La Nuit Du Carrefour (Night At The Crossroads)

Purchased this as a birthday gift for one who is a die-hard Maigret fan. He loved it! Early Renoir with his brother, Pierre, portraying Inspector Maigret. A classic.

Sadly, this Video Dimensions product is not an official DVD release, just a DVD-R of the fan-subtitled TV recording circulating on the internet.The rights belong to Rene Chateau Video who have now released the film on a proper DVD in France.

Maigret realized on film as seldom before or since. Actors embody characters in spot-on rendition of one of Simenon's most satisfying Maigret mysteries.

If you are a fan of Jean Renoir’s movies, you’re going to want to watch this adaptation of an Inspector Maigret mystery. I read that Renoir ran low on funds while making this film and that may explain why it is missing a lot of the elements of the original Georges Simenon novel. No matter, the film has atmosphere galore, and Jean Renoir’s brother, Pierre, does a credible portrayal of Maigret. English subtitles provided for this dvd.

Jean Renoir is indisputably one of the greatest directors in film history but, though he made several fine films in the twenties and early thirties, I don't think he really found his artistic voice until mid-decade. The Night at the Crossroads is an excellent whodunit based on a Georges Simenon novel with the director's brother Pierre Renoir as the canny Inspector Maigret. Well-acted and beautifully photographed with a pre-Noir aura, it is an entertaining night at the movies, if not at the astounding level of Renoir's late thirties work like A Day in the Country, Grand Illusion, and Rules of the Game.

A must for all fans of Jean Renoir. This is the earliest film version of Simenon's Maigret, played quite nicely by Renoir's older brother Pierre Renoir. Some of the cuts may be due to the film's age and condition, yet it moves well and the eroticized femme fatale is disturbingly well acted.

sometimes hard to follow because of its age but it is a Maigret mystery worth watching

Jean Renoir shot this early work on a shoe-string budget with a skeleton crew. While he was still learning his craft, you can already see his talent as he manages to create an evocative atmosphere using shadow, fog, and rain. Great attention is paid to the soundtrack which includes numerous mechanical and automobile noises; they all help to enhance the ambience.Pierre Renoir, the director's older brother, plays Maigret to a T. He's stoic, competent, and thoughtfully observant. The female, played by 17-year old Winna Winfried, is strangely beautiful and gives off weird vibes. Jean Renoir commented on this in an interview.The money ran out and, as a result, Renoir was unable to shoot several connecting scenes. The story does seem a little incoherent at times and some of Maigret's deductions appear to come out of the blue. However, the incomprehensibility was, to my mind, actually in keeping with the mystery and sinister qualities of this piece.