Product Description

C’est vrai!
David Suchet is the definitive Poirot.
Hercule Poirot is the detective, and no actor has defined the brilliant little Belgian’s onscreen persona like DAVID SUCHET, the Poirot. Millions of fans made Suchet’s Poirot the most-watched detective in the history of the PBS Mystery! series and a hit all over again on A&E. Armed only with his razor-sharp wit, Poirot unravels the intricate plots concocted by Dame Agatha Christie, the mother of the modern mystery story. Ablaze with the elegance of its 1930s setting, the series also stars Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings, Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon.

THE THEFT OF THE ROYAL RUBY — International relations are at stake as Poirot hunts for a stolen Egyptian royal jewel. THE AFFAIR AT THE VICTORY BALL — When two revelers at a lavish costume ball are murdered, small but telling clues lead Poirot to the killer. THE MYSTERY OF HUNTER’S LODGE — Poirot must find a murderer among the members of a quarrelsome hunting party. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE biographies of Agatha Christie and David Suchet, cast filmographies and Agatha Christie materials.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12383 in DVD
• Brand: Acorn
• Released on: 2003-09-23
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 153 minutes

Amazon.com
Wherever Hercule Poirot goes, murder follows--although the crimes are not always what they first appear to be in the three stories included in this boxed set of Agatha Christie's Poirot. Poirot's attempt at a practical joke livens up the somewhat tedious "Theft of the Royal Ruby"--an episode in which the redirection of romantic attentions seems to be as much the goal as preserving England's political relations with Egypt. A guest appearance by Stephanie Cole (who later starred in the series Waiting for God) makes this episode an interesting collector's item for British TV fans.

Costumes and clever disguises ultimately fail to mask the truth from Poirot's prying eyes in the other two episodes. Even a fever-stricken Poirot is able to deduce the culprit's double identity in "The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge." And the dazzling commedia dell'arte costumes in "The Affair at the Victory Ball" are stripped away when the Belgian sleuth reassembles the surviving cast of a radio mystery play to broadcast his own whodunit scene. David Suchet is, as always, the consummate Hercule Poirot, from his dapper demeanor to his endearing concern for the plight of servants and train station attendants. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Customer Reviews

Suffers only in comparison with the earlier sets
At last, the final set in this series of video mysteries. I say "this" series, because the friendly people at Acorn Media assure me that other entries are to follow in the not too distant future. Please see my reviews of sets 1-3 for general comments about these offerings.

"The Theft of the Royal Ruby" starts with both Miss Lemon and Hastings away (probably a holiday for Pauline Moran and Hugh Fraser) and Poirot all ready to spend Christmas alone with a box of chocolates. He is urged by a high official to retrieve a priceless ruby that a young and arrogant Egyptian prince has foolishly lent to an adventuress who vanished with it. The way in which it is retrieved halfway through the episode is stretching things a bit too far; and Poirot's plot to trip up the thieves is even more far fetched. A lot of fun, but not a really successful episode.

"The Affair at the Victory Ball" involves Commedia dell' Arte costumes; and somehow the Detective's explaining the solution over the radio simply does not work. The business of cocaine abuse among the upper classes, though, always has its effect; and by a coincidence, Acorn Media released this set at the same time as the Peter Wimsey "Murder Must Advertise," which also deals with drugs in the England of that period.

"The Mystery of the Hunter's Lodge" uses the by now familiar device of the attractive woman disguised as a homely one, but it is the most satisfactory of the three. Although the relationships between the characters at the lodge are revealed sporadically during a hunt in which the dialogue is difficult to follow, this episode comes closer to film noire than does any other in the series and that makes it unusual.

Although I feel bad being so negative in this review, I realize that we have the 16th to 18th dramatizations of Christie's short Poirot mysteries and that most of the better ones have already been used. Still the production values and the acting are superior to the relentless realism of what now passes for "crime" television series and I must give it the top rating. If it suffers in comparison, it is only in comparison with the earlier offerings in this same series!

It's great!
Every once in a while, an actor comes along who not only plays the role of Sherlock Holmes, but actually redefines the role. Well, this has now happened with Agatha Christie's detective, Hercule Poirot! In 1989, veteran actor David Suchet (b.1946) was tapped to play Poirot, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This marvelous DVD contains three(!) of the hour-long episodes of the Adventures of Hercule Poirot:

The Theft of the Royal Ruby - Season 3, episode 8 (February 24, 1991) - When a priceless jewel is stolen from a foolish Egyptian prince, the government turns for help to Poirot.

The Affair at the Victory Ball - Season 3, episode 3 (January 20, 1991) - When a man is murdered in a crowded costume party, and no one saw who did it, Poirot begins to exercise his little gray cells.

The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge - Season 3, episode 10 (March 10, 1991) - Poirot's visit to a millionaire's hunting party turns tragic when he gets a near fatal cold. But, when the host is found brutally murdered, Poirot realizes that only he can bring the perpetrator to justice.

This is a great DVD, one that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery, or just loves excellent drama. It's great!

Poirot continues to be wonderful!
The Theft of the Royal Ruby - While it's interesting to see Poirot on his own, I still missed Hastings and Miss Lemon. But what turned my away from this one is the mystery. It's just not that interesting and revolves too much around coincidence. - 3 stars

The Affair At Victory Ball - This episode combines a great atmosphere, intriguing characters, and chilling murder, with many great plot devices inclucing the six coustumed-characters and the final radio broadcast. While at first I thought this awkward, in the end I love it cause it just captures how much Poirot loves to show off, and I love the comment made about the broadcast at the end. GREAT TELEVISION! - 5 stars

The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge - Some repetitive plot devices, but still solid and Poirot's "One can Leave!?" comment has becomoe a staple in the quotes I say way too much. - 4 stars

Box Set Overall score (Not an Average) - 4 stars