An unsung master of French cinema meets an undisputed master of detective fiction in Cécile is Dead, as Maurice Tourneur (The Devil’s Hand) brings Georges Simenon’s crime novel to the screen. Simenon’s beloved sleuth Inspector Maigret appeared in 75 novels and 28 short stories written over five decades, along with innumerable radio, film and television adaptations – and here Tourneur directs one of the very finest among them.

Inspector Maigret (Albert Préjean) of the Parisian police has recently been bothered rather too often by Cécile Pardon (Santa Relli), who insists on speaking to him every few days. Each time, she reports to Maigret that someone has been breaking into the house she shares with her elderly aunt late at night, but the Inspector is much too busy investigating a gang of counterfeiters to look into her fanciful claims. He can’t ignore Cécile for long, though – for soon Cécile is dead, murdered in the very same police station in which she has been pleading for his help.

One of three Inspector Maigret films made in occupied France during World War II, Cécile is Dead boasts noirish cinematography by Pierre Montazel, art direction by Guy de Gastyne – a set designer for Marcel L’Herbier and René Clair – and music by Roger Dumas, who scored Tourneur’s The Devil’s Hand. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this French crime classic on Blu-ray, marking its first release on home video in the UK.