Poirot Collector's Set 2 (Coll)

Starring:Poirot
Studio: Acorn Media
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

David Suchet and Hugh Fraser team up again as the great detective Hercule Poirot and trusty Captain Hastings for three engaging hour-long adventures. In The Cornish Mystery Poirot has an unusual visitor--a victim who says she's not dead yet but is slowly being poisoned. The Adventure of the Cheap Flat blends international intrigue with the gentle comic relief of a foolish American FBI agent, and Double Sin contains a novel twist: Poirot announces his retirement and Hastings is left to solve the case by himself. The cast has the easy rapport of old friends, and as always Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp and Pauline Moran as the remarkable Miss Lemon are welcome companions. Special DVD features include selected cast filmographies and biographies for David Suchet and Agatha Christie. Brew some tea, check it for arsenic, and get ready for a thoroughly entertaining evening. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

It's great!.......2005-05-02

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 Cornish Mystery - Season 2, episode 4 (28 January 1990) - A woman seeks out Poirot's help, claiming her husband is slowly poisoning her. And when she is found dead, it is up to Poirot to see to it that the husband goes free!

Double Sin - Season 2, episode 6 (11 February 1990) - To everyone's amazement Poirot suddenly announces that he is retiring, and when a young woman's paintings are stolen, he refuses to help. It's up to Hastings to solve the mystery, but what is Poirot really up to?

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat - Season 2, episode 7 (18 February 1990) - Poirot meets a young couple with a strange story to tell, they got their flat for an outrageously low price, and all because of their name. There's more to this little mystery than meets the eye, and Poirot is just the man to get to the bottom of it!

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!

Great Shows, Mediocre Video Transfer.......2002-12-25

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.

No Closed Captioning.......2002-12-17

I bought the previous Poirot set and was extremely disappointed that it did not have closed captioning. I love Poirot but if I had known that cc was missing I would have passed. I haven't purchased this one but no mention of closed captioning here either.

Poirot Series 2.......2002-08-19

This is classy, intelligent entertainment. I've watched the series many times and have returned to it like an old friend. Beats everything else on TV hands down.

Poirot Gets Better and Better!.......2001-06-25

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

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