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Wednesday 29 December 2021
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. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/sue-holderness-madame-blanc-mysteries-newsupdate/
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.
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.
https://rights.mediawan.com/world-catalogue/drama/program/4771 (Trailer with English subtitles)
See also:
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