Agatha Christie's Poirot: Complete Cases Collection

I never even knew this series existed until about a year ago. I'd seen the Finney and two of the Ustinov movies and liked them (Ustinov is actually my favorite Poirot) and found this series on Youtube when I searched for Poirot. It was in HD and I was able to watch it for several months before it was sadly withdrawn. I looked on Amazon for the the blurays but they are outrageously expensive - about $750 new and $500 used. I settled for the dvds at $80. The video quality is entirely watchable but a bit variable with discs with fewer episodes being better. I'm about halfway through with no issues so far in playback.As to the complete series itself - it covers the entire Poirot lexicon, more or less faithfully. Sets, costuming and performances are uniformly outstanding. Suchet is brilliant but Ustinov just simply has more of that old fashioned star quality charisma for me. The more or less part comes in the writing. Liberties are taken throughout for dramatic or humorous effect with the first half being much lighter than the second. The second half also injects a bit of wokeism; i.e., the introduction of homosexual longings into the 5 Little Pigs episode. Absolutely didn't exist in the book. I doubt such a notion would even have occurred to Christie. In Orient, Poirot is made almost into a Catholic religious fanatic - which he ultimately sets aside in the denouement, making him a bit of a hypocrite. In the Finney movie and the book, Poirot basically leaves the decision up to the train executive as to whether to expose the plot with no crisis of conscience. The latter half is just darker with the drama ramped up and Hastings, Japp and Lemon largely missing. To be fair they largely are also missing from the books. I just prefer the first several seasons for the lighter tone and humor.I also want to compliment the packaging. Its a three sided box with a flip down front that is captured by the box lid. Never seen that before and really like it. The plastic cases are also very nice, securing the discs without resorting to a deathgrip that leaves you wondering if the disc will crack or come free first.Overall, a great deal. If they ever come out with a reasonably priced bluray set, I'll definitely upgrade.

After watching just 2 episodes of this wonderful Agatha Christie's Poirot Series on PBS, my husband Jim and just knew we had to order the entire series. You can watch the amazing exposides over and over again, and learn/pick up something new each time.Set perfectly in a mid-to-late 1930's setting. One-of-a-kind cinematography, everything about this beloved series fits in with the intended time frame. Elegant dapper dressing, it is memorizing to watch Poirot played for 25 years by the late David Suchet tie his bow tie on a whim without looking in a mirror. In the numerous desert-set scenes, the clothing is always crisp and pristinely clean! Can't even begin to imagine the work that required from the wardrobe crew.The facial expressions and body language adds so much to this series, truly unprecedented in anything I have ever watched. And a true who-done-it Agatha Christie storyline. Ya never quite know what's going to happen next! A great value, too.I highly recommend this fabulous DVD Poirot Series.

This collection contains the complete 70 episodes spread across 13 series of "Agatha Christie’s Poirot." Additionally, it includes the documentaries “David Suchet on the Orient Express,” “Being Poirot,” “Super Sleuths: Poirot,” and an additional interview with star David Suchet. This adaption of Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective stands as the definitive version, not only for the quality of the filmmaking, but also because the producers are the only ones to adapt the complete series of Poirot stories.Any show composed of 13 series that aired over the course of 24 years is bound to change over time and that’s no different here. The first five series are the most enjoyable, especially with the regular cast of Suchet as Poirot, Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings, Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon. After these five, the show permanently changes over from 50 minute episodes to 100 minute films and, with the exception of Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver in six episodes, the only recurring character is Suchet as Poirot himself. In tone, these solo adventures are markedly darker than the earlier series and, at times, carry heavily religious messages. While the chronology of the show was gradually approaching World War II, this tonal shift can be a little off-putting in these later series. This shift may have been less obvious to those who watched the series as it aired, but a box set such as this allows for marathon viewing and the changes becomes more obvious. That said, the later series maintain the same high quality as their predecessors.For fans of the Poirot stories or the show, this collection is a must-have. The box set looks lovely on any shelf, with an understated design that evokes the art deco of the stories’ settings. The 33 discs are contained in 4 hard plastic cases designed to accommodate the discs.