Customer Reviews

Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Movie Collection [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

amazon Poirot movie collection

Up to now, Acorn Media has been issuing the David Suchet Poirot episodes like this: the shorter ones were only on video tape, the longer ones (running at 103 minutes) were only on DVD. With, I am sure, pleas from non-DVD owners, Acorn Media has made available on both formats a box set of five of the longer entries and calls it <Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Movie Collection>. And what a joy it is. Since I have already reviewed all but <Peril at End House>, I will just sum up what the first four are about.

<Death in the Clouds> follows the "closed murder scene" scenario by having the crime committed aboard a small trans-Channel airplane. The passengers, including an aerophobic Poirot, are all likely suspects.

<The ABC Murders> is the best of the lot. A serial killer is using the alphabet to select the victims, both whose names and towns start with the required letter. In a rare instance, Poirot enlists the relatives of the victims to help hunt down the madman. This they do half way through the plot (!), so we can easily guess Christie has given us a memorable red herring.

<One Two Buckle My Shoe> involves the murder of Poirot's own dentist and the suspects are all of his patients on that day--including the detective himself. There is a particularly nasty discovery of a body in a closet you will remember.

<Mysterious Affair at Styles> is an adaptation of the novel in which Hastings first meets Poirot; and its décor is World War I rather than the 20s and 30s of the other videos. We have here a classic example of the English "murder in the mansion" genre.

The latest release in this series,<Peril at End House>, might have the most surprising solution of all the Poirot episodes. While the solution might depend too heavily on a certain coincidence, we have here the classic moment (drawn, I believe, from a Poirot short story) in which the detective declares he cannot eat two boiled eggs because they are of different sizes! But he is always ready to help a person who seems to be subjected to a string of "accidents." The aerial shots in the beginning are gorgeous, as are the seascape backgrounds throughout. I especially thought the Jerome Kern music in the background a good touch.

In fact, all of the Poirot episodes, both the short and long, are noted for the exquisite period décor of setting and costume, the fine acting of even the smallest roles, and the extremely interesting changes made from the Christie originals to adapt them to television.

Both my sister and my mother have read almost every mystery that Agatha Christie ever wrote, but I never thought to start. Then I sat down one evening to watch television with them, and I was at once enchanted. It was an episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot on A&E. The David Suchet Poirot films (both full length movies and short films) come from this series. I enjoyed that first show so much that I watched the series religiously until it went off the air.

I started reading some of Agatha Christie's mysteries this year, and I firmly believe that David Suchet is the best portrayal of Hercule Poirot that ever was. I have seen other notorious actors, such as Peter Ustinov and Tony Randall, play the part, but they do not achieve the full embodiment of the persona (both physical and psychological) that David Suchet does.

The five movies that come is this set - THE ABC MURDERS; DEATH IN THE CLOUDS; THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES; ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE, and PERIL AT END HOUSE - are all excellent films. They exhibit Agatha Christie's wide range of talent with their variety in plot. In THE ABC MURDERS, someone is killing off seemingly random people and leaving railroad guides behind. In DEATH IN THE CLOUDS, the murder is committed in an airplane with Poirot on it. The list goes on, and I don't want to spoil anything for those interested in this set.

If you have never seen a Poirot before and are uneasy about spending so much money on something new, I would recommend any of the other David Suchet Poirot films to try out first. They are all incredibly interesting, exciting mysteries to watch.

First of all, an explanation on the lack of a full 5-star rating. Despite the content, this was not Acorn Media's finest product, picture-wise. Oh, the content is outstanding, but the picture throughout most of the episodes was a bit grainy and sometimes you could easily see lines on the screen. Again, not the best effor I've ever seen, but don't let that detract from your enjoyment of the content itself.

Simply the finest piece of work to come out of television in the history of the medium. Agatha Christie's work comes to life with the brilliant acting of David Suchet as the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Equally superb acting from supporting cast members Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp, and from Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings. Also, look for Pauline Moran and a wonderfully charming Miss Lemmon. The episodes are well-translated from the original books, the parts acted out with humor, wit, charm, and historical integrity.

The DVDs themselves are also full of some great extra features, like biographies of the cast, lore from the world of Poirot (including quizzes), and a nice section on Agatha Christie herself. It is truly amazing to find something as totally wonderful and completely re-watchable as the Poirot series. The movies will have you begging for more. And don't worry, mystery fans, Acorn Media vastly cleaned up the quality of the picture i the second set. Still, a must-have for mystery lovers, for British television and movie lovers, and those that enjoy quality viewing on their own screens. Intrigue, puzzles, humor, and charm... it doesn't get much better than this!

"Agatha Christie's Poirot," based on the English author's popular detective stories, is a superbly made series. The subtle plots, the direction, the acting, the settings and costumes, even the music that so perfectly evokes the atmosphere and mood of each story, are all of the finest quality. English character actor David Suchet is simply perfect as the slightly eccentric Belgian police inspector-turned-private detective Hercule Poirot, and each actor - from Hugh Fraser and Philip Jackson as Captain Hastings (Poirot's "Watson") and the likeably gruff Chief Inspector Japp, to the most minor players in the various episodes - gives a detailed, multi-dimensional portrayal.
The box set includes five full-length (103 minute) episodes. I must state right away that my two favorites are THE ABC MURDERS and THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES, but that the other three are every bit as fine. DEATH IN THE CLOUDS, set in France and England, concerns the murder of Madame Giselle, a ruthless moneylender and blackmailer, during an airplane flight from Paris to London. Japp concludes that the woman was killed by a poison dart found on the floor near her seat, but Poirot has other ideas - particularly when he finds himself suspected! The episode features an interesting relationship between Poirot and a young air stewardess who assists him in his investigation. There are also atmospheric shots of Monmartre and stylish art deco interior settings, plus a hilarious scene in which Poirot conducts an "experiment" aboard the plane, which shows Suchet's flair for comedy.
Suchet himself has called THE ABC MURDERS his personal favorite of the "Poirot" episodes, and I can understand why. It is a wonderful human drama about a lonely epileptic who is suspected of being a serial murderer. Is it possible for a person to commit a crime without being aware of it? This is the question the story asks. However, the denouement may surprise you. I must add that the scene in which Poirot visits the suspect in prison is a highlight, with riveting acting from Suchet and Donald Sumpter as the poor, accused man. ONE, TWO BUCKLE MY SHOE, which begins with the murder of Mr. Morley, a dentist, comments on the British class system. The opening sequence foreshadowing the shooting death of Morley is extremely eerie. At the end of the episode, having successfully found the common link between three murders, Poirot and Japp realize that it is "the little chaps" who are really important to the welfare of society. ("But," Poirot adds, "there are no little chaps, Chief Inspector...particularly not Poirot.")
In PERIL AT END HOUSE, a young heiress' life has been threatened by a series of strange accidents. Poirot takes the case in order to protect her...but is it really she who needs protecting? The English seaside setting of this episode is beautiful, as is the score, composed by Richard Hewson. THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES was the first of the Hercule Poirot stories and also the first "Poirot" episode. It is 1917, and Lieutenant Hastings has been discharged from the Army because of an injury. To recuperate he goes to the country estate of a friend, John Cavendish. John's mother has married a much younger man whom everyone else in the household dislikes. When she is murdered, Hastings joins forces with Hercule Poirot, a Belgian refugee living nearby, to uncover the truth. It is interesting to see the characters in an Edwardian (rather than a 1920's or 1930's) setting, and also to see how the masterly characterizations of Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson, and (especially) David Suchet were perfectly in place even at this early stage in the series. As in the other episodes, all of the different elements in this one - direction, acting, sets, costumes, lighting, music, camera angles - come together to create an absorbing drama. There are several particularly memorable moments. One is the scene in which Poirot and Hastings are looking for clues in the deceased woman's room; though there is not much action here, the music and the camera shots make the scene riveting. In a later and most touching scene, Hastings proposes marriage to a young woman living in the house and is gently rejected. Soon after, Poirot, impatient to find the "last link in this most mysterious case," is building card houses to steady his mind, so that he might think clearly and logically. Then Hastings makes a remark that suggests the "last link" to Poirot, who suddenly jumps up and goes racing excitedly from the house. One knows here that he is about to "crack the case." And finally, there is the big "explanation scene," in which Poirot explains the surprising truth to all assembled. When STYLES ended, I found myself exclaiming, "Superb!" The same word could be used to describe the entire series. "Agatha Christie's Poirot" is television at its very best.

I recently discovered this set available on DVD and was very excited, since I've been a fan of David Suchet, Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot for a long time. I was really looking forward to viewing these, however the poor quality of the image was apparent to me in the first scene and it didn't get better. The image quality is actually worse than what I've seen on aired on television via cable. The picture appears to be composed of thousands of tiny vertical lines, which are easily discernable and difficult to ignore. I'm amazed Acorn would release such a great series in such a low quality package and then charge so much for it. I will definitely not buy any other titles by Acorn Media.

David Suchet brings Poirot to life like Agatha Christie must have imagined when she created him. To put this collection on DVD is just this side of Heaven. I only have one request; could we have a collection in order? Wait! It is on DVD I will just pick which one I want to see next...Happy Sleuthing!

Makes you hope no one else takes on the role since now it has been done to perfection. Love the music and the style. The fashions and the cars are great. The English atmosphere is adorable.

I just love it. Agatha Christie was purely a genius. You can never guess who the murdurer is. It seems impossible at first, but all the clues just make sense after Poirot leads us through the whole thing.

I bought this book for friend that was very ill and in hospice. He has since passed away but he loved the book. He liked anything about Poirot.

AcornMedia - did these films. I read a comment saying that you could not see the picture very good because AcornMedia did the filming. I was not prepared to buy the DVDs because of this comment. I wanted VHSs. That is what I had ordered. But DVDs came instead. I was so disappointed until I started watching the films, they were great. They were not distorted, but clear as a bell. I enjoyed these movies and will buy movies again done by AcornMedia. I have no idea why that person said the DVDs were not very good. David Suchet as Hercule Poirot is my favorite Agatha Christie actor.