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image Review by CinemaSerf

It's unfortunate that the "Ansco" colour film used on this 1949 adaptation of Georges Simenon's novel "A Battle of Nerves" has made much of this rather dreary crime caper feel as if you are watching it through yellow cellophane. Despite Charles Laughton being quite decent in the role of the famous detective "Maigret" trying to track down a murderer and an extortionist, the thing just bumbles along for far too long peppered with far too many protracted establishing shots and way too much score. Director and co-star Burgess Meredith has lost much of his sense of objectivity or proportion as the story pondersouly creeps to a conclusion that involves the truly insipid Franchot Tone as the caviar sandwich loving "Radek". The book is complex and detailed, this is lacklustre and almost amateur in it's presentation - and but for the considerable skill of the star, it would struggle to be anything more than a post-war Parisian tourist video. I'm glad I watched it, but couldn't say I'd recommend it to any but fans of soulless sepia cinema.