Product Details

• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 3
• Studio: Acorn Media
• VHS Release Date: February 8, 2000
• Run Time: 153 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1569383790
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #283,678 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Poison, stolen antiques, and international intrigue--all of these are just another day's work for Agatha Christie's famed detective Hercule Poirot. In the three episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot collected in this boxed set, the dapper Belgian sleuth (David Suchet) and his faithful associate Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) match wits with Scotland Yard and the FBI.

Unlike the brash, gun-toting FBI agent (William Hootkins) in "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat," Poirot refuses to accept the obvious solution to any crime and uses his polite European manners to catch the real culprits off guard. Suchet captures the essence of Poirot's shrewdness and charm with such marvelously subtle gestures as lighting a suspect's cigarette while recounting the details of her crime. In "Double Sin" and "The Cornish Mystery," Poirot travels to the Lake District and Cornwall, giving viewers the benefit of beautiful scenery in addition to a delicious mystery. Like Suchet, the producers of the series paid meticulous attention to detail when creating the sets and costumes, and the results are sure to delight Christie fans and make new ones. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Product Description

The Cornish Mystery: Poirot takes on the case of a wife who suspects her dentist husband is slowly poisoning her because he's fallen in love with his young assistant.

Double Sin: Poirot tells a startled Hastings he's decided to retire and suggests they take a trip to the seaside. On the way, Hastings befriends a young woman who finds she's missing some valuable antiques.

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat: An FBI agent who comes to London to try and catch a glamorous nightclub singer turned spy dismisses Poirot as a "gumshoe." Unimpressed with the pompous G-man's tactics, Poirot is drawn into the case after meeting a young couple who've gotten too good a bargain on a prime apartment.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good fun and no gore, February 28, 2000

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Agatha Christie's Poirot, Vol. 2 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

There were many one hour and somewhat less two hour episodes of the Hercule Poirot mysteries shown on PBS; and foresighted fans should have taped them then, because when A&E re-runs them, parts of each have to be removed to make room for all the commercials. Very often, the solution at the end flashbacks to scenes that we never saw because of the abridgments and frankly the value of these episodes are reduced considerably.

But now Acorn Media is reissuing them in complete versions, with the two hour features on DVD and the shorter ones on VHS. Both series are a delight. The acting genius of David Suchet is enhanced by his usual supporting cast (Hugh Fraser as Hastings, Philip Jackson as Japp, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon), the wonderful guest casts, the done-to-perfection ambiance of time and place--the late 20s and early 30s--with all those fabulous art-deco buildings they have managed to find and populate.

The first boxed set of 3 episodes contains "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim," "The Veiled Lady," and "The Lost Mine." In the first, you might spot a bad flaw in the solution. Hint: how long was the playing time of the average 78 rpm disc back then? The second set includes "The Cornish Mystery" (with a genuine "blonde hussy"), "Double Sin" (with a Sweet Young Thing in Distress), and "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat" (with a neat reversal on the plot of Doyle's "The Red Headed League"). And if too many solutions depend on Poirot overhearing by chance some remark early in the story, well that should teach you to be more alert to these things on future viewings. Also if Poirot is not above breaking the law with a little forced entry now and then, well so did Sherlock Holmes. Very amusing sleuthing for one and all--and a very welcome relief to the grizzly "modern" mysteries now being shown with extreme close-ups, whispered dialogue, and as much gore as possible in each frame.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Shows, Mediocre Video Transfer, December 24, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Agatha Christie's Poirot: Collector's Set Volume 2 (DVD)

This rating is an average, taking about 5 stars for the quality of scripts and performances, and about 1 for the technical quality of these DVDs. I've been a fan of Suchet's Poirot from the get-go; and have just about worn out my tapes. For my wife and me, Poirot is video comfort food. That's why I'm buying the DVDs-to have wear-proof copies of these beloved shows.

Having said that, Acorn should not be proud that this is the best technical quality they can produce. Basically, these shows on DVD look no better than mediocre VHS; perhaps less than mediocre. The imagery is neither sharp nor crisp; dark scenes have a sort of permanent haze over them; they're almost in a monochrome, washed out with little color to the wonderful period scenery and sets.

I believe the shows were shot on film, which means negatives must exist. One has to wonder if the negs were lost or damaged, and these DVDs were made from secondary or tertiary sources. At any rate, I would love to know the story of how these video transfers came to be.

Whatever the reason, it's too bad that such a great series is being represented this way on DVD.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poirot Gets Better and Better!, June 25, 2001

By 

"face-garak" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Agatha Christie's Poirot, Vol. 2 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The Cornish Mystery - Perhaps not the most complex mystery ever concieved, but the character interaction in this episode more than makes up for that! There are great bits about an Indian restaurant, a man in a scarlet kneeband, a yellow-haired hussie, and Japp once again losing a case to Poirot. The actors really shine in this one! Also the background music is great! - 4.5 stars

Double Sin - This one combines great character interaction as well as a great mystery. The solution is great, and even the background music is good! If this episode has any flaws it's that the Miss Lemon side-plot seems out-of-place, but that doesn't really detract from the episode at all - 4.5 stars

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat - Another great mystery with a tad of a plot stretch. There are some enjoyable side-characters in this one like an American FBI agent and a club-owner who never picks up his phone. Just as good as the first two, rounding out this set rather nicely! - 4.5 stars

Box Set Overall score (Not an Average) - 5 stars