Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Movie Collection, Set 4

I chose this 5 Star rating because it deserves every one of them! It contains 2 of my favorite movies of all of them! I love the ones that have Zoe Wanamaker in them. David Suchet and Zoe just have such chemistry in them as old friends, which makes them utterly believable! And in Mrs. McGinty's Dead, David Suchet is at his best and most keen and Zoe Wanamaker helps him along...sometimes to his chagrin! It's such fun to watch them together! The plot and storyline are well written and carried out and it leaves you guessing right along with them who did what and WHY! Some of the characters are so unlikeable that you find yourself wishing...well, that they get it next! You know what I mean?!! Some do, too! Is that bad of me to say that? I wonder! But at any rate, it's fun to watch and the more you watch it, you seem to glean something that you missed before! Agatha Christie was such a perfectionist at hiding clues...right in front if you, wasn't she?! Guess that's why she's the the top "Dame" of mystery writers! "Cat Among The Pigeons" is a great one, too! It has mystery and intrigue on foreign ground that ends up sailing onto the sovereign soil of good old England herself! But they're all in for a fight to death when they realize that the infamous Hercule Poirot is their rival and NOT their ally! The battle is on and only one will win out...and as far as Hercule is concerned...they were the losers before they even began the fight! They just can't outwit HIS little grey cells!..and that of one little smart schoolgirl, too! Foolish to try, yes??! I love the way the story weaves in and out with "red herrings," so to speak! I love a good mystery and the ending of this one is so satisfying, too! Makes it a complete package all wrapped up by Mister P. himself! I recommend it highly! You won't be disappointed!

As stated with other Poirot/Suchet reviews - I am a sucker for these films. Not really objective. But these two films are two of the best among all of the films, particularly "Cat Among the Pigeons". Great suspense, great casting and performances. I'm not really sure what I can add, but if you have never tried Poirot then these would be two good candidates to start with. NOTE: I see a lot of negative reviews regarding the price of these Poirot Box Sets. I agree. I would never pay the list price that they want for these two movies, or another set with 3 movies, but that being said - you don't have to pay that. Amazon has thousands of other vendors here and I have never had a problem with any of the highly rated vendors. I don't always buy these products new. I have bought plenty of "Like New" and "Very Good" condition DVD's, Books, CD's and generally have never had a problem with these so called used products. On the rare occasion that there was an issue it was always resolved promptly and to my satisfaction.

By: Regit Agatha Christie's Poirot, The Movie Collection, Set 4 consists of three discs. Two of the discs are each 93 minutes long and each contains a mystery staring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. The mysteries are Cat Among the Pigeons and McGinty's Dead. A third disc, 47 minutes long, titled "Super Sleuths: Poirot", contains behind the scenes interviews with Christie's famous detective, Poirot, and the supporting cast, his secretary Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran), his side kick Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), and his inside contact at Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Japp. These supporting characters do not appear in the two mysteries included in this set. In Cat Among the Pigeons Poirot mentions that his apartment is being remodeled and he asks his butler George to send him a suitcase of clothes. This is also a later period in the development of Poirot's personality. He is noticeably more aggressive, demanding and crritical. Ariadne Oliver, a best selling writer of mystery novels and Poirot's friend appears in Mrs. McGinty's Dead. The discs are in color, have stereo sound and are in the 16 to 9 wide screen format. Cat Among the Pigeons (1959). Ali Yusuf prince of Ramat a rich country in Middle East gave a fortune in rubies to his friend and pilot, Bob Rawlinson. Rawlinson concealed the jewels in the handle of a tennis racket in his sister's luggage. An uprising took place in Ramat. Both Yusuf and Rawlinson were killed when their sabotaged plane crashed. Back in England, Meadowbank, the top school for young ladies, was in the throws of reorganizing and asked Poirot to observe and give them some suggestions. Then Miss Springer was killed with a lance in the Sports Pavilion. Inspector Kelsey interviewed everyone, and secretly the British Secret Service took notice. The Tennis racket with its valuable hidden gems changed hands. The gems were discovered by one of the students, who showed them to Poirot. There was another murder, an attempted murder, and a kidnapping. The complex interaction between the students and the faculty became even more tense, scrambled and intriguing. Poirot gathered all of the principals in the lounge and recounted the high points. The perpetrator was identified. The management of the school resolved that they would rebuild their reputation and again become the top school for young ladies in England. Mrs. McGinty's Dead (1952). Mrs. McGinty was found dead with the back of her head smashed in. Her unemployed tenant, James Bentley, was suspected of the crime. He was arrested, charged, tried, convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. Chief Inspector Spence of the Kilchester Police, a close friend of Poirot, was on the Bentley case and went into all of the evidence very thoroughly. He had the feeling that Bentley was innocent, and told Poirot "I know a lot more about murders than the Jurors". Poirot agreed to dig into the murder and took up residence in Broadhinny, a slovenly run boarding house in the area. Poirot came across Ariadne Oliver, a writer of mystery novels and an old friend who provided some useful intuitive reasoning about the case. He found that several of Mrs. McGinty's employers had reasons to have the case settled without an in depth investigation. When an unknown assailant made an attempt on Poirot's life, the investigation became even more serious. Poirot uncovered the real culprit, a miss-carriage of justice was averted and James Bentley was freed. Poirot saw to it that a female admirer of Bentley was present when he was released from prison.

David Suchet is the quintessential Poirot, and I always enjoy the cinematic versions of Christie's books when he does them. Like Joan Hickson, who is the definitive Miss Marple, Miss Marple - Set 1 (Sleeping Murder / A Caribbean Mystery / The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side / 4:50 from Paddington) , he seems to have captured not only the appearance of a character easily parodied but his very being as well. Though the movies have a breathtaking polish and are evocative of the eras of the 1920s and 1930s, I still find that the BBC/PBS TV series are my favorites for shear fun. I miss the dearness of Captain Hastings and the precision and properness of Miss Lemon. Their presence humanizes Hercule, and Hastings makes a perfect "Watson." I have to admit, however, that some of Christies books are more dramatic than those produced for TV, and do not lend themselves well to a comic presentation. The two cinematized here are examples. "Poirot Movie Collection Set Four" is a superb pair of movies. Both of Agatha Christies' stories, "Mrs. McGinty's Dead" and "Cat Among the Pigeons," are very polished cinematic presentations, with an attention to detail that are the making both films. Period clothing, makeup and hair styles subtly carry the ambiance of the 1930s such that the viewer knows this is a time gone by even without the antique automobiles. The architecture and interior décor are that wonderful blend of the "old" Art Nouveau and the "new" Art Deco that actually did faced off as one generation passed the torch to the next at that time. The viewer senses the sentimentality of the old guard and the brusque sense of self-importance of the young without having to be told. Here the generation that fought WWI in their youth have grown up to take over during the 1920s and are starting to show their age during the 1930s as their own children grow up. WWII is looming in the background, but with few exceptions the WWI generation is blissfully ignorant of it or trying very hard to pretend so. The audience, aware of the events of the coming period, does know and will understand that these stories take place during a magical hiatus that is soon to come to an abrupt end. Of the two my favorite film is the "Cat Among the Pigeons." The girls' school setting, in fact even the music provided for the film, reminded me of Harry Potter's school time experiences, a magic blend of the sinister and the sweet. The characters of the various staff members and of each of the girls are very well done. My favorite is the Schoolmistress, Miss Bulstrode, played with such ability by Harriet Walter who made a wonderful Harriet Vane in the Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries (The Lord Peter Wimsey-Harriet Vane Collection - Strong Poison / Have His Carcass / Gaudy Night) , and a terrific evil sister-in-law in Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition) . The crime is carefully orchestrated with red herrings everywhere, and the dennoument is a surprise. While "Mrs. McGinty's Dead" was not quite as powerful in its cinematic presentation or in its story appeal, it was definitely the better drama. The concept of the eleventh hour reprieve of a man condemned to death for a murder he hadn't committed was captivating, and the story within a story of old crimes with present day repercussions was also intriguing. I didn't care as much for the characters here as in the previous film, although the recurring Ariadne Oliver, played with zest by Zoë Wanamaker who appeared as Rolanda Hooch the flying instructor and Quidich coach in Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray ], was quite endearing. A beautiful pair of films.

The numbers of reviews submitted for the various packages of David Suchet's portrayal of Agatha Christie's beloved Belgian detective Hercules Poirot is testament enough as to its popularity, with many going into considerable detail about each episode covered. I'm not about to clog up the reviews with more of the same. If you know who Poirot is there's no need, and if you don't, many of these other great reviews will fill you in nicely. I simply wish to say that each meticulously portrays the time period (1920s to 1940s before the series reaches its end) as only British productions can, and with actors who do not overplay their roles in sticking as closely as possible to Agatha Christie's books. As some have noted, the original episodes have more of an Art Deco and often brighter and less-brooding look to them with the semi-regular characters of his aide, Captain Arthur Hastings (Hugh Fraser), his secretary Miss Felicity Lemon (Pauline Moran), and Scotland Yard Chief Inspector James Harold Japp (Philip Jackson), each of whom more or less faded from Christie's books after entering the mid- to late-1930s. These later episodes, some of which were produced by the A&E Network but still stuck flawlessly to the period in appearance, began to take on a darker side in their storylines (as did her books), with the only recurring characters being George, his valet, and detective fiction writer Ariadne Oliver (played by the brilliant actress Zoë Wannamaker). The only episodes not yet available on DVD are those of the final season, which were filmed the past year - Elephants Can Remember, The Big Four, The Labours Of Hercules, Dead Man's Folly, and Curtain. The last, which brings our favourite detective, now wheelchair-ridden, back to Styles (now a retirement residence), but where it all began, also sees his death. I have them all to date, and can't wait for these to be broadcast and then finally made available on DVD.

This set helped to complete my collection of this always excellent series. My only wish would be that there should be a boxed set of all the episodes instead of having to do it piecemeal. I only need a copy of Curtain to finish the series and I am unable to find just a single copy. I don't want to duplicate episodes I already have. It is too bad that the little gray cells must retire. They still have so much more work to do.

The two movies in this set are extremely well made. David Suchet is the perfect Poirot. "I am the most famous detective in the world!" In the first movie (Mrs. McGinty's Dead), Hercule has a lot of walking to do and puddles to contend with (not to mention fowls in a kitchen). He's joined by Zoe Wanamaker (as the daffy writer Ariadne Oliver), whether he appreciates it or not. . My only complaint is there isn't enough of her in this mystery. Her droll observations are hysterical. Why didn't they give her a series of her own? She might not be able to solve mysteries but it sure is fun watching her try. Of the two movies, Cat Among the Pigeons is my favorite. Things go horribly awry at an exclusive school for girls. "I didn't know she was going to get herself skewered, did I." There's diabolical doings that Hercule must solve when he finds himself a guest among too many girls. Not everything is what it seems.

The DVDs are excellent and I can watch then over and over. One actually feels they are in the 1920s or the 1930s with such lavish landscaping, homes, town scenes of London, clothing, and characters, to say the least. Ultimately one must try to figure out the plot and there Agatha Christie has all of us pondering intensly. It is just impossible to always figure out the ultimate criminal. I must say they are my faforite DVDs.

There are three CDs in this collection. The two movies are excellent, as usual. I was delighted to see that the subtil humor omnipresent in the early Poirot movies is back. The third CD consists of one episode of a British TV show that documents great fictional detectives. I love the interviews with the actors; David Suchet, Pauline Moran, Hugh Frasier, etc. Very entertaining!

To many people David Suchet is the ultimate Poirot - I agree, he is perfect as Agatha Christie's Belgum detective. This 4 disk set contains some of the short story adaptions as well as the longer adaptions of Agatha Christie's novels. I must admit I prefer the adaptions of the novels rather than the short stories. 4 novels Hercule Poirot's Christmas, Hickory Dickory Dock, Murder On The Links and Dumb Witness as well as several short story adaptions. This set has all the regular supporting characters Captain Hastings, Miss Lemon and Chief Inspector Japp (who are sadly missing in the later episodes). These stories are lighter than the later adaptions where Poirot's character is alot darker. I am looking forward to the new adaptions which are being filmed - I am reliably informed are Mrs McGinty's Dead and Dead Man's Folly. Lets hope Japp, Hastings and Miss lemon are bought back for them.

This fourth individual collection set consists of the entire fifth series from 1993 and the entire sixth series from 1994 (all four stories from series 6 being feature-lengths). Once again, David Suchet is in excellent form as the Belgian sleuth, again ably supported by Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings, Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon. Like with the first three individual collection sets, I saw these ones on the telly (mostly on Granada Plus, although I do remember Dumb Witness from when it was first on ITV). Poirot has always been one of my favourite TV programmes to watch as the stories are very entertaining and the plots are very believable, despite the fact that I have never read any of Agatha Christie's Poirot novels, perhaps I should treat myself to a Poirot novel sometime. Going back to the DVD, it is packed with very good stories and this collection, along with the others, is very highly recommended to anyone who likes great detective stories.

What can be said David Suchet IS Poirot.

I was pleased to find that this collection has subtitles in English / Hard of Hearing.