little grey cell comfort food

When I can’t think of anything else to read, or just want something comforting and familiar, there is always Agatha Christie. And although I have read (I think) most of her books by now, I am still drawn most frequently to the ones featuring the inimitable Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot. He of the meticulous ways and fantastic mustaches. With his obsession with detail and as Ben Franklin says, “a place for everything, everything in its place,” he has to be a Virgo, like me. And probably a little bit OCD.

“There was only one thing about his own appearance which really pleased Hercule Poirot, and that was the profusion of his moustaches, and the way they responded to grooming and treatment and trimming. They were magnificent. He knew of nobody else who had any moustache half as good.” ― Agatha Christie, Hallowe’en Party

I downloaded some Poirot-centric titles on Kindle and was not disappointed. The first, Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly, is a shorter, novella-length version of what became her novel Dead Man’s Folly. The plot is similar to the novel, but there are a few changes and twists to the story. Christie was well-known for reusing plots and motifs and then changing around settings and even murderers for a completely different result. It is fun to read Christie’s description of the main house where the murder takes place, as she based it on her own house in Devon.

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

The next Christie I read is a longtime favorite, Hallowe’en Party. This is a particularly diabolical mystery, as the victim and even some of the suspects are children. Agatha Christie never shied away from the concept of evil, or its being able to take root at an early age. Poirot has to tread lightly as he tries to solve a brutal drowning – in a tub full of apples – as he questions a seemingly nice community of nice people. The ultimate solution has to feature one of her most interesting motives, too.

The next Christie was a new collection of short stories, featuring Poirot and Christie’s other detectives: Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, Parker Pyne, etc. Along with a reminiscence about one of her childhood Christmas holidays, the featured stories include: “Christmas at Abney Hall,” “Three Blind Mice,” “The Chocolate Box,” “A Christmas Tragedy,” “The Coming of Mr. Quin,” “The Clergyman’s Daughter/The Rose House,” “The Plymouth Express,” “Problem at Pollensa Bay,” “Sanctuary,” “The Mystery of Hunters Lodge,” “The World’s End,” “The Manhood of Edward Robinson,” and “Christmas Adventure.” Christie fans will recognize that “Three Blind Mice” is the novella version of her long-running play “The Mousetrap.” These are all good stories and the winter’s theme makes them feel especially cozy.

Poirot and Me, by David Suchet

Not quite ready to quit Christie, but not in the mood for a re-read, I stumbled across Poirot and Me, by David Suchet. This is a charming book by the actor most well-known as the definitive Poirot (sorry Kenneth Branagh). Suchet outlines his entire acting career in this memoir, which includes a lot of award-winning theater and films and television. But a great bulk of his career and life has been spent playing Christie’s most famous detective. He is proud to share that journey and how Poirot has affected his career and life. He may have initially taken the role thinking it would be a short-term thing, as many British series are, but he grew to love the character and become a champion for filming every Christie novel and short story featuring Poirot. This was a monumental project, completed over the course of many years and different production companies. The decision to keep the time frame in the 1930s gave the series an impeccable feel and design. But he was finally able to realize his dream and the Agatha Christie’s Poirot series is one of television’s best classic mystery series.

And this concludes my adventures with Poirot. Until the next re-read.

Reviews on Cannonball Read 13

and then there were satanists ... the legacy

The Legacy, by John Coyne, is a mixture of an Agatha Christie whodunnit, as members of a house party are knocked off one by one, and an occult thriller. It's not always clear how much of the menace is due to dark magic or just plain old greed, as six people have been elected to inherit a legacy — of vast wealth, property, and possibly, supernatural power. Coyne wrote the novel as a tie-in to the successful film starring Katharine Ross and Sam Elliot (and The Who's Roger Daltrey in a small role). He wrote a number of other horror novels before switching to golf novels, which is his current genre.

I liked the film when I saw it as a kid, so thought I'd give the book a try. It's a good read for a few spooks and thrills, but much of it seemed very dated — especially how the relationship between the main couple, Maggie and Pete (Ross and Elliott in the film) is handled. It was hard not to roll my eyes while Pete took fragile Maggie in his strong arms again and again. I remember Katharine Ross being pretty kick-ass and spunky in the movie, so I put those scenes down to the author's own attitudes about the sexes and their roles. There were a few occasions where Coyne could have added some more background, as to why Maggie and Pete found themselves at an English palatial estate, and how Maggie's family tree might be a factor. But after one fevered dream sequence that Maggie has halfway through the book, he seemed to drop it.

So, honestly, there is not much to be gained by reading the book versus seeing the original film, which is just some cheesy fun (complete with a Sam Elliot shower scene — bonus). That's the way to go, in my opinion.

Novelization or film? Film all the way. Plus, it's fun to watch these two fall in love (and they're still together 40 years later!)

favorite movie #46: witness for the prosecution

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #46 - Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - In honor of Agatha Christie's birthday, I'd like to share one of my favorite film adaptations of her work, in this case, a play, Witness for the Prosecution. Directed by Billy Wilder with an all-star cast, the film is primarily a courtroom drama, but there are mystery, thriller, and film noir elements as well. Ailing barrister Sir Wilfred Roberts (Charles Laughton) is urged by his pesky nurse (Elsa Lanchester) and all of his colleagues not to take on the case of Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), who has been accused of killing an elderly spinster, Mrs. Emily French,  who was enamored with him. Although Vole is clearly a poor schemer who wasn't averse to charming the woman, Sir Wilfred is convinced of his innocence and his sincerity. He also has an alibi provided by his wife Christine (Marlene Dietrich), who appears, confusingly, cold and uncaring of her husband's predicament. Everyone in the cast is terrific, and Wilder had fun with Christie's twists and turns and subterfuges. The supporting cast includes John Williams, Henry Daniell, Torin Thatcher, Una O'Connor, and Ruta Lee. This was sadly Tyrone Power's final film, as he died of a heart attack during the filming of Solomon and Sheba the following year. There's a fun in-joke, when Vole meets Mrs. French at the movies and they are watching Jesse James, one of Power's early film successes.

"Sir Wilfrid, you've forgotten your brandy!"

still in the mood for thrillers

Here are some recent reads:

And Then There Were None, 1939, by Agatha Christie

This one is unlikely to be reimagined by Kenneth Branagh, but you never know. And Then There Were None is one of Christie's grimmest, and most famous tales. Due to its original title, it is also one of her most controversial. Christie loved to use nursery rhyme references in her book titles, and this book actually incorporates an entire rhyme in the book as a twisted framework for a crime:

Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Indian boys travelling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one of them and then there were five.

Five little Indian boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Indian boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Indian boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Indian boys sitting in the sun;
One got all frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were none.

["Ten Little Indians" - based on "Ten Little Injuns" written in 1868 Septimus Winner to be performed in minstrel shows]

Ten people, strangers to each other, are invited to a remote island for a holiday weekend. Once there they are each accused of a crime, a murder, for which they had never been charged. As one after another guest is found dead, paranoia reigns, as the remaining people on the island suspect one another and fear for their lives.

And Then There Were None could be viewed as the precursor of modern horror movies, where each character is bumped off in succession. It was also spoofed in the classic comedy film Clue. The book, although ingenious, is a bit of a downer. Clearly even Christie thought so herself, and changed the ending when she adapted her novel into a play in 1943. That ending is followed in the 1949 film version of the tale, And Then There Were None, directed by Rene Clair (which I recently viewed and liked on Amazon Prime). I prefer that take on the story, although a more by-the-book adaptation was recently filmed in 2015, starring Aidan Turner.

Deathtrap: A Thriller in Two Acts, 1978, by Ira Levin

Continuing my Ira Levin binge, my local library had Deathtrap: A Thriller in Two Acts. I had only seen the movie version, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. Maybe taking a nod from Ms. Christie, there is really no innocent person in Deathtrap. A twisty-turny puzzle of a play, Deathtrap centers on playwright Sidney Bruhl, whose last play was a huge flop, and who seems burnt out, humiliated, and out of ideas.

A draft of a play is sent to him by a former student, and a diabolical light bulb goes off over Sidney's head ... as he tells his wife, Myra, "It is a thriller in two acts. One set, five characters. A juicy murder in Act One, unexpected developments in Act Two. Sound construction, good dialogue, laughs in the right places. Highly commercial." Levin has a ball winking at the audience, and the play, written in 1978, was deservedly a big hit on Broadway. It reads well, too.

Button, Button: Uncanny Stories, 2008, by Richard Matheson

This is an eclectic collection of stories by the author of What Dreams May Come and Stir of Echoes. The title story has been adapted twice - as a Twilight Zone episode and a feature film, The Box. I have yet to see either one, but I liked the story, which features a fun and creepy twist ending. Another of the stories in the book, "Dying Room Only," is a great, tense read, but may discourage the reader from ever stopping again at an out-of-the-way spot to grab a bite while on a road trip. Most of the stories were written and published previously in the '60s and '70s. They are a bit of a mixed bag - some good ("Clothes Make the Man"), some humorous, some dated ("The Creeping Terror"), some some just strange ("A Flourish of Strumpets," "'Tis the Season to Be Jelly"). Button, Button is a diverting read, but makes me wish the library had I Am Legend or Hell House instead.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs, 1968, by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie's most famous detectives were Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. But she also wrote five books featuring the detective couple Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. They met in The Secret Adversary (1922), were married in the collection of short stories Partners in Crime, on the track of German spies during WW2 in N or M? (1941), were retired with grown children in By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968), and elderly in the last novel she wrote, Postern of Fate (1973).

In By the Pricking of My Thumbs the Beresfords visit Tommy's elderly Aunt Ada in a nursing home. While Tommy is with his aunt, Tuppence meets a strange old lady, Mrs. Lancaster, in the common room, who points at the fireplace and asks her, "Was it your poor child?" The next time they visit the home Aunt Ada has died and Mrs. Lancaster has disappeared.

The title comes from Shakespeare's Macbeth: "By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes." She is not kidding. This is one of Christie's creepier mysteries. It is also, like its writer and her detectives, a little bit older and unfocussed. But there are enough thrills and a truly sinister ending to make this book not one of her greats, but definitely worth a read.

speaking of mustaches ...

I have been into thrillers lately ...

Murder on The Orient Express, by Agatha Christie, 1934

I had to re-read this classic Agatha Christie novel after recently seeing the Kenneth Branagh movie version. I have always been a huge fan of David Suchet and his version of Christie's most famous detective, Hercule Poirot. I was initially horrified at the promotional photos of Branagh's take on the inimitable Belgian's famous 'stache, but I actually enjoyed his lively take on the character. Maybe some of that enthusiasm carried over when I was reading the novel, which is not as smooth or fast-paced as its many screen versions. But I found myself not getting caught up in Christie's clues and red herrings (a dropped pipe cleaner, monogrammed handkerchief, etc,) and instead enjoyed his conversations with a train full of suspects and his unique take on the solution of the crime.

Can Branagh's Poirot and his magnificent mustaches solves the case?

The Mystery of the Blue Train, by Agatha Christie, 1928

Christie didn't just set one murder on the famous and luxurious Orient Express, or Blue Train, as it was sometimes called. Poirot shows up about halfway through the book, written before Murder on The Orient Express. The mystery features plenty of adultery and romance, centering on a married couple who are both involved with other partners. Christie is said to have not liked this book, but that may be because she was writing it both before and after her infamous disappearance and the dissolution of her first marriage. Whether she liked it or not, Poirot is at his most charming - flirting with young ladies on the Riviera while he tracks down a murder and solveds the disappearance of a famous ruby known as the "Heart of Fire."

Agatha Christie, by Mary S. Wagoner

This is an O.K. biography of Agatha Christie. The author gives a brief biography of her life, leaning heavily on Christie's own autobiography for the majority of her quotes. Readers who are not familiar with all of the author's intricately plotted books might want to steer clear of this one, as major plot points and solutions are revealed. It is a fun but slim read for the Christie-phile who might want to learn a little bit more about the author, including lesser known features of her life, like the numerous long-running plays she wrote when not cranking out her best-selling mysteries, and the romance novels she wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.

Lori, by Robert Bloch, 1989

This book was just ... strange. It tells the story of Lori Holmes, definitely no relation to Sherlock, who comes home from college with her boyfriend/fiance to find out that her parents are dead and her childhood home has burnt down. Bloch, the author of Psycho, seems to not know whether this should be a supernatural thriller or murder mystery. Not that a book can't be both, but this book never seems to find its voice. Lori has strange, sometimes disturbing dreams, but she seems to be more a girl of the 50s than the almost-90s. She passively accepts tons of tranquilizers from the men in her life who just want to shut her up. And most of those said men have mustaches, and similar attitudes, so seem hard to tell apart. Were mustaches really a thing in 1989? I remember men being more clean-shaven. Anyway, it's not horrible, I got through it, but not so good, either. It was more than a little hard to hang in there to find out if any of Lori's dreams or hallucinations would pay off.

throwback paperback thursday

I come from a family that loves and collects books. I grew up with them all around me. I had books like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and everything by A.A. Milne, but all of the Dr, Seuss I read was from the library.

A big turning point in my reading life came when I was finally able to read something from my parents' bookshelves. My mom and dad loved paperbacks, and one summer my mom suggested I try an Agatha Christie. I think I have always associated summer and beach reading with Christie ever since. Her books are still very similar to comfort food for me. The first Christie I ever read was The Moving Finger. I liked it enough to keep going, but I have always preferred the inimitable Hercule Poirot to Miss Marple.

We had a bookmobile that would come every week during the summer, and from there I found Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and Little Men. I even read Jo's Boys and Eight Cousins.

I never read The Godfather in those days, although my parents were share-reading it in the bathroom. I'm pretty sure I flipped though it many times, probably looking for something sexy or exotic. I read it many years later and loved it.

My dad was a big science fiction fan, and from him I discovered the amazing short stories of Ray Bradbury: Dandelion Wine, The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man. Mom loved him too. We would talk about stories like "A Sound of Thunder" and "The Veldt." Another book from Dad's bookshelf that rocked my world was the creepy yet fascinating Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon.

My aunt and uncle gave me a selection of short stories by Kurt Vonnegut, Welcome to the Monkey House, which probably caused me to grow up a little quicker than I would have otherwise.

It will be interesting to see which books from my shelves make their way into my daughter's room as the years go by.

the agatha christie hour

Even the most avid Agatha Christie buff may not be aware of the stories featured in this DVD collection, as they don't feature her most famous detectives, Miss Marple or the inimitable Hercule Poirot. But the absence of those two sleuths should not deter one from checking out this great series from 1982 and distributed by Acorn Media, The Agatha Christie Hour: Complete Collection.

Cherie Lunghi and Nicholas Farrell in "The Manhood of Edward Robinson"

Featuring ten almost hour-long episodes on four discs, with a total running time of 517 minutes, there is much to enjoy here. One of Christie's other, lesser-known sleuths, Mr. Parker Pyne (Maurice Denham), is on hand in a few of the episodes, and fans of Poirot will also recognize the character of Miss Lemon, who is employed in a similar capacity, but perhaps with more direct involvement in his cases, by Parker Pyne. Many of the mysteries center on the supernatural and romance, two aspects that played more in the background of many of Christie's famous detective novels, but take center stage here.

The list of episodes in the collection includes:

Set 1
Disc 1: "The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife," "In a Glass Darkly," "The Girl in the Train"
Disc 2: "The Fourth Man," "The Case Of The Discontented Soldier"

Set 2
Disc 1: "Magnolia Blossom," "The Mystery of the Blue Jar," "The Red Signal"
Disc 2: "Jane in Search of a Job," "The Manhood Of Edward Robinson"

The picture quality has the look of many television films from that era, a bit on the grainy side, but for the most part is clean and crisp and looks great on a large-scale high-definition television screen, with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The costumes, set design and locations are top-notch. The sound and music are clear, with English subtitles are available. Extras include two text biographies, "Agatha Christie" and "Parker Pyne: Before Poirot."

All of the episodes are entertaining, but there are some definite standouts. Fans of Midsomer Murders will be delighted to see a very young John Nettles in "Fourth Man." Nettles, as Raoul Letardau, enters a train compartment and joins the discussion between three men — a lawyer, and a priest, and a doctor (Michael Gough, Geoffrey Chater, Alan MacNaughton) — and their debate over a young woman's recent suicide. But does the fourth man on the train hold the key to the mystery? in another episode, Christie seems to take a page out of Edgar Allan Poe with "In a Glass Darkly," where a young man's vision of a murder may play out in the future. Christopher Cazenove and Rosalie Crutchley are featured in "The Red Signal," another supernatural mystery that centers around the foretold death of a doctor. Are otherworldly forces at work, or is this just a case of murder for gain?

The author, animated

Viewers will have fun spotting familiar actors in early roles: Rupert Everett "The Manhood of Edward Robinson," Amanda Redman "Jane in Search of a Job," and Ralph Bates "Magnolia Blossom," just to name a few. But perhaps what is most fun about The Agatha Christie Hour (apart from its cute animated opening credits sequence) is seeing another side of Christie. At times, romantic, at times silly, at times mysterious, these stories not only feature England during a bygone era, but Christie, beginning to find her voice and stretch herself as a storyteller.

Originally published on Blogcritics: DVD Review: ‘The Agatha Christie Hour’

les petits meurtres d'agatha christie

I am writing reviews for the website Cinema Sentries now, too. Here's an excerpt of my latest review of a French-language Agatha Christie mystery series, "Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie, Set 1 DVD Review: Who Needs Poirot?." Please don't be put off by the prospect of subtitles. These shows are really terrific.

... Christie's famous sleuths, Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple, have been replaced by two sets of French investigators. In the first six mysteries, set in the 1930s-era France, Superintendent Larosière (Antoine Duléry) and his trusty sidekick, Inspector Lampion (Marius Colucci) solve a variety of murders. Larosière, who loves fine food and has an eye for the ladies, can be both dismissive and gentle with poor Lampion (sometimes at the same time). Lampion seems to have trouble just trying to keep up with his brilliant yet mercurial boss. They are a witty pair, and these renditions definitely have brought a sense of humor to the fore. Although frequently funny, the pair is also deadly serious about crime and catching criminals — they continually remind the contemporary audience that the guillotine awaits their convicted murderers. There is also a dash of romance in these mysteries; they are French, after all. Larosière may find himself attracted to both a lady in peril as well as a possible suspect. Lampion also finds romance — with different men he meets during the course of their cases. ...

Lampion and Larosière

poirot, series 10

Acorn Media has released for the first time on Blu-ray Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 10. The four feature-length mysteries included on these discs feature some of Christie's most tragic plots, but her victims and murderers are not her typical "bad guys." The four films were originally broadcast in 2005 and 2006 and include some of the series' most stellar guest stars, including Lucy Punch (Doc Martin, Ella Enchanted), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, 12 Years a Slave) and Elliott Gould (Ocean’s Eleven, MASH). Zoë Wanamaker (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Prime Suspect) returns as Poirot's friend and foil, eccentric crime novelist Ariadne Oliver (a self-portrait-like spoof of Christie herself.)

Mrs. Oliver (Zoë Wanamaker) and Poirot (David Suchet) attend a very strange dinner party

The production is its usual high quality, with costumes and set designs accurately and attractively reflecting the period setting, which the series has kept in the 1920s/1930s Art Deco era. The images on the discs look sharp, especially on a large-scale high-definition television screen, with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The dialogue and the musical soundtrack are also crisp and clear (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0), with English SDH subtitles available. The mournful soundtrack is by Stephen McKeon. There are bonus features too: a photo gallery and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

The episodes on the two discs episodes appear in their original U.K. broadcast order. Fans of Christie's books may not be pleased by how the original stories have been modified in these filmed versions, but changes to the novels do keep viewers who may think they know what's coming guessing — especially in the first episode in the set, "The Mystery of the Blue Train." The basic plot, which concerns murder and the theft of a priceless jewel aboard a luxury train, is still there, but Poirot now finds himself on the spot, much like his other famous case, "Murder on the Orient Express."

Liberties with Christie's text continue in the second episode, "Cards on the Table." The original novel, like many of Christie's puzzles, had an ingenious set-up — four sleuths (including Poirot and Mrs. Oliver) pitted against four "successful" murderers — people who had committed crimes but had never been accused or convicted. But this version switches murderers, makes a neat yet intricate premise unnecessarily complicated, and adds more "contemporary" sexual goings-on, a tactic that has been used to spice up the more recent incarnations of Marple, but until now, not Poirot.

The second disc includes the most successful and entertaining episodes in the set, "After the Funeral" and "Taken at the Flood." In "After the Funeral" Poirot is asked by a lawyer friend (Robert Bathurst) to help determine whether a family patriarch and his sister were murdered — and by whom. Every member of the Abernethie family is a suspect, and the cast includes Michael Fassbender, Lucy Punch,  and Geraldine James. The adaptation is classic drawing-room Christie.

Cousins George Abernethie (Michael Fassbender) and Susannah Henderson (Lucy Punch) in "After the Funeral"

The real jewel in the set is "Taken At the Flood," which has been updated from its original post-war setting. Poirot once again finds himself dealing with a complicated wealthy family, the Cloades. Viewers will find themselves as affected by the outcome of this mystery as the detective himself, who believes he has witnessed one of the most evil crimes of his career. The impressive guest cast includes Jenny Agutter, Tim Piggott-Smith, and Celia Imrie.

"How depraved! God, how evil does a man have to be to cause the slaughter of so many innocent people? For the concealment of a single murder? If God should withhold his mercy from anyone on earth ... it surely will be you."

What makes the Poirot series so watchable is David Suchet in the title role as the brilliant yet persnickety Belgian detective. In all four mysteries Suchet as is as wonderful as ever, and imbues his character with real emotion, especially in the final mystery in the set, "Taken At the Flood." Suchet recently has realized his goal of filming all of Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries. There may not be any new Poirots in the offing, but it is nice to know that thanks to Blu-rays like these, Suchet as Poirot can be enjoyed again and again.

Originally published on Blogcritics: Blu-ray Review: ‘Poirot, Series 10′

agatha christie: the queen of crime collection

"... All three films in Agatha Christie's The Queen of Crime Collection are of high quality in costume, setting (London and Wales), and set design. The acting, of course, is topnotch across the board. Christie was fond of madcap amateur sleuths who have names like Bundle and friends called Badger and Pongo, and these films capture that period of British upper class bonhomie — with just an appropriate dash of brutal crime to keep the locals entertained. And these films should keep Christie and British mystery fans entertained, too."

Cheryl Campbell as Bundle and Christopher Scoular as Bill in The Seven Dials Mystery

You can read the entire review here on the film/review website Cinema Sentries.

poirot and marple — fan favorites

Acorn Media has released Agatha Christie's Poirot & Marple: Fan Favorites Collection on DVD. Acorn asked fans to vote for their favorite Christie mysteries, and have now packaged the results in an excellent six-disc collection.


David Suchet is the ultimate Hercule Poirot. He portrays the dapper Belgian detective with flair, humor, and intelligence. The Art Deco period sets and locations just enhance the experience. The six feature-length Poirot mysteries on three discs also feature Poirot's inimitable allies Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson), and Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran), Poirot's uber-efficient secretary. Some well-known guest stars also appear.

All six Poirot episodes are excellent, but Acorn wisely starts things off with "Murder on the Orient Express," a superb interpretation of Christie's classic whodunit, and one of the best in the entire series. Originally broadcast in 2010, with such recognizable guest stars as Jessica Chastain, Eileen Atkins, Hugh Bonneville, and Barbara Hershey, Poirot must determine who has brutally murdered an extremely unpleasant man named Ratchett (Toby Jones), a fellow passenger on the Orient Express. The claustrophobic environment (the train is stalled on the tracks during a blizzard), and the wide array of suspects, makes for a perfect Christie "closed room" murder. Suchet also gets the opportunity to explore parts of his character, such as Poirot's advancing age and his faith, in more depth than in other episodes of the series.

The rest of the episodes in the collection are from earlier in the series, but all have their great points as well. "Hercule Poirot’s Christmas," from 1995, features one of Christie's more grisly murders. Poirot is a reluctant house guest of the rich and elderly Simeon Lee (Vernon Dobtcheff), who has hired the detective to "observe" his family over the Christmas holiday. The audience may not care about the victim, who is one of Christie's most unlikeable characters, but they will enjoy the subtle humor and clever resolution to the crime, which, in typical Christie fashion, has been hiding in plain sight all along.

1990's "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" is a post-WWI story involving Poirot and his friend Hastings, renewing their wartime friendship over a country house murder. It is as humorous as it is clever, and the viewer can enjoy watching Poirot tease his friend Hastings' less-than-stellar deductive properties, while marveling at how the little Belgian detective manages to keep up with the story's twists and turns before he catches the killer.

"The ABC Murders," originally broadcast in 1992, is one of Christie's more interesting plots. She sets Poirot on the trail of a serial killer with an alphabet fetish. Poirot must get into the mind of the killer, his focus more on psychology this time out than motive. Can Poirot, Japp, Hastings, and a band of interested parties - the loved ones of the killer's victims - form an effective detective squad and stop the self-named "ABC" before he strikes again?

Christie loved to send Poirot around the world, reflecting her own journeys with archaeologist husband Max Mallowan. In 1993's "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb," an Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings seems to be cursed as members of an excavation party keep dying. Poirot and Hastings travel to Egypt to discover the real culprit behind the series of mysterious deaths at an archaeological site. The locations and settings are as top-notch as ever, and the episode manages to successfully combine the Egyptomania of the period with Poirot's (and Christie's) truly ingenious solution.

The final Poirot mystery is one of Suchet's earliest outings as the character, it is 1989's "Four and Twenty Blackbirds." Viewers are treated to more aspects of Poirot's finicky character (the man must be a Virgo), especially regarding his relationship towards food, and his odd couple friendship with Japp, as the pair try to discover if there is something fishy behind the recent deaths of two estranged brothers. Are their deaths, which occurred within days of one another, coincidence or murder? Poirot's favorite restaurant, also a haunt of one of the brothers, and an unconventional artist's model, provide both exquisite period detail as well as clues to the solution of the mystery.

As for the Marple end of things, actresses Geraldine McEwan (right) and Julia McKenzie (below) offer their interpretations of the deceptively sweet Miss Marple. Christie's small-town busybody sleuth appears in five feature-length episodes from the Marple series in this set. The first three mysteries feature McEwan, and the last two McKenzie. Miss Marple's village of St. Mary Mead and its murderous denizens are portrayed in beautiful period detail, but the elderly sleuth does get out and about to solve a mystery or two. These interpretations of Christie's stories have also noticeably upped the sex angle. Sex and romance was always a feature in Christie's original tales, but the author tended to allude to such relationships more daintily than the way in which they are depicted herein.

The first episode, "The Murder at the Vicarage," originally broadcast in 2004, features the usually cuddly Derek Jacobi as the bombastic Colonel Protheroe, a self-important bigwig in St. Mary Mead. Protheroe almost seems to ask to be murdered, as he huffs and puffs his way through the village, and soon enough someone eagerly complies. Miss Marple must sort through a list of suspects who also happen to be her very good friends and neighbors--played by such talents as Janet McTeer, Jason Flemyng, and Rachael Stirling--before she can come up with a solution to the crime.

2005's "A Murder Is Announced" has Miss Marple trying to sort out why a "murder game," intended for an evening's entertainment, turned chillingly real. McEwan's Marple is more of the annoying little old lady next door than Agatha Christie's kindly, fluffy elderly spinster, who always seemed to be knitting something fuzzy in blue or pink. But her nosiness serves her well as she sorts out the complex relationships of the guests at the house party and discovers who is responsible. As with all the Marple episodes, the casting is first-rate, with such guest stars as Zoë Wanamaker, Matthew Goode, Cherie Lunghi, and Sienna Guillory.

The final McEwan Marple episode in the collection, 2007's "At Bertram’s Hotel," bears little resemblance to the original Christie story, apart from Miss Marple's affection for London's Bertram's Hotel. If Christie fans can tolerate the changes to the story, there is a lot to enjoy, especially the period atmosphere of the hotel and its regular and transient guests, played by such great actors as Francesca Annis, Polly Walker, and Peter Davison.

Julia McKenzie takes over as Marple in "A Pocket Full of Rye," which was originally broadcast in 2008. This adaptation features a much more down-to-earth Miss Marple. Here, she is tasked with determining who wanted a wealthy businessman (Kenneth Cranham) dead — and the list of suspects is quite long. But her job is also a quite personal one as young maid named Gladys, from St. Mary Mead, has been murdered as well. McKenzie's Marple is sharp as ever, but perhaps without the acerbic edge that McEwan brought to the role. The impressive list of guest stars includes Rupert Graves, Matthew MacFadyen, and Helen Baxendale.


The final Marple episode in the collection is 2010's "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side." One of the best entries in the Marple series, the mystery finds the villagers of St. Mary Mead starstruck when a Hollywood actress (Lindsay Duncan), and her director husband, move to town. Joanna Lumley is clearly having a blast as Miss Marple's dear friend Dolly Bantry, and although the story has some quite tragic elements, there is an overall feeling of brightness and fun to the episode. Caroline Quentin and Hugh Bonneville guest star, and McKenzie proves that she truly is Marple in this third filmed adaptation of the novel (previous entries featured Joan Hickson and Angela Lansbury).

The mysteries in the collection are in all color, 16:9 widescreen format, with stereo sound, and SDH subtitles. The Poirot set has a total running time of approximately 503 minutes and the Marple set approximately 463 minutes. The Marple set includes a bonus booklet insert that includes the recipe for the "Delicious Death" chocolate cake featured in "A Murder Is Announced."

Acorn has released all of the individual mysteries before, and has done so in a wide array of sets. Even so, Agatha Christie's Poirot and Marple: Fan Favorites Collection is a boon for folks who want to dabble in the Agatha Christie mysteries, or who are missing a few of the full sets. The quality of the DVDs is as high as ever, and fans of Christie and British mystery should experience hours of enjoyment from this collection.

tommy and tuppence are a blast from the past

Article first published as DVD Review: Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime: The Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries on Blogcritics.

This week sees Acorn Media's release of Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime: The Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries. Originally aired on television in 1983, the series was based on Agatha Christie's "other detectives" — 1920s-era Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. The DVD set includes all 11 mysteries from the series on three discs, with a approximate total running time of over 620 minutes.

The first mystery on the DVD is The Secret Adversary, a feature-length film which introduces sleuths and adventurers Tommy (James Warwick, Lillie, Bergerac) and Prudence 'Tuppence' Cowley (Francesca Annis, Lillie, Cranford). The always stylish and clever Tuppence and the ready-for-anything Tommy team up to solve a series of mysteries, all of which keep leading them inevitably to a formidable adversary - the mysterious Mr. Brown. As Tommy and Tuppence grow closer, Tuppence also considers a marriage proposal from their friend Julius (Gavan O'Herlihy). Also appearing are Honor Blackman, George Baker, and Reece Dinsdale as Albert.

Francesca Annis as Tuppence and James Warwick as Tommy

The Secret Adversary introduced Tommy and Tuppence to 1980s television audiences and was quickly followed by the Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime series. In Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime, Tommy and Tuppence are now married, and together run the Blunt Detective Agency. The fun-loving duo solve a variety of cases, sometimes adopting the mannerisms of other well-known detectives, such as Sherlock Holmes. The episodes, which all run around 50 minutes in length, include:

"The Affair of the Pink Pearl" - A bored Tommy and Tuppence take on the first case for the Blunt Detective Agency when they try to find a stolen pearl. Graham Crowden and Charles Shaughnessy costar. 

"The House of Lurking Death" - A poisoned box of chocolates is the pair's first clue in what may be a series of murders. 

"The Sunningdale Mystery" - Tommy and Tuppence must solve the murder of a man on a golf course. 

"The Clergyman's Daughter" - A Christie staple, an English country house mystery, serves as the backdrop for this episode, but with a twist — the house may be haunted. 

"Finessing the King" - Tommy and Tuppence attend a ball in costume as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, and find a murdered woman among the guests. 

"The Ambassador's Boots" - A seemingly innocent bag swap leads to a much deeper mystery. 

"The Man in the Mist" - The murder at a posh hotel of a well-known actress keeps the pair busy. 

"The Unbreakable Alibi" - Can Tommy and Tuppence help a young man marry the girl of his dreams (by breaking her alibi)? 

"The Case of the Missing Lady" - Tommy and Tuppence search for a polar explorer's missing fiancee — has the girl been kidnapped? 

"The Crackler" - The pair aid Scotland Yard in cracking a band of counterfeiters.

The DVD presents all of the episodes in the original order in which they were aired. SDH subtitles are available and the image is 4:3 fullscreen. The series does have a more "filmed in studio" look to it than the film The Secret Adversary. Acorn includes a disclaimer: "Due to the age of these programs and the improved resolution that DVD provides, you may notice occasional flaws in the image or audio on this DVD presentation that were beyond our ability to correct from the original materials." The image is certainly not as crystal-clear as we may have become accustomed to in this age of high-definition television, but the series does still look good on a large-scale HD television screen. The period details, sparkling and humorous dialogue, fabulous costumes, and stellar acting make Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime: The Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries a very enjoyable viewing experience.

poirot's early cases

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Early Cases Collection on Blogcritics.

For fans of David Suchet's classic interpretation of Agatha Christie's most famous sleuth Hercule Poirot, Acorn Media has put together a real treat, Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Early Cases. This recently released collection compiles the first six series of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, remastered and in their original U.K. broadcast order. The collection is available on both DVD and Blu-ray.

David Suchet has created the ultimate version of the Christie's little Belgian detective. Seen in the U.S. on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery! and the A&E network, Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Suchet's interpretation has been a long-time favorite of all lovers of British mystery since its debut in 1989. Suchet is realizing his dream of playing in all of Christie's Poirot mysteries - he is currently filming the final book featuring Poirot, Curtain.

Hercule Poirot and Co., L-R: Inspector Japp, Poirot, Miss Lemon, Captain Hastings.

The mysteries included in Agatha Christie's Poirot, The Early Cases Collection have all been released on DVD and Blu-ray previously. The advantage to this collection, if one hasn't already purchased separate series, is having all of your favorite Poirot episodes in one set, and especially on Blu-ray, which features an impeccable transfer from the original 16mm-filmed series.

The Blu-ray includes 13 discs with SDH subtitles available. The aspect ratio is 1.33:1 with a video resolution of 1080p/4.3 full screen. The mysteries simply look fantastic on a large-scale high definition television screen, with colors and blacks clear and sharp and details like the paisley on Poirot's cravat and his impeccably waxed mustache popping. Discs for Series 1 and 2 are in 2.0 Dolby Digital sound and Series 3-6 are in 2.0 Stereo PCM, with dialogue crisp and clear. The musical score also sounds excellent. There are no extras, apart from some previews for other Acorn Media mystery titles. The 45 mysteries included in the set are:

Series 1, Disc 1 (Approximate running time 262 minutes):
"The Adventure of the Clapham Cook," "Murder in the Mews," "The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly," "Four and Twenty Blackbirds," "The Third Floor Flat."

Series 1, Disc 2 (Approximate running time 257 minutes):
"Triangle at Rhodes," "Problem at Sea," "The Incredible Theft," "The King of Clubs," "The Dream."

Series 2, Disc 1 (Approximate running time 260 minutes):
"Peril at End House," "The Veiled Lady," "The Lost Mine," "The Cornish Mystery."

Series 2, Disc 2 (Approximate running time 263 minutes):
"The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim," "Double Sin," "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat," "The Kidnapped Prime Minister," "The Adventure of the Western Star."

Series 3, Disc 1 (Approximate running time 213 minutes):
"The Mysterious Affair at Styles," "How Does Your Garden Grow?," "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery."

Poirot and his "little grey cells" are more than a match for any criminal.

Series 3, Disc 2 (Approximate running time 210 minutes):
"The Plymouth Express," "Wasps’ Nest," "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor," "The Double Clue."

Series 3, Disc 3 (Approximate running time 205 minutes):
"The Mystery of the Spanish Chest," "The Theft of the Royal Ruby," "The Affair at the Victory Ball," "The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge."

Series 4, Disc 1 (Approximate running time 213 minutes):
"The ABC Murders," "Death in the Clouds."

Series 4, Disc 2 (Approximate running time 106 minutes):
"One, Two, Buckle My Shoe."

Series 5, Disc 1 (Approximate running time 204 minutes):
"The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb," "The Underdog," "Yellow Iris," "The Case of the Missing Will."

Series 5, Disc 2 (Approximate running time 203 minutes):
"The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman," "The Chocolate Box," "Dead Man’s Mirror," "Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan."

Series 6, Disc 1 (Approximate running time 124 minutes):
"Hercule Poirot’s Christmas," "Hickory Dickory Dock."

Series 6, Disc 2 (Approximate running time 124 minutes):
"Murder on the Links," "Dumb Witness."

Poirot is joined on many of these cases by his faithful companions Captain Arthur Hastings (Hugh Fraser), Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) and his secretary and general factotum Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran.) The 1930s Art Deco sets and costumes look fantastic on Blu-ray. As do some of the wonderful filming locations, which include period architecture and furnishings. Many of the mysteries take Poirot and the viewer out of his fabulously furnished London flat to the English countryside, as well as overseas to Paris and more exotic locales, like Egypt and the island of Rhodes.

Murder follows Poirot on holiday in Rhodes.

Viewers will also recognize many of their favorite actors in guest appearances, including Caprica's Polly Walker ("Peril at End House"), The Princess Diaries' Caroline Goodall ("The Adventure of the Western Star"), The Tudors' Jeremy Northam ("Dead Man's Mirror"), Doctor Who's Christopher Eccleston ("One, Two, Buckle My Shoe"), and Homeland's Damian Lewis ("Hickory Dickory Dock"). Of the early cases included in the set eight are feature-length movies and 38 are hour-long episodes.

Agatha Christie's Poirot is still impressive to watch, with its intricate puzzles, attention to period detail, and impeccable casting. To now have all 45 of Poirot's early cases from the first six seasons of the series available on Blu-ray is a dream come true for fans of British television and Christie alike. Agatha Christie's Poirot, The Early Cases Collection has come out just in time for the holidays, and Christie and Suchet fans will certainly enjoy watching their favorite television detective in glorious Blu-ray.

suchet on blu-ray: agatha christie's poirot, series 6

Acorn Media has released another superb Blu-ray collection, Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 6, which includes four feature-length episodes in their original 1995-96 U.K. broadcast order.

The four episodes are on two discs, with a total running time of 428 minutes. The video resolution is 1080p with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The sound is crisp and clear, in Dolby Digital 2.0, with SDH subtitles available. Originally filmed in 16mm, the episodes have been re-mastered for Blu-ray and high definition, and look spectacular on a large-scale hi-def television. Details like the weave of the fabric of Poirot's suit and background set details pop in a way they never did in their original television broadcast.

All Hercule Poirot wants for Christmas are a heated apartment and some delicious Belgian chocolates

Hercule Poirot's Christmas Both Poirot and Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) have their Christmas holidays interrupted by a very curious murder at a rich man's estate. Past indiscretions and South African diamonds provide the clues that the great detective needs to unravel to find the perpetrator of the violent crime. Mark Tandy costars as the local chief of police, Superintendent Sugden.

Hickory Dickory Dock Poirot's secretary Miss Lemon's (Pauline Moran) sister enlists the detective's help with a series of thefts at a hostel where she is a housekeeper. Poirot soon discovers that something more sinister than kleptomania is afoot, and must find the villain of the piece before the bodies begin to pile up too high. To further complicate matters, while his wife is out of town Japp moves in with Poirot and almost starves when confronted by the little Belgian's idea of home cooking. Jonathan Firth and Damian Lewis costar as students at the hostel.

Murder on the Links On holiday in Deauville, France, Poirot and Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) become involved in a local case of abduction and murder. Poirot races to solve the case before his arch-enemy, the abrasive Giraud of the Sûreté (Bill Moody) can. The two make a wager regarding who will solve the crime first. If Giraud loses, he must give up his famous pipe. If Poirot loses, he must shave off his moustache. Poirot can not let that happen. Hastings, meanwhile, falls for a woman named Bella Duveen (Jacinta Mulcahy), who has secrets of her own.

Bob the fox terrier helps Captain Hastings and Poirot solve a murder

Dumb Witness A fox terrier named Bob proves to be an invaluable witness in the murder of his beloved master, Emily Arundel (Ann Morrish). Also trying to assist Poirot on the case are two sisters, Julia and Isabel Tripp (Muriel Pavlow and Pauline Jameson), Miss Arundel's neighbors, who look for answers from "the other side."

David Suchet has proved himself to be the ultimate portrayer of Dame Agatha Christie's most famous detective, the Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot. The impeccably mustachioed Poirot utilizes his "little grey cells" to determine the responsible party in each of these entertaining mysteries. The production values, as always with the series, are top-notch, with beautiful Art Deco surroundings and impeccable costumes. Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 6 is a very worthy addition to Christie canon, enabling fans of Suchet and Poirot to enjoy these mysteries again and again.