MYSTERY IN PARIS is an anthology of seven French telefilms that are completely unrelated in cast and content, but share a number of common features. All aired abroad between 2011-18, running about 90 minutes. Here’s why they fit in a nice thematic package:
All involve crimes that occurred in the 1880s-90s, with non-police female protagonists thrust into perilous situations of self-preservation. Each must overcome varying degrees of sexism, including being dismissed – or worse – by chauvinistic gendarmes and authority figures. Each primarily occurs in ritzy and well-known settings. All of them are longer on intellectual sleuthing than overt action. The focus throughout is more on the crimes and the culture of the era than on romance. Scripts are all solid, and production values are off the charts for the splendor of locations and costumes. Though I’ll summarize them in the order provided by the streamer, it makes no difference when you pick any of the titles, since there’s no carryover. There’s similarly no need to binge.
MYSTERY AT THE MOULIN ROUGE, as the title suggests, is the most titillating, though don’t expect to see any naughty bits, beyond some slight anonymous background boobage in one scene that resembles a tamer version of an EYES WIDE SHUT. Diane (Emilie Dequenne) comes to Paris to find her missing sister, who’d been a dancer at the famous club. She works her way into the lineup to learn why sis disappeared months earlier. Several of the dancers had been killed, and the hope is that sis wasn’t one of them. One might think Jack the Ripper may have crossed the Channel to ply his perversity.
THE EIFFEL TOWER MYSTERY not only gives us a heroine framed for murder (Marie Denarnaud as Louise, the daughter of one of the tower’s designers), but a script awash in the backlash and controversy about the structure in its early stages, putting it in the realm of historical fiction. The more sordid fact-based plot thread is how blithely women could be locked away in an asylum by disapproving men, and how horribly they were treated within those prison-like walls. This one also benefits from the gravitas of Patrick Deschamps in a supporting role. He’s appeared in much of the French fare I’ve reviewed, most notably as the leading detective’s distinguished father throughout the “In Tandem” series.
MYSTERY AT THE OPERA revolves around an aging diva (Mathilda May) and her up-and-coming daughter as they prepare for a major production of Carmen. Faustine (Pauline Cheviller), the daughter, is framed for the murder of one of the crew. This one comes closer to a “Real Housewives of… Somewhere or Other” course of events, with plenty of singing. Your desire, or lack thereof, for hearing operatic performance snippets will be a significant factor in the enjoyment you’ll derive. Both lead actresses excel in their roles, though their singing is dubbed.
MYSTERY AT THE PLACE VEDOME dives deep into culture and politics. Marilou Berry stars as Jeanne – the only female in the famous Ritz Hotel’s kitchen, working under probably the world’s first superstar chef, Auguste Escoffier (Charlie Dupont), and struggling against the sexism of her colleagues – even those she outranks. She gets unwillingly roped into an assassination plot planned for a huge international diplomatic event the hotel is hosting. The inclusion of Escoffier and Cesar Ritz – whose name became the eponym for elegance – and political factions and machinations reflective of the era, gives this one extra heft, while also serving up arguably the most exciting climax of the lot.
MYSTERY AT THE LOUVRE MUSEUM starts with a jewel heist gone wrong, leading to the fatal shooting of alleged master thief, Mercure, who’d become notorious for major burglaries, leaving a calling card at each scene. Fast-forward a couple of years and we meet the beautiful, mysterious Constance (Alice Taglioni), who starts planning another run at the necklace sought in the earlier attempt. It’s on exhibit for a limited time at … well, the title answers that one. This may be my favorite among the septet for its twisty plot, Taglioni’s performance, and the odious nature of the cold-blooded cop in charge of preventing the anticipated theft.
Another contender for top rating is MYSTERE A LA SORBONNE. Melanie Bernier stars as Victoire – the first female law student admitted to France’s most prestigious university. She’s loudly booed by all the other students as soon as she enters the first lecture hall, and isn’t treated much better by the faculty or staff. When a professor is murdered, she was seen at the wrong place at the wrong time and hustled off to the hoosegow. One professor reluctantly agrees to defend her, and coerces a couple of the aspiring scholars to assist. This one really showcases the bitter, entrenched opposition faced by women entering the professions, and coincides with the real-life timeline for the beginnings of their breakthrough. Besides its sociology, the plot and action pick up somewhat more than in the others, with several key twists as it unfolds.
Finally, there’s MYSTERE A ELYSEE, centered around a plot to assassinate the President of France at a major speech, due to a raging political infighting over how to deal with Germany regarding the oft-disputed Alsace-Lorraine region situated on the shared border. It opens with the intended moment for the kill in front of the presidential palace, then goes back four days to show the web of intrigue leading up to it. Clementine Celarie stars as Madeleine, the mother of Augustin (Gilbert Melki), a top aide to Le Prez. She hears something she shouldn’t have and runs around trying to prevent the killing, variably finding few who believe her, throughout a pin-ball course of careening among who to trust, and who would rather kill her to assure the success of the coup d’etat. This one spreads the suspense among many players, building to one of the more exciting climaxes.
Enjoy them at your leisure. There’s not a lemon in the lot.
MYSTERY IN PARIS, mostly in French with subtitles, streams on MHz Choice starting April 7, 2026.
RATING: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars
https://watch.mhzchoice.com/mystery-in-paris
