Cécile est morte (1944)
Directed by Maurice Tourneur

Film Review

After his reasonably convincing first stab at playing the famous pipe-smoking detective Maigret in Picpus (1943), Albert Préjean returns to the role (again assisted by André Gabriello as his blundering sidekick Lucas) in this, the second of three Maigret films made by the German-run company Continental Films during the Occupation.  Like its predecessor, Cécile est morte is an amiable romp but it falls somewhat short of capturing the distinctive tenebrous atmosphere of the original novel by Georges Simenon, despite some stylish noir-like photography and lighting which create a mood of increasing tension and oppression.  You can feel the noose tighten around the neck of not only the titular Cécile but also Maigret as the plot develops.

The film was skillfully directed by Maurice Tourneur, who, in his youth, had been one of the great pioneers of early American cinemas with such cinematic gems as The Blue Bird (1918).  On his return to France at the start of the sound era, Tourneur predominately concerned himself with crime films, developing the film noir aesthetic in such films as Justin de Marseille (1935).   He had already directed La Main du diable (1943) and Le Val d'enfer (1943) for Continental, and Cécile est morte is the last film he directed for the company.  Whilst it is hardly his finest work, it is probably the best of the three Maigret films featuring Préjean - Tourneur's love of the macabre and his dark humour certainly makes it the most enjoyable entry in the series.  After this, Albert Préjean would return to the role of Maigret one more time, in Les Caves du majestic (1945).

Film Synopsis

For six months, Cécile has been hounding the police for protection, so convinced is she that her life is in danger.  No one seems to believe her, even though she is certain that someone has been making repeated nocturnal visits to the apartment where she lives with her aunt, Madame Boynet.  Realising that the police are not going to help her, Cécile hires her brother Gérard to watch over her apartment at night, giving him the money he needs for his wife's impending childbirth.  Inspector Maigret is too busy dealing with crimes that have already taken place to given any credence to a silly girl's fears over crimes that may happen in the future.   In a small hotel an unknown young woman is found dead, her head cut off.  The name Cécile has been written on the mirror above a sink.  The dead woman is later identified as Cécile's sister, Gilberte Pardon, who used to work in La Rochelle for a cousin of Madame Boynet.  When Maigret arrives at Madame Boynet's apartment he finds that the old woman has already been strangled.  Cécile's fears are about to be borne out.  She will be the killer's next victim...