Customer Reviews

Agatha Christie's Poirot: Collector's Set Volume 6

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At last, the final set in this series of <Poirot> video mysteries. I say "this" series, because the friendly people at Acorn Media assure me that other entries are to follow in the not too distant future. Please see my reviews of sets 1-3 for general comments about these offerings.

"The Theft of the Royal Ruby" starts with both Miss Lemon and Hastings away (probably a holiday for Pauline Moran and Hugh Fraser) and Poirot all ready to spend Christmas alone with a box of chocolates. He is urged by a high official to retrieve a priceless ruby that a young and arrogant Egyptian prince has foolishly lent to an adventuress who vanished with it. The way in which it is retrieved halfway through the episode is stretching things a bit too far; and Poirot's plot to trip up the thieves is even more far fetched. A lot of fun, but not a really successful episode.

"The Affair at the Victory Ball" involves Commedia dell' Arte costumes; and somehow the Detective's explaining the solution over the radio simply does not work. The business of cocaine abuse among the upper classes, though, always has its effect; and by a coincidence, Acorn Media released this set at the same time as the Peter Wimsey "Murder Must Advertise," which also deals with drugs in the England of that period.

"The Mystery of the Hunter's Lodge" uses the by now familiar device of the attractive woman disguised as a homely one, but it is the most satisfactory of the three. Although the relationships between the characters at the lodge are revealed sporadically during a hunt in which the dialogue is difficult to follow, this episode comes closer to film noire than does any other in the series and that makes it unusual.

Although I feel bad being so negative in this review, I realize that we have the 16th to 18th dramatizations of Christie's short Poirot mysteries and that most of the better ones have already been used. Still the production values and the acting are superior to the relentless realism of what now passes for "crime" television series and I must give it the top rating. If it suffers in comparison, it is only in comparison with the earlier offerings in this same series!

Every once in a while, an actor comes along who not only plays the role of Sherlock Holmes, but actually redefines the role. Well, this has now happened with Agatha Christie's detective, Hercule Poirot! In 1989, veteran actor David Suchet (b.1946) was tapped to play Poirot, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This marvelous DVD contains three(!) of the hour-long episodes of the Adventures of Hercule Poirot:

The Theft of the Royal Ruby - Season 3, episode 8 (February 24, 1991) - When a priceless jewel is stolen from a foolish Egyptian prince, the government turns for help to Poirot.

The Affair at the Victory Ball - Season 3, episode 3 (January 20, 1991) - When a man is murdered in a crowded costume party, and no one saw who did it, Poirot begins to exercise his little gray cells.

The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge - Season 3, episode 10 (March 10, 1991) - Poirot's visit to a millionaire's hunting party turns tragic when he gets a near fatal cold. But, when the host is found brutally murdered, Poirot realizes that only he can bring the perpetrator to justice.

This is a great DVD, one that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery, or just loves excellent drama. It's great!

The Theft of the Royal Ruby - While it's interesting to see Poirot on his own, I still missed Hastings and Miss Lemon. But what turned my away from this one is the mystery. It's just not that interesting and revolves too much around coincidence. - 3 stars

The Affair At Victory Ball - This episode combines a great atmosphere, intriguing characters, and chilling murder, with many great plot devices inclucing the six coustumed-characters and the final radio broadcast. While at first I thought this awkward, in the end I love it cause it just captures how much Poirot loves to show off, and I love the comment made about the broadcast at the end. GREAT TELEVISION! - 5 stars

The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge - Some repetitive plot devices, but still solid and Poirot's "One can Leave!?" comment has becomoe a staple in the quotes I say way too much. - 4 stars

Box Set Overall score (Not an Average) - 4 stars

Well:

1. The thef of the Royal Ruby : Very silly, and no plot at all. Very weird, i dont know this one is just blah for me....... just Poirot always amazing, but no plot at all. 3 stars

2. The Affair at the Victory Ball : This one is a little bit better, more plot and mystery , but still not so good as other poirot episodes. 3.5 starts

3. The Mystery of Junter Lodge : This one is the BEST of the trio, good plot, good mystery , well done !!!!!! the end is fantastic , Poirot at his best!!!!!. 5 stars

I am very happy with this selection of Poirot DVD's I try and buy one a month so I can end up with the entire collection.

What can i say about poirot, he is deffently the best of agatha christie, I am currently buying all i can get. i have seen them all and now want to own them. wife loves him and so does her sister. u won't be disappointed.

"Poirot Collector's Set 6" contains three 50-minute episodes from Series 3 of "Agatha Christie's Poirot", which originally aired on Britain's ITV in 1991. This is a particularly enjoyable collection. The quality of the mysteries is high and the first two include some fun elements as well. The mysteries are: "The Theft of the Royal Ruby", "The Affair at the Victory Ball", and "The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge". All three star David Suchet as the dapper Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. He is without his usual companions in "The Theft of the Royal Ruby", but Capt. Arthur Hastings (Hugh Fraser) and Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) of Scotland Yard join him in the other two episodes, along with his fastidious secretary Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) in "The Affair at the Victory Ball."

"The Theft of the Royal Ruby" finds Poirot looking forward to spending Christmas alone with a box of fine chocolates, when a representative of the British government (David Howey) implores the detective to help reclaim a large red ruby belonging to Egyptian Prince Farouq (Tariq Alibai). The young prince has carelessly let a lady-friend walk off with the gemstone. Poirot is reluctant to assist the man he calls a "royal, rude, arrogant fool", but the government considers it a matter of national importance, as the prince is sympathetic to British interests in Egypt. So it is arranged that Poirot spend the Christmas holiday with the archeologist Col. and Mrs. Lacey (Frederick Treves & Stephanie Cole) and their family, who were among the few people who knew the ruby was in London.

In "The Affair at the Victory Ball", Capt Hastings coaxes Poirot into attending a costume ball by explaining that his friend Mr. James Ackerly (Andrew Burt), a producer of radio plays, is a huge fan of the detective. Some members of Ackerly's cast are also there, along with their friends and spouses, dressed as six characters from the Commedia dell'arte. The temperamental lead actress Coco Courtney (Haydn Gwynne) has come as Columbine. Her companion is Viscount Cronshaw (Mark Crowdy), dressed as the Harlequin. The Viscount is stabbed to death in the course of the evening, which the press do not fail to notice happened right under Poirot's nose. The deaths don't stop there, and the mystery boils down to the costumes and cocaine.

"The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge" features a particularly daring and cunning murderer. Poirot accompanies Capt. Hastings on an outing to hunt birds with his friends at Hunter's Lodge, owned by the wealthy and widely disliked war profiteer Harrington Pace (Bernard Horsfall). Poirot does not find the cold and gunfire congenial. He catches cold and retires to a nearby hotel to recuperate. While he is there, Mr. Pace is murdered. The housekeeper Mrs. Middleton (Denyse Alexander) says that she showed a bearded man into the house before she heard a shot. Then the housekeeper goes missing herself, along with a bicycle from a nearby rail station. The two nephews and one half-brother whom Mr. Pace treated so badly are equally suspect.

The DVD (Acorn 2003): Bonus features are the text interview with David Suchet, brief Agatha Christie bio, and list of Poirot books found on all the Collector's Set discs. There are selective filmographies for nine of the cast members. No subtitles. No additional features on this disc.

If you want this, and the other eleven Collector's sets, then you want: Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection. These sets are the same as the Classic Collection sets Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Classic Collection - Set 1 through Poirot: Classic Collection Set 4. Don't be fooled into buying duplicate DVDs.

The famous Belgian detective, M. Hercule Poirot, is an astute observer of human nature; he can see people with his little gray cells: their hidden evil selves, their murderous machinations, and their nefarious intents. He lives to solve the crimes most complex, but occasionally he finds himself between cases affording him the opportunity to indulge in little pleasures.

In 'The Theft of the Royal Ruby' you first see Poirot in a chocolate shop. The worried confectioner closely watches Poirot as he samples a piece of hand-made chocolate; contorted expressions cross Poirot's face, but when Hercule purrs, "Magnifique!," all is well. As he leaves the shop, he is whisked off; a precious Egyptian jewel has been stolen. His chocolates will have to wait.

Poirot is fastidiously arranging his stamp collection according to size in 'The Affair of the Victory Ball.' He has no intention of going to the masquerade ball until Hastings appeals to his vanity. At the ball, the Crenshaw party arrives; their costumes are based on a collector's set of six china figurines representing masked characters of pantomime. One mask hides the face of a murderer.

Poirot joins Hastings on a hunt in 'The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge.' Patches of snow cover the moor. While the hunters fire off their volleys at the rising fowl, Poirot sits on a stool studying a book of gourmet recipes. Zoe Havering asks him why he is sitting out in the cold. He says, with relish, that the red grouse: "... must be eaten fresh while the gun is still smoking!" Later, another gun smokes; its target was not a game bird.

Features: Short written bios: David Suchet and Agatha Christie. List of Poirot movies.

Picture: good. No cropping. Sound: excellent. Volume: typical.

What sets this set apart is The Theft of the Royal Ruby. It's a wonderful Christmas episode. Poirot is the guest of a delightful British family for Christmas, as he investigates the theft. We enjoy watching it at holiday time.