LA MALÉDICTION DE L'ESCARGOT (PHILIPPE CAROIT, ÉDITIONS ANNE CARRIÈRE)

[Favourite of the Month] A man who said he would never have a child discovers that he actually has one in this feelgood novel written by the multi-talented French thespian Philippe Caroit and published last november.

Hugo Talmont, a popular actor, is a self-proclaimed advocate of degrowth who doesn't want a child. Olivia, his girlfriend, just broke up with him because of her desire to have one. He tries to forget her on stage, with his best friend Mickey or in the Bois de Vincennes where he jogs. Hugo's relationship with his father, now in a care home, is a more profound reason to his refusal of paternity.

One evening, an enigmatic 18-year old teenager named Candice Montero asks Talmont for an autograph. When he meets her again some days later she tells him that she's his daughter. Her mother Lydia won't talk about it but Candice proves it's true. The problem is that Hugo can't remember Lydia Montero at all. Actor Philippe Caroit worked on stage for Robert Hossein, Jean-Claude Brialy or Jean-Luc Moreau. He played in movies helmed by Éric Rohmer or Alain Jessua. And television made him a familiar face since the 1980s.

Crime drama fans know him for Les Boeuf-carottes (1995-2001), four seasons of RIS Police scientifique (2006-2014) (1) and the semi-anthology Perfect Murders (Crimes parfaits), where he's one of the five detectives since 2017. Philippe Caroit also appeared in Joséphine, ange gardien, Magellan (Commissaire Magellan) or Murder in... (Meurtres à...). He speaks English, Italian, Spanish and even German, which allowed him to be one of the regulars of Borderland (Über die Grenze) for pubcaster Das Erste.

Philippe Caroit is also a playwright, a painter and a musician. La malédiction de l'escargot is his first novel and the author acknowledges a few similarities between the main character and himself. The great journey to happiness of Hugo and Candice is a genuine pleasure, especially in those difficult times. Hopefully Mr Caroit, a man of many talents, will write more novels and a producer will consider La malédiction de l'escargot for an adaptation.

(1) Between 2007 and 2010. 

https://anne-carriere.fr/livre/la-malediction-de-lescargot
http://www.philippecaroit.com/ 

See also:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/12/borderland-uber-die-grenze-episodes-1-2.html
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/11/perfect-murders-crimes-parfaits.html
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/05/crimes-parfaits-pour-leternitea-coeur.html
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/05/crimes-parfaits-episodes-5-6-france-3.html

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Thank you for your interest, your fidelity and your trust during these particularly strange times.

REVIEWS 

- Borderland (Über die Grenze) - Episodes 1 & 2 (Das Erste):

German feature-length crime drama co-starring the multi-talented Philippe Caroit.

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/12/borderland-uber-die-grenze-episodes-1-2.html

- Falk- Season 1 (Das Erste):

A warm-hearted German dramedy set in Düsseldorf.

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/11/falk-season-1-2018-das-erste.html

- Perfect Murders (Crimes parfaits) - Commandant Claire Moreno: Master du crime/Un coeur sombre (France 3):

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/11/perfect-murders-crimes-parfaits_19.html

- Perfect Murders (Crimes parfaits) - Commissaire divisionnaire Damien Roche: Légitime défiance/Une étoile est morte (France 3):

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/11/perfect-murders-crimes-parfaits.html

- Magellan (Commissaire Magellan) - Sang d'encre (France 3):

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/10/magellan-commissaire-magellan-sang.html

BORDERLAND (ÜBER DIE GRENZE) - EPISODES 1 & 2: ALLES AUF EINE KARTE/GESETZLOS (2017, DAS ERSTE)

Set at the border between Germany and France, Über die Grenze is one of the feature-length crime dramas filmed abroad for the Donnerstags-Krimi line-up of German pubcaster Das Erste (like Amsterdam Undercover, Der Zurich-Krimi or Kommissar Dupin).

Alles auf eine Karte and Gesetzlos, the uneven but surprisingly effective first couple of episodes, were shot during summer 2016 and shown by the channel in December 2017. In February 2020, Das Erste aired two more episodes (Rachenengel and Rausch der Sterne) made in 2019. Über die Grenze is now available in the U.S. as Borderland, thanks to SVOD service MHZ Choice.

Steffen Herold, the head of operations of the German–French Centre for Police and Customs, introduces his team to their newest colleague: his daughter Leni, a rookie officer. A thoroughly prepared intervention goes wrong when one of the inspectors is severely wounded and two armed robbers, Dane Marquardt and Milou Jangi, take Leni Herold hostage to flee with her in France. Ségolène Combass and Yves Kléber, of the Police nationale, arrive to assess the situation. Combass is hostile towards Herold but Steffen and Yves are old acquaintances. Leni must cope with the unpredictability of her captors.

 

Created by Felice Götze, Über die Grenze is produced by Polyphon Pictures GmbH for ARD Degeto and SWR (for Das Erste). Thomas Sarbacher (Der Bozen Krimi, Der Elefant - Mord verjährt nie) heads the cast as Steffen Herold. Anke Retzlaff (Puppe) plays Leni Herold. Yves Kléber is played by French actor Philippe Caroit (R.I.S. Police scientifique, Les boeuf-carottes), who speaks German but also Italian, English and Spanish. Since 2017, he's one of the five detectives of the hit semi-anthology Perfect Murders (Crimes parfaits) on France 3. Swiss-Canadian actress Noémie Kocher plays Ségolène Combass.

 

Based on an idea from Ulrich Zaum and written by Felice Götze and Sabine Radebold, Alles auf eine Karte starts like a typical German crime fighting special unit drama. Except that there are French characters, hence some very Panthère rose dialogues and Joe le taxi by Vanessa Paradis on the radio. Travellers get their share of clichés too but after 30 minutes of "SOKO Kehl" this premiere becomes unexpectedly gritty as the tension grows until a rather brutal conclusion. Also with Sebastian Hülk (Danne Marquardt), Rick Okon (Milou Jangy), Bernhard Piesk (Tino Loher), Jenny Schily (Sabine Herold), etc. Directed by Michael Rowitz, who helmed both episodes.

 

Penned by Felice Götze, Paul J. Milbers (Die Rosenheim-Cops) and Sabine Radebold with Michael Rowitz, Gesetzlos takes place three weeks after Alles auf eine Karte. Leni Herold tries to recover from what happened to her. Meanwhile, the son of a russian mobster is shot dead by an unknown gunman during a drug deal in the port of Strasbourg. His father, who crossed path with Steffen Herold and Yves Kléber in the past, wants revenge at all costs. Thomas Sarbacher, Anke Retzlaff and Philippe Caroit deliver top-notch performances in this faultless thriller.

 

With the excellent Johannes Krisch as Russian mafia boss Jegor Sobolew, Christian Kuchenbuch (Deacon Junkers), Artjom Gilz (Petja Kremer), Jenny Schily (Sabine), Bernhard Piesk (Tino Loher), Sebastian Hülk (Marquardt), etc. Produced by Sabine Tettenborn (Der Lissabon-Krimi). Katja Roesch (Alles auf eine Karte) and Jorg Kühlmann (Gesetzlos) are the production managers. Hartwig König is the line producer (Alles auf eine Karte). Kirsten Frehse is the line producer for ARD Degeto. Music by Helmut Zerlett (Der Clown). Cinematography by Stefan Unterberger. Editing by Achim Seidel (Alles auf eine Karte) and Andreas Althoff (Gesetzlos).

 

The multi-talented Philippe Caroit is also a musician and he has recently published his first novel, La malédiction de l'escargot (Éditions Anne Carrière).

 

https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/film/ueber-die-grenze/index.html 

https://watch.mhzchoice.com/borderland

https://anne-carriere.fr/livre/la-malediction-de-lescargot

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/11/perfect-murders-crimes-parfaits.html

PERFECT MURDERS (CRIMES PARFAITS) - COMMISSAIRE DIVISIONNAIRE DAMIEN ROCHE: LÉGITIME DÉFIANCE/UNE ÉTOILE EST MORTE (FRANCE 3)

French pubcaster France 3's detective drama Crimes parfaits is a "semi-anthology" where a murderer known from the start thinks he/she has committed the perfect crime but a detective (different in every couple of episodes) proves him/her wrong. 

It's the concept of the inverted detective story, popularized by Columbo though created in literature many years before the famous lieutenant. Five sleuths rotate in 20+ episodes since 2017 and Crimes parfaits is now available in the United States as Perfect Murders, thanks to SVOD service MHZ Choice.

The bottom line: Damien Roche, Renaissance man.

 

Philippe Caroit (R.I.S. Police scientifique, Les boeuf-carottes) is back as the falsely naive and slightly caustic Commissaire divisionnaire Damien Roche under the sun of the south of France. Garance Thenault returns as Lieutenant Gaëlle Mareski, a former soldier. In Légitime défiance, bestselling novelist Irène Delaune kills publisher Gérard Vannier in an apparent act of self-defence against an assault in front of a witness. Michel Laville, the renowned mathematician of Une étoile est morte, sends the young Delphine Leroy to death in a particularly sly way. The divisionnaire knows how to prepare a cappuccino. He's an expert in roses and speaks Italian. Roche even plays piano and he's good in mathematics.

 

Philippe Caroit delivers his customary brilliance in those episodes which remain pleasant enough despite a handful of bad dialogues, a couple of cliches and a format hampered by the 52-minute duration. Incidentally, the actor can really play the piano and he speaks italian. As well as English, Spanish and even German (he's one of the regulars of Über die Grenze for Das Erste (1)). "Commissaire divisionnaire Damien Roche" would be a worthy successor to Commissaire Magellan, made by the same people from Jean Luc Azoulay's JLA Groupe. Written by Céline Guyot and Martin Guyot (Mongeville, Magellan, Femmes de loi). Directed by François Guérin.

 

Astrid Veillon (Tandem) as Irène Delaune, Laurence Bréheret (Françoise Louret) and Laurent Olmedo (R.I.S. Police scientifique) as Gérard Vannier are the guest stars of Légitime défiance. Guillaume Cramoisan (Michel Laville), Marie Barrouillet (Delphine Leroy), Thierry Desroses (Femmes de loi, P.J.) as Dr. Puel and Pascale Michaud (Viviane Leroy) are the guest stars of Une étoile est morte. In France, Thierry Desroses is well-known as a dubbing artist. He's the french voice of Samuel L. Jackson. Produced by Épisode Productions (JLA Groupe) with France Télévisions. Co-produced by BE-Films and RTBF (Télévision belge) with RTS Radio Télévision Suisse.

Bernard Paccalet exec produces. Produced by Richard Berkowitz. Romain Sussfeld is the production manager. Music composed and conducted by Frédéric Porte. Cinematography by Christophe Soffietti. Editing by Romain Namura. Theme music of Crimes parfaits by Jean-Pierre Taïeb. Main title design by Laurent Brett for Brett & Cie (Cherif, Cassandre, Transporter - The Series). Distributed by France tv distribution. Philippe Caroit also stars in Meurtre à Cayenne (from the Murder in... collection), which will be shown on France 3 this saturday. His first novel, La malédiction de l'escargot (published by Éditions Anne Carrière), was released last week.

 

(1) Coming in the United States next month on MHZ Choice as Borderland.

Not yet aired by France 3.

 

https://mhzchoiceblog.com/can-you-solve-the-mystery-of-perfect-murders/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rjRQp_hPH0 (Trailer)

https://anne-carriere.fr/livre/la-malediction-de-lescargot

 

See also:

 

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

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/05/crimes-parfaits-episodes-5-6-france-3.html

CRIMES PARFAITS - COMMISSAIRE DIVISIONNAIRE DAMIEN ROCHE: POUR L'ÉTERNITÉ/À COEUR OUVERT (FRANCE 3)

French pubcaster France 3's detective drama Crimes parfaits is a "semi-anthology" where a murderer known from the start thinks he/she has committed the perfect crime but a detective (different in every couple of episodes) proves him/her wrong. 

It's the concept of the inverted detective story, popularized by Columbo though created in literature many years before the famous lieutenant.

Launched in 2017, Crimes parfaits is one of the many hits of France 3. The channel is the happy home of Commissaire Magellan, Mongeville, Meurtres à... or Capitaine Marleau. The later is no less than the most popular TV series in France, which certainly explains why Crimes parfaits is essentially a copycat factory of the gendarme portrayed by Corinne Masiero. With two noteworthy exceptions: Commander Renaud Delaunay, played by Antoine Duléry (Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie) in Aux abois/Mise en scène. And Commissaire divisionnaire Damien Roche.

Philippe Caroit (R.I.S. Police scientifique, Les boeuf-carottes) returns as Roche in Pour l'Éternité and À coeur ouvert. The falsely naive and slightly caustic detective first appeared in Entre deux eaux and Haute tension, written by Céline Guyot and Martin Guyot (Mongeville, Commissaire Magellan, Femmes de loi). They are back, as well as director Lionel Chatton (Tandem). Claire Borotra (La vengeance aux yeux clairs, Le mystère du lac), who played the wheelchair-bound procureure Gabrielle Rossi last year, is replaced by Garance Thenault as Lieutenant Gaëlle Mareski.

Mathilde Moreno, the revengeful caterer of Pour l'Éternité, organizes more than a wedding when she kidnaps the bride Iris and arranges her death as a suicide near a dam. Damien Roche meets the young lieutenant Mareski, now at the Sécurité urbaine after 12 years in the army. In À coeur ouvert, renowned surgeon Professor Jean-Pierre David shoots a male nurse who blackmailed him and makes the murder look as he was the real target because of some public stances. But the commissaire divisionnaire is nobody's fool.

In spite of their flaws, the previous two cases of Roche showed enough potential for a spin-off series or at least a return in Crimes parfaits. Mainly because of the always brilliant Philippe Caroit. This new pair of episodes is even better, thanks to some welcome retooling and the arrival of Garance Thenault. There are no romantic banters between Damien and Gaëlle (contrary to him and Gabrielle) but rather a father-daughter relationship. The only problem of Pour l'Éternité and À coeur ouvert is the ridiculous tendency of Crimes parfaits to find excuses for their murderers.

Gwendoline Hamon, who plays Commissaire Florence Cassandre in Cassandre (another crime drama hit of France 3), guest stars as Mathilde Moreno. The excellent Jean-Yves Berteloot is Professor David. Sandrine Quétier, formerly known as a television presenter, plays Dr. Rebecca Triolet (a possible regular character?) Pour l'Éternité also stars Aurélie Vaneck (Plus belle la vie) as Iris, Thomas Séraphine (Simon Landais), Stéphane Aubry (Hubert), Maximilien Pascal (Fussen), Lise Laffont (Carole), Maria Laborit (Hélène) and Julien Sabatié-Ancora (Romuald Berthon).

With (À coeur ouvert): Benjamin Egner (L'Art du crime) as Cédric, Marika Vibik (Odile), Alexia Degremont (Claudia), Michel Delcampo (Loris) and Benjamin Duc (Garagiste). Produced by Episode Productions (JLA Groupe) with France Télévisions. Co-produced by BE-Films and RTBF (Télévision belge) with the participation of RTS Radio Télévision Suisse and TV5Monde. Bernard Paccalet exec produces. Produced by Richard Berkowitz. Olivier Guedj is the production manager. Music composed and conducted by Frédéric Porte.

Cinematography by Maurizio Tiella. Theme music of Crimes parfaits by Jean-Pierre Taïeb. Main title design by Laurent Brett for Brett & Cie (Cherif, Cassandre, Transporter - The Series). Commissaire divisionnaire Damien Roche would be a great addition to France 3's saturday night crime slot. He clearly deserves his own series.

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/05/crimes-parfaits-episodes-5-6-france-3.html (Entre deux eaux/Haute tension)

[Update - October 2, 2020] Crimes parfaits will be available at the end of this month in the United States on the SVOD service MHZ Choice as Perfect Murders.

 
See also:

http://www.brettetcie.com/ (Brett & Cie)

CRIMES PARFAITS - COMMISSAIRE DIVISIONNAIRE DAMIEN ROCHE: ENTRE DEUX EAUX/HAUTE TENSION (FRANCE 3)

France 3's detective drama Crimes parfaits is a 6 x 52-minute "semi-anthology" where a murderer known from the start thinks he/she has committed the perfect crime but a detective (different in every couple of episodes) proves him/her wrong.

It's the concept of the inverted detective story, popularized by Columbo though created in literature many years before the famous lieutenant. The first season of this collection launched in December 2017 concludes with Episodes 5 and 6. Not yet aired by the channel, both are written by Céline Guyot  & Martin Guyot (Mongeville et Magellan: Un amour de jeunesse) and directed by Lionel Chatton.

In Entre deux eaux, Fabrice Golot and his recently met younger girlfriend Laurence Prigent are invited for the weekend by Fabrice's best friend Adrien Evrard and his wife Camille. Adrien dies in an apparent accident during a boat ride. Commissaire divisionnaire Damien Roche suspects Laurence. The plot is hasty and its resolution tries hard to sound Christie-esque but Philippe Caroit (R.I.S. Police scientifique, Les boeuf-carottes) is brilliant as Roche. Falsely naive with a discrete dose of causticity, the detective is nobody's fool. His superior is wheelchair-bound procureure Gabrielle Rossi (Claire Borotra), with whom he shares romantic banters. Also starring Bruno Wolkowitch (Fabrice), Vanessa Demouy (Camille), Déborah Krey (Laurence), Frédéric Anscombre (Adrien), Jacques Bouanich (Patrick Travers) and Guillaume Denaiffe (Franck).

Haute tension is the second case of Damien Roche and it's undeniably the best. Building contractor Fabien Magrini went to prison because of the malpractices committed by architect Laurent Lombard. He gets revenge by killing Laurent with a small lamp and a remote-controlled miniature robot while his victim is in a spa. Lombard regularly "borrowed" a client's house under construction for some intimate meetings with his mistress Carole. Commissaire divisionnaire Roche "cherche la femme" before focusing on Fabien. He quickly finds the man rather sympathetic. Once again brilliant, Philippe Caroit faces the excellent Thomas Jouannet as the murderer in a confrontation which reminds of Columbo. Also with Xavier Lemaître (Laurent Lombard), Jérémie Covillault (Luc), Flavie Péan (Carole), Martine Fontaine (Evelyne), etc.

The banters between Damien and Gabrielle feel more natural than in the previous episode. The scene where Roche searches for the robot is very funny. Commissaire divisionnaire Damien Roche definitely deserves his own series. Produced by Episode Productions (JLA Groupe) with France Télévisions. Co-produced by BE-Films and RTBF (Télévision belge) with the participation of RTS Radio Télévision Suisse, TV5Monde and 13ème Rue (NBCUniversal). Bernard Paccalet exec produces. Produced by Richard Berkowitz. Laurent Paul is the production manager. Music composed and conducted by Frédéric Porte. Cinematography by Maurizio Tiella. Theme music of Crimes parfaits by Jean-Pierre Taïeb. Filmed in Marseille, Martigues and St Chamas between November and December 2017.

[Update - October 2, 2020] Crimes parfaits will be available at the end of this month in the United States on the SVOD service MHZ Choice as Perfect Murders.

 
https://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2018/01/crimes-parfaits-episodes-3-4-france-3.html
https://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2017/12/crimes-parfaits-episodes-1-2-france-3.html