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 …
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