MURDER IN ANGOULÊME (LE PRIX DE LA TRAHISON, FRANCE 3)

Comedian and actress Mimie Mathy, the star of TF1's long running hit Joséphine, ange gardien, is back on France 3 to play Police captain Marie Jourdan for the third time in Murder in Angoulême (Le prix de la trahison). Mathieu Delarive returns too as Gendarmerie commander Paul Danceny.

Like Le prix de la vérité (2017) and Le prix de la loyauté (2019) (1), Le prix de la trahison was penned by Laurent Mondy (Commissaire Magellan, Les Cordier, juge et flic). Marie Jourdan and her husband Pierre, restaurateur in Angoulême, celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. Marie has invited her friend Paul Danceny, who arrives from Aix-en-Provence. The party is interrupted when the police arrests Marie and Pierre's son Alex for the murder of Juliette Ravenne, a local journalist with whom he had an affair.

Danceny offers Marie Jourdan his assistance and Marie's boss Commissaire Florence Martens gives them two days to prove Alex's innocence. Captain Jourdan's adopted daughter Louise, who's a lawyer, helps them. Le prix de la trahison is better than Le prix de la loyauté but definitely not as good as Le prix de la vérité. It's a standard France 3 crime/mystery TV movie —  including the inevitable and annoying drone shots — enhanced by the talented Mimie Mathy (2). Patrick Raynal, a familiar face of the channel, plays Pierre Jourdan. 

 

Fabrice Deville (Un si grand soleil) looks like he enjoyed playing shady businessman Josselin Delmont, a character which reminds the one played by Philippe Caroit in Le prix de la vérité. Also with Juliette Chêne (Louise Jourdan), Cécilia Cara (Sandra Jourdan), Rémi Bichet (3) (Franck Neuville), Mathieu Coniglio (Alex Jourdan), Clara Quilichini (Victoria Delmont), Jean-Luc Joseph (Lieutenant Diawara), Laurence Bréheret (Commissaire Martens), etc. Produced by Episode Productions (JLA Groupe) and France Télévisions with Be-Films and RTBF (Télévision belge). With the participation of RTS Télévision Suisse and TV5Monde.

Exec produced by Olivier Guedj. Produced by Richard Berkowitz. Emmanuel Liebermann is the production manager. Music composed by Fabien Nataf. Cinematography by Christophe Soffietti. Editing by Nicolas Reydon. Filmed with the support of Département de la Charente. Directed by François Guérin, Le prix de la trahison will be aired on France 3 this saturday.

 

(1) Respectively titled in English Murder in Saint-Paul de Vence and Murder in Provence.

(2) There's a nice nod to the fact that Mimie Mathy was a member of French singer's Michel Fugain's Big Bazar during the 1970s.

(3) Rémi Bichet also played in Mauvais rôle, an episode of Crime is her game (Le crime lui va si bien) not yet shown by France 2 and also filmed in Angoulême.

 

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/05/le-prix-de-la-loyaute-france-3.html (Murder in Provence)

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/01/le-prix-de-la-verite-france-3.html (Murder in Saint-Paul de Vence)

LAST MONTH ON THIS BLOG

So...

REVIEWS

- [Favourite of the Month] Double Je - Series 1, Episode 1: Le système D & Episode 2: Débat de conscience (France 2):

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/05/double-je-series-1-episode-1-le-systeme.html

- Le prix de la loyauté (France 3):

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/05/le-prix-de-la-loyaute-france-3.html

- Crimes parfaits: Pour l'éternité/À coeur ouvert (Episodes 13 & 14, France 3):

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/05/crimes-parfaits-pour-leternitea-coeur.html

LE PRIX DE LA LOYAUTÉ (FRANCE 3)

Following the success of the TV movie Le prix de la vérité last year on France 3, comedian/actress Mimie Mathy takes another break from the long running TF1 hit Joséphine, ange gardien to return as Capitaine Marie Jourdan in Le prix de la loyauté. Mathieu Delarive is back as Capitaine Paul Danceny.

The bottom line: The price is (quite) right.

Crime drama expert scriptwriter Laurent Mondy (Commissaire Magellan, Les Cordier, juge et flic), who penned Le prix de la vérité, is behind the new case of this tenacious and quick-witted detective with a difference (1). In Le prix de la loyauté, Gendarmerie Captain Paul Danceny, now based in Aix-en-provence, is arrested by the police near the dead body of Dr. Gabriel Fabian. He manages to call for help his good friend Captain Marie Jourdan, of the Lyon Police judiciaire.

Fabian worked at the Clinique Vandeuil, an aesthetic surgery clinic owned by the arrogant Dr. Marc Vandeuil. Danceny was seen having an argument with the victim the day before his death. Procureur Gerfaud thinks he has his culprit but Marie quickly disculpates her friend. Paul's alibi is Vandeuil's wife Lorraine, with whom he has an affair. Gerfaud, who dislikes the gendarme, reluctantly gives the two captains four days to find the murderer.

Gabriel Fabian had a rivalry with Dr. Béatrice Keller, the assistant of Marc Vandeuil. And he dissuaded several patients to have surgery. Marie Jourdan meets Captain Danceny's father: Édouard Danceny, a high-ranking judge. With its rather commonplace plot, Le prix de la loyauté looks like an average episode of Commissaire Magellan. Both come from JLA Groupe, whose subsidiary Episode Productions made the two Marie Jourdan TV movies.

« Vous êtes très intéressante.
- Oubliez tout de suite. »

Miles away from her guardian angel signature role, Mimie Mathy does once again a great job as Captain Jourdan and her dialogues are effective. The inevitable and very "office du tourisme" aerial shots, one of the trademarks of France 3's crime dramas, are quite irritating. The very good guest cast includes two eminent actors who played in Enquêtes réservées (2009-2013) for the channel: Jérôme Anger (Édouard) and Yvon Back (Vandeuil).

Amusingly, Yvon Back appeared in two Joséphine, ange gardien (in 1999 and 2009). Also with: Gaëlle Marie (Lieutenant Sofia Zamara), Laetitia Fourcade (Lorraine Vandeuil), Sophie Staub (Clémence Vandeuil), Gaëlle Gillis (Jeanne Daguerre), Alexandra Mercouroff (Béatrice Keller), Marie Piton (Florence), Mathéo Capelli (Gerfaud), Marlène Veyriras (Pathologist), Nathalie Dodivers (Nurse), Carole Palcoux (Clinic employee), Maxime Florac (Police officer) and Valérie Leboute (Célia Moreau).

Directed by Grégory Ecale. Produced by Episode Productions with France Télévisions. Co-produced by Be-Films and RTBF (Télévision belge). With the participation of RTS Radio Télévision Suisse and TV5Monde. Produced by Richard Berkowitz. Bernard Paccalet exec produces. Olivier Guedj is the production manager. Music by Fabien Nataf (with Alain Mouysset). Cinematography by Olivier Guarguir. Le prix de la loyauté has yet to be aired by France 3.

(1) Mimie Mathy is 4 ft 4 tall (1.32 m).

Amandine Attard contributed to this review. 

See also:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/01/le-prix-de-la-verite-france-3.html