Product Details

• Actors: David Suchet
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 10
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Acorn Media
• DVD Release Date: June 26, 2007
• Run Time: 990 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000NVKZWE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,952 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection, Vol. 2" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

As portrayed by DAVID SUCHET, Agatha Christie’s brilliant Belgian sleuth became the most-watched detective in the history of the PBS Mystery! series and a hit all over again on A&E. The incomparable Poirot cracks his most challenging cases in these feature-length episodes.

The Mysteries
The ABC Murders
Death in the Clouds
Dumb Witness
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
Hickory Dickory Dock
Murder on the Links
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Peril at End House

INCLUDES BONUS PROGRAM! Agatha Christie’s Garden -- An intimate look at the author’s life at her beloved garden and summer retreat in Devon, with Rosemary & Thyme’s Pam Ferris as your guide.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE biographies of Agatha Christie and David Suchet, interactive trivia, cast filmographies, and Agatha Christie materials.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poirot in Perfection., June 9, 2008

By 

Themis-Athena (from somewhere between California and Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection, Vol. 2 (DVD)

Hercule Poirot is one of the most famous detectives in literary history. Yet, strangely, except for his portrayal by Albert Finney in the star-studded movie version of "Murder on the Orient Express," for a long time there did not seem to be an actor who could convincingly bring to life the clever, dignified little Belgian with his unmistakable egg-shaped head, always perched a little on one side, his stiff, military, slightly upward-twisted moustache, and his excessively neat attire, which had reached the point that "a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet," as Agatha Christie introduced him through his friend Captain Hastings's voice in their and her own very first adventure, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (1920). But leave it to British television to finally find the perfect Poirot in David Suchet, who after having had the dubious honor of playing a rather dumbly arrogant version of Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Japp in some of the 1980s' movies starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot, was finally allowed to move center stage in the Granada/ITV series broadcast from 1989 onwards, which was later continued by A&E and includes 36 shorter episodes based on (almost all of) Christie's Poirot short stories, as well as to date 25 movie-length features released on DVD, based on a number of her most celebrated Poirot novels. (Hopefully due to be transferred to DVD in short order are the episodes broadcast in 2008 -- see listing below --, which leaves as yet to be re-adapted for the small screen, most notably, "Murder on the Orient Express" [1934] and Poirot's final case, "Curtain" [published 1975, but written in the 1940s].)

And the match is spot-on, not only physically but also, and more importantly so, in terms of personality. Suchet shares Poirot's inclination towards pedantry: "I like things to be symmetrical ... If I put two things on the mantelpiece, they have to be exactly evenly spaced," he said in an interview, comparing his real-life persona to that of Poirot. But, he added, unlike his on-screen alter ego, "I don't need the same sized eggs for breakfast!" Although previously not interested in mysteries, his habitually meticulous research allowed him to quickly become familiar with Christie's Belgian sleuth and the workings of his little grey cells -- and to slip so much into Poirot's skin that I, for one, can no longer pick up a Poirot book without instantly hearing Suchet's voice as that of the great little detective.

After bringing together the series's 36 shorter episodes in "The Classic Collection, Volume 1," this box set contains the nine movie-length features originally produced by Granada Films and first broadcast on ITV. Next to Mr. Suchet, Hugh Fraser stars as the detective's indefatigable sidekick Captain Hastings, whom the screenplays, alas, make come across as more of a well-educated but vacuous gentleman than do the written originals narrated from his point of view. (This is virtually my only quibble with the series -- and that although Granada and ITV did so well in debumblifying Sherlock Holmes's friend and chronicler Dr. Watson!) Philip Jackson, on the other hand, gives us an admirably sturdy, down-to-earth incarnation of Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran virtually inhabits Poirot's epitome of a secretary, Miss Lemon; whose role, like those of Hastings and Japp, is added into a number of episodes not originally featuring them, thankfully without greatly disturbing the stories' narrative flow and setting.

The episodes contained in this set are:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (written 1920; Granada/ITV 1990)
Peril at End House (written 1932; Granada/ITV 1990)
The ABC Murders (written 1935; Granada/ITV 1992)
Death in the Clouds (written 1935; Granada/ITV 1992)
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (written 1940; Granada/ ITV 1992)
Hercule Poirot's Christmas (written 1938; Granada/ITV 1995)
Hickory Dickory Dock (written 1955; Granada/ITV 1995)
Murder on the Links (written 1923; Granada/ITV 1996)
Dumb Witness (written 1937; Granada/ITV 1996)

The movie-length features later produced by A&E -- and not contained in this collection but available in separate box sets -- are (to date):

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (written 1926; A&E 2000)
Lord Edgeware Dies (written 1933; A&E 2000)
Murder in Mesopotamia (written 1936; A&E 2001)
Evil Under the Sun (written 1941; A&E 2002)

Sad Cypress (written 1939; A&E 2003)
Five Little Pigs (written 1941; A&E 2003)
Death on the Nile (written 1937; A&E 2004)
The Hollow (written 1946; A&E 2004)

The Mystery of the Blue Train (written 1928; A&E 2005)
Cards on the Table (written 1936; A&E 2005)
After the Funeral (written 1953; A&E 2005)
Taken at the Flood (written 1948; A&E 2006)

And, last but not least, the 2008 season consists/will consist of:

Appointment with Death (written 1938)
Mrs. McGinty's Dead (written 1952)
Cat Among the Pigeons (written 1959)
Third Girl (written 1966)
Hallowe'en Party (written 1969)

Also recommended:
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Hercule Poirot's First Case
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)
Agatha Christie: Five Complete Hercule Poirot Novels - Murder on the Orient Express / Thirteen at Dinner / The ABC Murders / Cards on the Table / Death on the Nile
Poirot in the Orient (Hercule Poirot)
Hercule Poirot's Casebook
Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express
Death on the Nile

54 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bound to happen but a good buy nonetheless (unless you already have them), April 28, 2007

By 

Eric Pregosin (New Carrollton, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection, Vol. 2 (DVD)

When Acorn released the first "classic collection", people liked me rushed in. This megaset contained all 12 discs representing the hour long episodes at a price well below the price of them individually. The 2 hour episodes had been previously released separately and in 2 box sets called "movie collections" (the first of which also was reissued on a special limited promotion with 6 discs during Christmas just prior to release of the second), both of which I bought. So it stands to reason that for people like me who bought the first megaset, that Acorn would eventually release another combining the 9 2 hour episodes in 1 set, so you can safely say you have all 21 discs in 2 sets to take up less shelf space. I'll tell you the truth folks, I agree with that philosophy, whole heartedly. But seeing at present that the only thing added that wasn't in the 2 original box sets (I don't count the fore mentioned special copy of movie collection 1 as a separate set) is the Agatha Christie's Garden, I see no need to rebuy this set for me, but if you haven't bought the 2 hour ones yet, then by all means do so, because the price IS better than what the 2 older sets sold for combined new. Make sure you remember one thing. These are the 2 hour episodes that aired on London Weekend Television and PBS' Mystery like the hour long ones in the other megaset of this color and shape, and are not the A&E ones made since 2001. Those are still available on the A&E label. I would not be surprised if Acorn eventually combines their 2 megasets into 1 of all their episodes and A&E does the same, particularly since in their last 2 sets of 4, you could only buy 1 of the 4 as a separate item. Funny thing, I said roughly the same thing when A&E combined all of Danger Man/Secret Agent (half hour and hour alike) into 1 megaset. ;-). Still and all a great deal for the mystery buff. As another fan of this series who thanks to Amazon, I communicate with at least once a week would say, if you have a few of these already, complete your collection the least expensive way possible, if you have none of them, order this set.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As the brilliant Belgium detective, David Suchet shines!., June 29, 2008

By 

Roy Anderson "War Buff - and civilian combatt... (Mount Brydges, Ont. Canada.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection, Vol. 2 (DVD)

Anyone, who doesn't believe Suchet is the quintessential Hercule Poirot, must be part of a significantly small minority!

This reviewer feels unable to accept, any other portrayal of the Belgium sleuth. It has been thus, since Suchet's first appearance on my TV screen. It is rare to find, one's much loved imagined fictional character, so accurately personified in an actor. Suchet is completely- and utterly - believeable, as Hercule Poirot.

Additionally, and very importantly, Suchet's acting is simply superb - as is the work of the main supporting cast as Chief Inspector Japp, Captain Hastings and, even, Miss Lemon.

It will be a long, long time, before any other actor attempts to portray Poirot - on stage or screen. It will be a long, long time, before anyone feels it a 'good business venture', to fund any other portrayal of Poirot. Suchet has made the character his own, and this is exstremely rare. It is, however, extremely complimentary to David Suchet.

If Agatha Christie's works please - or even if they don't, Suchet's Poirot will delight and please virtually everyone. An excellent series, indeed!