agatha christie's poirot: series 11

David Suchet is as wonderful as ever as Hercule Poirot in this latest DVD collection from Acorn Media, Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 11. The costumes, settings and locations are as gorgeous as ever in these first-class adaptations of Christie's mystery novels. The films stay mostly true to Christie's original novels. Two of the episodes pair Poirot with Christie's thinly-veiled spoof of herself, crime novelist Ariadne Oliver (Zoë Wanamaker).

Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) and Ariadne Oliver (Zoë Wanamaker) consider the pool of suspects

The first film in the set, "Mrs. McGinty's Dead," seems a bit more artistically framed than previous Poirot episodes. It features one of Christie's most clever plots, with Poirot taking on a cold case and having to rough it in the country while he investigates the murder of an elderly charwoman in the small village of Broadhinny:

Poirot, "Well, I too suffer. The cooking of Madame Summerhayes; it is beyond description. Well, it is not cooking at all. The currents of the cold air. The long hairs of the dogs. The chairs. The terrible, terrible beds in which I try to sleep! And the coffee: words cannot describe to you the fluid they serve to you as coffee."

Poor persnickety Poirot. He may not be enjoying the usual creature comforts of his well-appointed London flat, but his deductive skills are as sharp as ever.

Read the entire review on Cinema Sentries.

poirot: series 7 & 8

Acorn Media has released on Blu-ray for the first time some titles only previously available on DVD: Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 7 & 8. For Agatha Christie and Poirot enthusiasts it is great to see these titles remastered for the precision of Blu-ray. The widescreen (aspect ratio: 1.77:1, 1080 resolution) images look great on a large-scale, high-definition television screen. The colors are vibrant; and details, such as the weave of Poirot's suit jacket or his incredibly waxed mustaches are stellar. Shadows may look a bit murky on some of the more highly-lit exterior scenes. The episodes were remastered from their original 16mm film prints.

David Suchet is as excellent as always as Hercule Poirot, the world's most brilliant and fastidious detective. His faithful friends and assistants also show up along the way - Hugh Fraser as Poirot's best friend and colleague, Captain Hastings, Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran as his personal secretary, the incomparable Miss Lemon. Poirot travels across England and beyond to solve the multiple murders in these mysteries. The Art Deco period settings and costumes look as fabulous as ever.

Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) basks in the glow of his client, the actress Jane Wilkinson (Helen Grace)

The two-disc Blu-ray includes four feature-length mysteries, presented in their original U.K. broadcast order:

"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" (2000) —Poirot has retired to the countryside to raise vegetable marrows (squash). When his friend the wealthy industrialist Roger Ackroyd (Malcolm Terris) is found murdered in his home, Poirot can (happily) ditch his new gardening habit and throw himself back into the detection of crime. Poirot is assisted in his investigations by the local doctor, Dr. Sheppard (Oliver Ford Davies), and his busybody sister Caroline (Selina Cadell). This is one of Christie's more original twists on the locked room mystery.

"Lord Edgware Dies" (2000) — Back home at his London flat, Poirot is charmed by film actress Jane Wilkinson (Helen Grace), who asks his help - first to secure her divorce from her brute of a husband, Lord Edgware (John Castle) - then to find out who murdered the unpleasant nobleman. Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), who has recently returned to England from Argentina after making some foolish investments, is thrilled by the milieu of the murder, which takes the pair backstage among theater folk, such as cabaret mimic Carlotta Adams (Fiona Allen).

"Murder in Mesopotamia" (2001) —Poirot accompanies Hastings to an archaeological dig in Iraq, which becomes the setting for multiple murders, antiquities theft, and a number of other mysteries that the great Belgian detective must unravel. The archaeological site of the Roman city of Oudhna, in Tunisia, provides a gorgeous and authentic backdrop for one of Christie's more compelling mysteries, but apparently was one of the most difficult ones to complete for Suchet as Poirot:

"It was undoubtedly the most difficult shoot of my entire career because of the extreme heat. The temperature reached 139 degrees, and my costume consists of a three-piece wool suit, leather gloves, a hat, a wing collar, bow tie, and full body padding. I had to drink four litres of water every day because I was sweating so much, but even so I nearly fainted on several occasions."

After meeting and marrying Archaeologist Max Mallowan, Christie set many of her mysteries at digs or other sites that her travels took her with Mallowan. "Murder in Mesopotamia" features an archaeologist, Dr. Erich Leidner (Ron Berglas), his high-strung American wife, Louise (Barbara Barnes), who believes that her life is in danger, and a string of suspects who are all attached in one way or another to the excavations, including Hastings's nephew Bill Coleman (Jeremy Turner-Welch).

Louise Leidner (Barbara Barnes) confesses her fears to Poirot and Hastings (Hugh Fraser) at her husband's dig in Mesopotamia.

"Evil Under the Sun" (2001) — Poirot has been told, to his horror, that he must lose weight after he suffers a fainting spell at a new Argentinian restaurant (another one of Hastings's investments). A forced vacation to a seaside resort in Devon, the Sandy Cove Hotel, is at first a nightmare for Poirot, who is on a strict food and exercise regimen. But as he turns his attention to his fellow hotel guests, he notices that something, more than the terrible food, is wrong at the the Sandy Cove Hotel. A glamorous former actress, Arlena Stuart (Louise Delamere), is blatantly flirting with Patrick Redfern (Michael Higgs), upsetting his decidedly unglamorous wife Christine (Tamzin Malleson), as well as her husband Kenneth Marshall (David Mallinson). The love triangle seems only the tip of the iceberg. Once Arlena is found dead, alone, on an isolated beach, Poirot must sift through the other guests' alibis, as they all seem to have their own jealousies and secrets.

SDH Subtitles in English are available, but there are unfortunately no other extras included in Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 7 & 8. But Poirot's "little grey cells" are as top-notch as ever, and die-hard Christie fans can now enjoy some of their favorite mysteries on Blu-ray.

Originally published on Blogcritics as: Blu-ray Review: ‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Series 7 & 8′

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.

poirot, series 4

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 4 on Blogcritics.

Acorn Media has released another excellent Blu-ray featuring David Suchet as Agatha Christie's most famous creation, Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 4 include three feature-length cases, in their original (1992) U.K. broadcast order.

Alexander Bonaparte Cust (Donald Sumpter) meets Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) in "The ABC Murders"

Disc 1

"The ABC Murders"—In one of Christie's most ingenious mystery plots, Poirot must find a mad mass murderer who goes by the moniker ABC. Like Jack the Ripper, the killer enjoys playing a cat-and-mouse game with the famed detective, sending him taunting letters and leading him on a chase across England, daring him to prevent the next murder in his alphabetical scheme. Poirot's faithful sidekicks Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) and Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) join Poirot on his quest to stop the killings. Guest stars include Donald Sumpter and Donald Douglas.

"Death in the Clouds"—Murder can occur anywhere; in this case on board an airplane. A known blackmailer, Madame Giselle (Eve Pearce) has been found dead on the flight from Paris to London. Unfortunately for the murderer, Hercule Poirot also happens to be a passenger on the trans-Atlantic flight. Although totally absurd, Japp must include Poirot as one of the suspects! In a nice twist on Christie's typical drawing-room mystery, Poirot must sort through the small group of suspects and a series of clues, including a dead wasp, a box of matches, and a poisoned dart to find his killer. Stewardess Jane Grey (Sarah Woodward) assists Poirot on the case.

Jane Grey (Sarah Woodward) and Poirot outside the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur in Paris in "Death in the Clouds"

Disc 2

"One, Two, Buckle My Shoe"—Poirot, like many, hates going to the dentist. But what he hates even more is his dentist, Dr. Morley, being murdered. Although he doesn't really suspect him, Japp cannot believe that Poirot has once again found himself in the middle of a brutal murder. As Poirot investigates his dentist's death the clues lead to mistaken identity, bigamy, and unexpected political intrigue. Doctor Who's Christopher Eccleston guest stars.

The three mysteries on two discs have a total running time of approximately 306 minutes. The images are crisp and clear, with a screen resolution of 1080p and an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. They look especially good on a large-screen HD television screen, where even the weave of the costumes' sumptuous fabrics can be detected. The PCM 2.0 sound quality is also good, with clear dialogue, music, and and background sounds. English SDH subtitles are available.

Poirot takes a trip to the dentist in "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe"

The three episodes highlight Suchet's iconic interpretation of Poirot. His secretary Miss Lemon is absent from these stories and Captain Hastings is only on hand for "The ABC Murders," which gives Philip Jackson more screen-time as Japp. As grisly as some of the murders can be, there is also an opportunity for humor, especially in Poirot's reaction to a gift that Captain Hastings has brought him from South America—a large, hideous, stuffed alligator.

The look of the series, as always, is impeccable, with lavish Art Deco sets and costumes. But Poirot must frequently leave his well-appointed apartment and go out of his element in order to solve some of the crimes - attending a tennis match ("Death in the Clouds") and even a horse race ("The ABC Murders").

Suchet will be filming five Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries this fall, completing a definitive interpretation of a beloved fictional character. "Curtain," "The Labours of Hercules," "Dead Man’s Folly," "The Big Four" and "Elephants Can Remember" will round out his portrayal of the world's fussiest, and most brilliant detective. Suchet has been playing Poirot for 22 years, and although it is always sad to see such a brilliant series come to an end, it is wonderful to know that through Blu-rays such as these, Suchet and Co.'s brilliant adaptation of Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth can be enjoyed again and again.

Related articles

• Blu-ray Review: Agatha Christie's Poirot - Series 1 (blogcritics.org)

poirot investigates &mdash on blu-ray

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Poirot, Series 3 on Blogcritics.

Acorn Media releases another wonderful Blu-ray of Poirot, featuring David Suchet as Agatha Christie's inimitable Belgian detective. Suchet recently announced that he will be filming the remaining Christie Hercule Poirot novels and short stories. It has certainly been the role-of-a-lifetime for the British actor, and his Poirot is fussy, pompous, flawless, and brilliant — everything fans of the sleuth could hope for him to be.

Poirot, Series 3 also stars Hugh Fraser as the Poirot's faithful sidekick Captain Arthur Hastings, Philip Jackson as his Scotland Yard connection Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran as his proper secretary Miss Lemon.

Poirot confronts a wax figure of himself in "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor"

The three-disc set includes 11 mysteries, with a total running time of 628 minutes. First aired in 1990-91, they appear in this collection in their original U.K. broadcast order. Scene selection and SDH subtitles are available on each disc.

What the Blu-ray set lacks in extras it makes up for in clarity. The fabulous period settings and costumes are sharp and colorful, especially when seen on a high-definition television screen, with 1080p video resolution and an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The dialogue comes through crisp and clear, with LPCM 2.0 sound.

Disc 1:

"The Mysterious Affair at Styles" — Based on Christie's post-WW1 novel that introduced Hercule Poirot, this feature-length mystery has Poirot and Hastings on their first case together. Beatie Edney guest stars.

"How Does Your Garden Grow?" — Poirot receives a cry for help from an elderly woman, but when he investigates, he is too late; she is already dead. Can he find her murderer with clues found in her well-appointed garden?

"The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" — Poirot and a seasick Hastings travel on the Queen Mary to try to solve — and prevent — an international robbery.

Disc 2:

"The Plymouth Express" — A heartbroken father enlists Poirot's help to solve the especially ruthless murder of a young woman — his daughter — on a train.

"Wasps’ Nest" — A love triangle (Martin Turner, Peter Capaldi, and Melanie Jessup) and a wasp's nest both provide clues for Poirot to prevent a potential murder.

"The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor" — Poirot investigates a ghostly shooting at a spooky English manor house.

"The Double Clue" — A jewel robbery is a distraction for Poirot, who finds romance with a Russian countess-in-exile (Kika Markham).

Hercule Poirot and Countess Vera Rossakoff enjoy a picnic.

Disc 3:

"The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" — A particularly daring criminal commits a grisly murder during a dinner party where Poirot is the guest. Caroline Langrishe guest stars.

"The Theft of the Royal Ruby" — In a lighter-hearted mystery, Poirot must sacrifice his Christmas holiday to help determine who stole a valuable ruby from a young and extremely annoying Egyptian prince.

"The Affair at the Victory Ball" — Italian Commedia dell'arte costumes provide a clue to the identity of a murderer. Nathaniel Parker guest stars.

"The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge" — Poirot is under the weather, so Hastings must be his eyes and ears when investigating a shooting at a local hunting lodge.

Poirot travels in the rarified circes of the rich and famous, but his cases aways involves both the upstairs and downstairs members of English society. Poirot, Series 3, is impeccably filmed, and provides a glimpse into a lost way of life; not just of manor houses and travels on the Queen Mary, but strict class separations that could be (temporarily) equalized by an event like a murder.

With the release of the Poirot series on Blu-ray, viewers can watch not only a wonderful depiction of 1920s and 1930s England, but also the definitive version of Agatha Christie's most famous character, Hercule Poirot.

Related articles

• Blu-ray Review: Agatha Christie's Poirot - Series 1 (blogcritics.org)

hulu hula

I've been very happily Lost the past few weeks. How did I miss this show? Oh right, I have a five year old and it's been on for five years...

Anyway, it's never too late to join the party, luckily, especially with hulu and my fabulous MacBook Pro screen. So these days after the kid is tucked in bed I have been tucking myself in and settling back into an episode or two on my laptop. I'm halfway through season two at the moment.

I love television, always have, and enjoy shows in many different genres, but my favorites are usually found in mystery, fantasy or British categories (Buffy, Angel, Poirot, The Avengers, Farscape, Are You Being Served?, The Night Stalker, Lovejoy—the list goes on and on). I wouldn't say that Lost is the greatest show I've ever seen, mostly because I shy away from superlatives, but it is damn good, as Sawyer might say. It manages to blend fantasy, mystery, romance, even a reality/Survivor feeling with excellent characterization. Most of the actors are top notch. Even with its intricate plotting the show, although full of quick-moving action, isn't afraid to let the characters take time to interact, both on the island and in glimpses of their past. Some might find it slow, but I love it.

Lost manages to tap into our deepest fantasies and fears. Who hasn't had a deserted island fantasy? What if you could start fresh, where nobody knew your baggage—is that even possible, or does it follow you to paradise? What could be scarier than a plane crash? Or your child being kidnapped? Or not being sure you can trust those around you? Or will you will be able to survive in a very unpredictable wilderness? What does it take to bring out your very worst or your very best? How interconnected are we all really, if we bothered to find out? But you get the idea. So excuse me. I've got some more episodes to catch up with . . .