Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12175 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-04-10
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 24

DVD Description

This 24-disc box set contains the complete collection of Agatha Christie's mysteries featuring Hercule Poirot--the meticulously-moustached Belgian detective who relies on his "little grey cells" to solve the most daunting of crimes.

Synopsis

David Suchet stars as the lead in Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Complete Collection--a crime drama series set in the 1930s. Whether he's on holiday or going about his business in Central London, Poirot finds himself exercising his "little grey cells" by helping police investigate crimes and murders, regardless of whether or not they ask for his help. He's often accompanied by his trusty sidekick Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), and their paths often cross with Scotland Yard's Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) who has a grudging respect for the meticulous, if eccentric, private detective.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Beynon
Agatha Christie's meticulous Belgian detective could never be better played than by Suchet and the settings and locations are brilliantly and carefully chosen for the right style and tone, even if some are (of necessity, because the real places have altered hugely since 1935!) not exactly like the particular locations as they are today. I am thinking particularly of the beautifully conjured-up Alexandria of 1935, which (apart from the nuisance factor of so many of the inhabitants) is very different today. I know that because back in 1998 I spent a month, of a several-months stay in Egypt, living in Alex. And there are no mountains behind Alexandria, not even hills, but all the same the location they chose for Poirot (I suspect the real location is somewhere in the Adriatic) was great.

Another good point about this collection is that the discs are clearly marked, unlike the situation in some collections (such as When The Boat Comes In) where you can get the discs all mixed up.

The above brings me to the Specials, which are very disappointing and could have been so much better.

I am unsure now as to whether this collection is "complete": I notice that a Collection 7 is about to come out.

Still, what can one do but award 5 stars?

Suchet the Great
There are very few occasions, when a character is played to such a perfection that it is hard to
a) Imagine anyone else playing that character.
b) See the difference between 'the character' and 'the actor'.

It would not be an overstatement to say that David Suchet has played 'Hercule Poirot' to perfection. Infact, he may have done himself a great disservice by playing it to such greatness.

I am a HUGE fan of david suchet because of 'Hercule Poirot' work, and I have seen each episode many a times, infact everytime it is played on ITV, I am there, and I have also managed to get my wife hooked on to it.

So, what makes it so great ?
Of course, for anything to achieve a status, it has to have the right mix, and this seems to have all the necessary ingredients - the right sets, apt period representation, good support actors (not only the lead actor), and a strict no-nonsense approach. But, for me personally, if there is one factor, that is Mr. David Suchet.

Test drive it on ITV, and if you like it, go buy the DVD set. You will not be able to put the DVD back on shelf.

Try before you buy
My parents bought this set & I borrowed it from them before deciding whether to buy it myself. It's a real mixed bag, some brilliantly filmed episodes that are very close to the book & some that are so altered, it's like watching a totally different story. The worst one was 'Cards on the Table' where they actually transposed a criminal/victim duo which left me feeling so cheated at the end of the film, as the person I had 'known' was the goodie ended up as the criminal! In the books, Poirot was often called in as a detective AFTER the crime took place, whereas in the film, they try to include Poirot earlier by making him a guest/neighbour/passer by etc. Understandable from the producer's point of view, but it does leave you wondering why anyone would invite Poirot anywhere near their house since it was guaranteed to cause a murder! Also, Christie ends her books in a variety of ways, but the films nearly all end in a ridiculously dramatic way with a chase, shooting or hostage taking scene. After the first couple, I started to wonder why someone who is supposed to be as bright as Poirot is stupid enough to put a bunch of innocent people into a room with a known murderer, doesn't check the murderer for a weapon or escape route, and then pronounces their guilt...

Is this worth buying? If you don't know the books, you'll probably love it. If you're a Christie fan, I'd suggest borrowing it first, as your opinion will be affected by how well they've filmed your favourite books. Me? I definitely won't buy the set, but I'll probably buy the earlier volumes. Suchet is incomparable as Poirot, it's just a shame they had to hype up some of the later stories.