Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This stunning DVD box set collects all 36 one-hour episodes of the brilliant "Poirot" series, which had initially been released on DVD in 12 individual volumes containing three episodes each. These episodes originally aired during what I call the "Golden Age" of PBS Mystery!, during Poirot's classic five-season run from 1989-1993. Amazingly and happily, the ultra stylish Poirot is still being produced intermittently, but in movie-length productions instead of one-hour shows. Dame Agatha Christie, the widest read author in the world, created the immortal Hercule Poirot to universal acclaim. But for me, her most popular detective failed to generate an appropriate film pressence until this series. Prior to that, actors who tackled the role in numerous movie adaptations were, to me, incredibly annoying, inexplicably choosing to highlight Poirot's many eccentricities while ignoring his heart. The result was disasterous, and for me, an insult to Christie's magnificent creation. Amazingly, all of those long years of previous failures were wiped away in a single illuminating instant when actor David Suchet was cast as Poirot and immediately brought the Belgian sleuth to life in three-dimensional glory. To say that his portrayal is rich and utterly believable is to gloss over the accomplishment. Simple put, David Suchet is THE Hercule Poirot that I envisioned when I read those wonderful stories, "n'est-ce pas? Oui!" Suchet, a small man, is padded to give the appropriate girth to the detective, but in a deft way that appears true-to-life rather than laughable. (An unfortunate example of the latter occurred when Albert Finney played Poirot in a movie version of Murder on the Orient Express.) Funny, human, dignified, well-mannered and respectful, Suchet's Poirot is a constant revelation, much like the gifted portrayal of Sherlock Holmes by the late Jeremy Bret, in yet another Golden Age PBS Mystery! triumph. In addition to Mr. Suchet, the supporting cast in this series is equally brilliant, from Hugh Fraser's Capt. Arthur Hastings (Poirot's Watson), and Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector James Japp of Scottland Yard, to Pauline Moran's Miss Felicity Lemon (Poirot's secretary), all lovingly contributing to the production that remains the most-watched detective series in the long history of PBS Mystery! In the 36 one-hour episodes included here, not only are the stories well produced and acted, the atmosphere of 1930's England, art deco and all, is also recreated in absorbing and believable detail. Beautiful English sea shores (even the Queen Mary, the jewel of the English fleet at the time, gets her due as Poirot and Hastings cross to America on her maiden voyage) as well as other countries, including Christie's beloved Egypt, also come vividly to life. In addition to place, social classism, xenophobia and outright racisim are dealt with directly and indirectly, as many of those Poirot encounters mistrust him as that little foreigner. From theft, drug abuse, international intrigue and murder, every immaginable crime (as well as emotions from lust to greed to utter despair and suicide) come within Poirot's perview and are addressed with his usual aplumb and unique style and wit. This remarkable set, at a great price, include the following episodes: The Adventure of the Clapham Cook; Murder in the Mews; The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly; Four and Twenty Blackbirds; The Third Floor Flat; Triangle at Rhodes; Problem at Sea; The Incredible Theft; The King of Clubs; The Dream; The Veiled Lady; The Lost Mine; The Cornish Mystery; The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim; Double Sin; The Adventure of the Cheap Flat; The Kidnaped Prime Minister; The Adventure of the Western Star; The Million Dollar Bond Robbery; The Affair at the Victory Ball; Wasp's Nest; The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor; The Double Clue; The Mystery of the Spanish Chest; The Theft of the Royal Ruby; The Plymouth Express; The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge; The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb; The Underdog; The Yellow Iris; The Case of the Missing Will; The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman; The Chocolate Box; Dead Man's Mirror; and the Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan. If you have never seen these, buy them. If you didn't want to shell out the cash to get each individual volume, then grab this collection while you can!!!