portrayed Arsène Lupin for the cinema, including Robert Lamoureux in 1957 and 1959. In 1960, Jean Gascon played Lupin in a 13 x 25-minute adaptation of the novel L'Aiguille creuse for Canadian TV (1). During the decade, writer and director Jacques Nahum tried to convince French state television about an Arsène Lupin series. Nahum, who adapted The Saint with the film Le Saint mène la danse (1960), actually had Simon Templar in mind but couldn't get the rights.

At the end of 1968, L'Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (ORTF) commissioned Jacques Nahum's Mars International Productions and Pathé to produce 13 one-hour episodes of Arsène Lupin with them. Theatre and movie actor Georges Descrières (of the Comédie-Française) was chosen for the role in 1969. Germany's WDR, Radio-Canada, Austria's ORF, Belgian TV, Dutch pubcaster NCRV, Italy's RAI and Swiss TV joined as co-producers. This international funding ensured classy production values and allowed Lupin to travel in Europe with his chauffeur Grognard (French Canadian actor Yvon Bouchard) (2).  

« Monsieur, dans la police on sait mourir.
- Dans la banque aussi, monsieur. Mais on est pas impatients. »

The ORTF 2nd channel aired Arsène Lupin from March to June 1971 and its reception prompted the commission of a second 13-episode season (1973-1974). The writers loosely based their scripts on Leblanc's stories to favour a lighter Arsène, like in Victor de la brigade mondaine. While Paris only has eyes for Josephine Baker, a man pretending to be Arsène Lupin robs a bank. Commissaire Guerchard, archenemy of the gentleman thief, is called on the scene but the new Préfet de police (« J'ai réfléchi, j'ai examiné, j'ai computé et j'ai la solution. ») thinks someone could get better results: Victor of the Brigade mondaine, an inspector working in Africa and whose face is unknown to everyone in Metropolitan France... even the préfet.

Except it's Arsène Lupin who arrives in Paris as Victor to expose a plan to the Préfet de police at the Eiffel Tower. He will impersonate Lupin disguised as a British burglar named Andrew Lorchester in order to catch himself! Not without making exorbitant demands to the gullible official. Later, Lorchester/Lupin meets Countess Natacha, the accomplice of a someone she believes to be Arsène Lupin. This is actually Bressacq, the man who robbed the bank. Helmed by Jean-Pierre Decourt, Victor de la brigade mondaine was penned by journalist, scriptwriter and playwright Claude Brulé (Angélique, marquise des anges, Les liaisons dangereuses).

Georges Descrières shines in a splendid tribute to les Années folles full of fabulous dialogues and numerous references (including a nod to Louis Feuillade). This second episode introduces Commissaire Guerchard (3), Arsène Lupin's nemesis, portrayed with brilliance by Roger Carel (1927-2020). His career spanned more than 60 years during which he became a reliable comedy actor for the stage, television and cinema. Most of all, Roger Carel earned a status of French national treasure in the art of dubbing. He lent his voice to Jack Lemmon, Peter Sellers, Astérix, Kermit the Frog, Benny Hill, David Suchet in Poirot, Jerry Lewis and so many others.

« Vous êtes vraiment sûr que vous êtes vous? C'est tellement incroyable»

Guerchard was for Carel an opportunity to display onscreen  the full extent of his talent in one of those serious roles he could get more easily with dubbing. Countess Natacha (« Je vous hais. ») is played by Swiss actress  Marthe Keller before La demoiselle d'Avignon (1972) made her an instant TV superstar. Then she did several Hollywood films like Marathon Man or Bobby Deerfield and pursued a long career. Bernard Lavalette, a familiar face from the théâtre de boulevard and television, is the unfortunate "Préfet of the week". Also with Pierre Massimi (Les secrets de la Mer rouge) as Bressacq, Jean Berger (4) (Ministre de l'intérieur), etc.

Repeats helped to establish Georges Descrières as the definitive Lupin for generations of viewers, although Leblanc's fans may disagree. His nonchalant charisma and his disguises make the series a special treat. Arsène Lupin's popularity also owes to the music composed by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre. The theme, arranged by José Bartel, is on a Bondian title sequence designed by Jean Fouchet for Eurocitel. L'Arsène, the sublime end title song, was composed by Bourtayre and Jacques Lanzmann for French hit singer Jacques Dutronc. Cinematography by Pierre Petit. Production designed by Lucien Aguettant with Charles Finelli.

Editing by Francine Grubert, Claude Pérol and Anne-France Marboeuf. André Deroual is the production manager. Costumes of Georges Descrières designed by Création Georges Bril. Cars provided by the Autorama museum. Last June, Nouveau Monde Éditions published in France the first 20 stories of Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc in their original form (as published in the magazine Je sais tout) and with their original illustrations. A second volume with 16 more episodes followed this month. The first season of Arsène Lupin will be available in the United states and in Canada on October 5, thanks to SVOD service MHz Choice .

(1) From 1960 to 1961, stage, movie, TV and dubbing actor Michel Roux lent his distinctive voice to Arsène Lupin for the French state radio. 
(2) Yvon Bouchard is dubbed by Francis Lax in some episodes.
(3) The character was called Inspecteur Ganimard in Maurice Leblanc's work, except in the 1908 play Arsène Lupin, where he's called Guerchard
(4) Jean Berger was also a dubbing artist. He was the regular French voice of Patrick Macnee (amongst others).
 
 

Monday 13 September 2021

FACE À FACE - EPISODE 1 (FRANCE 2)

One is a judge, the other a cop. They're half-sisters and can't stand each other. They work together and must live in the same house. 
 
An American sitcom of the 1980s? No, a 12 x 52 minute crime drama for France 2.
 
Face à face (formerly En quête de vérité) stars Claire Borotra (La vengeance aux yeux clairs, Le mystère du lac) as Judge Justine Rameau and Constance Gay (Unité 42) as Commander Vanessa Tancelin. Their co-stars are Pascal Demolon (Commissaire Alain Rameau), Marc Ruchmann (Plan Coeur, Le chalet) as Captain Grégory Kieffer and Clémentine Justine (Claire Sorel). The series was created by Anne-Charlotte Kassab (Léo Matteï, brigade des mineurs, Unité 42), Nassim Ben Allal (Les Chamois, Al Dorsey, détective privé) and Yann Le Gal (Léo Matteï, brigade des mineurs, Soupçons). 
 
Written by Anne-Charlotte Kassab and Nassim Ben Allal with Yann Le gal, Episode 1 is actually the first of two one-hour pilots directed by Julien Zidi (Le crime lui va si bien, Perfect Murders) (1). The character played by Marc Ruchmann is credited "Grégory Marchois" in this couple of episodes. A man finds the dead body of another man on an office floor. He puts the cadaver on a chair and pushes him through a window. Vanessa Tancelin, a maverick police officer freshly transferred to Strasbourg, arrives on the crime scene. The victim, who fell from the 5th floor of a business incubator, was an architect.
 
Tancelin notices the first man, who stayed around, and arrests him after a chase without her shoes. Then, an article of the Code de procédure pénale pops up on our screen because someone probably thought it was a good idea. Commander Tancelin meets Justine Rameau, the juge d'instruction on the case. It looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship or a revival of TF1's long-running crime drama hit Femmes de loi (2) but there's a catch. Well, only for Justine who ignores that Vanessa is her half-sister. Édouard Koenig, their father who's a judge too, didn't tell her and now she's confronted with the truth as poor Édouard dies in front of them before a triple bypass surgery. 
 
Both women are shocked, though Justine Rameau's husband learns about this new member of the family rather gracefully. After all, Alain Rameau is Vanessa Tancelin's boss. On the contrary, Justine can't cope with the presence of her half-sister. She doesn't tell her the day of Édouard's funeral and Vanessa retaliates by moving in Justine Rameau's family house. The rigorous judge starts a personal and professional war against the instinctive cop. This first hour of Face à face painfully dilutes a generic police procedural, "sold" by a far-fetched concept (3), into a family melodrama. 
 
With the participation of Alain Doutey (Édouard Koenig) and Agnès Soral. Also with Éric Savin (Cédric Rouget), Charles Templon (Nicolas Gauvin), Slimane Yefsah (Alexandre Baranes), Emma Ninucci (Margaux Rameau), etc. Produced by Troisième Oeil Story and France Télévisions with RTL TVI and RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse). Exec produced by Thierry Langlois and Frédéric Bruneel. Produced by Sidonie Cohen de Lara and Sébastien Charbit. Ludovic Eyrolle is the production manager. Music by Flemming Nordkrog and Romain Trouillet. Cinematography by Dominique De Wever
 
Filmed with the support of Région Grand Est and Strasbourg Eurométropole. Face à face premiered last month on RTL TVI. Distributed by Mediawan Rights (Mismatch is the international title).
 
(1) Unfortunately, Julien Zidi died in a motorcycle accident in May.
(2) Femmes de loi (2000-2009) was a crime drama centered on a substitut du procureur and a police lieutenant.
(3) "Un crime. Deux visions. L'une veut trouver les coupables, l'autre qu'ils soient condamnés. Instinctive, Vanessa, la flic, s’affranchit des règles pour arrêter les assassins. Procédurière, Justine, la juge, s’assure que le coupable soit condamné. Un seul point commun : leur père. Demi-sœurs, elles sont condamnées à vivre et travailler ensemble." (Press release).
 
 
[Update - March 14, 2022]
 
Made for France 2, Face à face arrives tomorrow on France 3.

Wednesday 1 September 2021

THIRD MAN OUT: A DONALD STRACHEY MYSTERY (2005, HERE TV)

Donald Strachey is the quintessential private eye, a worthy heir to Philip Marlowe, but with a difference... He's gay. Third Man Out (2005) is the first of four excellent TV movies based on a book series.

Donald Strachey was created by American journalist and author Richard Lipez, who's openly gay, under the pen name Richard Stevenson. Strachey lives in Albany, N.Y. with his longtime partner Timothy "Timmy" Callahan, the aide to a New York state senator, and often investigates cases which concern the local gay community. Sixteen Donald Strachey Mystery novels were published between 1981 and 2019. Oddly, only a quarter were adapted.

« I've heard about you. You're that little Nancy boy Drew running around town causing trouble. »

From 2005 to 2008, U.S. premium LGBT channel Here TV shown four films shot in Canada and starring Chad Allen (Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman) as Donald Strachey and Sebastian Spence (First Wave) as Timothy Callahan: Third Man Out (2005), Shock to the System (2006), On the Other Hand, Death (2008) and Ice Blues (2008).  were helmed by director Ron Oliver (Queer as Folk, Psi Factor), who brought a substantial dose of of his creativity to the TV versions of Richard Stevenson's books (1)

Based on the fourth novel, Third Man Out was written by Mark Saltzman. An unknown shooter tries to kill gay activist John Rutka in his own home. Eddie Santon, his boyfriend, asks private detective Donald Strachey for help. Donald reluctantly accepts the case as Rutka is famous for outing personalities whom he considers hypocritical. He saves his client from a fire in his house but soon thinks that John and Eddie staged the attacks and he decides to quit. When John Rutka is found dead, Strachey faces Santon's reproaches and resumes his investigation. 

For his next target, Rutka was about to choose between congressman Bruno Slinger, TV puppeteer Ronnie Linklater and an unidentified third personality. Third Man Out successfully combines mystery and a film noir atmosphere with romance. Chad Allen is convincing as a P.I. right from his first scene (Strachey's car is an old Toyota Tercel). The romantic aspect of the Donald Strachey films comes from the relationship between Donald and Timmy, influenced by the Thin Man movies (1934-1947) and their husband/wife detective duo Nick and Nora Charles (2).

The chemistry between gay actor Chad Allen outed by a tabloid in 1996 and Sebastian Spence, who's straight, is essential to the charm of these adaptations. Though their characters come from different worlds (Donald has a military past, Timmy's father is a Republican congressman), they are committed to each other and live happily in a house in perpetual renovation with their dog Dr. Watson. A place where the couple always enjoy a Martini at the end of the day.

« Timmy, I think maybe you'd better take Dr. Watson for a walk.
- I just did.
- I think he needs to go again.
- Okay. Excuse me while I out my dog for the good of us all. »

In Third Man Out, Strachey gets to know Albany Police Detective Bub Bailey (Daryl Shuttleworth). He also meets a hotel desk clerk named Kenny Kwon. The role was originally a bit part in the first film but actor Nelson Wong came back in the others, this time to be Donald's assistant. Since Ice Blues, the last Donald Strachey, Wong played characters named "Kenny Kwon" in several Hallmark TV movies directed by Ron Oliver. Fans of both Hallmark Channel and Wong call these participations "the Kennyverse". The latest is A Timeless Christmas (2020). 

John Rutka is played by Canadian stage and TV actor Jack Wetherall (Queer as Folk). Sean Young (Blade Runner) is Ann Rutka. The rest of the cast of Third Man Out includes Woody Jeffreys (Eddie Santon), Matthew Rush (Dik Steele), April Amber Telek (Alice Savage), John Moore (Bishop McFee), Alf Humphries (Father Morgan), P. Lynn Johnson (Senator Dianne Glassman), Kirsten Williamson (DaVinci's Inquest) as  Meredith, David Palffy (Stargate SG-1) as Bruno Slinger, Sean Carey (Ronnie Linklater),  Richard Ian Cox (Black Stallion) as Howie, etc.

Produced by Shavick Entertainment (The New Addams Family), Insight Film and Video Productions Ltd and Barry Krost. Exec produced by Paul Colichman and James Shavick. Randy Zalken is the co-executive producer.  Produced by Kirk Shaw. Stacey Belecos Shaw is the associate producer. Cinematography by C. Kim Miles. Music by Ronnie Way and Bill Cunningham. In Heat, In Love composed by Peter Allen (lyrics by Dave Hudgins) and performed by Sibel Thrasher, who appears in the film.

Martinis by Moonlight composed by Ronnie Way and Bill Cunningham and performed by Ronnie Way. Editing by Tony Dean Smith. Production designed by Rick Whitfield. Victoria Soderholm is the set decorator, assisted by Andrew Ried. Title design by Krista Lomax. A Here! Films/Regent Entertainment presentation. Chad Allen retired from acting (and production) in 2015 to become a psychologist.  Third Man Out and the other Donald Strachey Mysteries made for television are a celebration of detective fiction.

(1) (2) See Bonnie Jean Mah's excellent documentary Martinis & Murder: Inside the Donald Strachey Mysteries (2009).

https://bryandspellman.com/donald-strachey-mysteries
https://www.advocate.com/politics/commentary/2005/08/15/chads-case
https://mydevotionalthoughts.net/2019/11/interview-with-actor-nelson-wong-christmas-at-the-plaza.html