Le chien jaune

Le Chien Jaune is one of the two first adaptation from a Simenon novel, the other one being la Nuit du Carrefour by Jean Renoir directing his brother Pierre as Maigret (a dark noir movie with a lost reel).

Le Chien Jaune is directed by Jean Tarride with his father Abel as Maigret. It is a very confused story, really not interesting, and it gets even more confused when you see Abel Tarride playing Maigret. But what happened during the shooting? Abel Tarride seems totally sick, he speaks with a faded voice, in some sequences, he even doesn't answer, lowers his head to the ground and then cut to another sequence. Did he eat some bad oysters? Abel Tarride is completely gone away, out of the movie, it would be interesting to read some witnesses about the shooting. And I cannot compare him with his other parts, I don't remember him in any movie.

So the plot is beyond comprehension and the actor's performance playing the legendary Maigret is one of the worst ever in motion picture. You can only find a little interest thanks to Robert le Vigan as an earthy doctor. If you like Le Vigan, do not miss him in Les Mutinés de l'Elseneur directed by Pierre Chenal, it just got released on french DVD and he is outstanding.

Le Chien Jaune can also be interesting for breton people for authentic views of old Concarneau, motion picture has also this unintentional documentary view.