Poirot Set 2

Rating:
Summary: Great Shows, Mediocre Video Transfer
Review: I bought the previous Poirot set and was extremely disappointed that it did not have closed captioning. I love Poirot but if I had known that cc was missing I would have passed. I haven't purchased this one but no mention of closed captioning here either.

Rating:
Summary: No Closed Captioning
Review: I bought the previous Poirot set and was extremely disappointed that it did not have closed captioning. I love Poirot but if I had known that cc was missing I would have passed. I haven't purchased this one but no mention of closed captioning here either.

Rating:
Summary: Poirot Gets Better and Better!
Review: The Cornish Mystery - Perhaps not the most complex mystery ever concieved, but the character interaction in this episode more than makes up for that! There are great bits about an Indian restaurant, a man in a scarlet kneeband, a yellow-haired hussie, and Japp once again losing a case to Poirot. The actors really shine in this one! Also the background music is great! - 4.5 stars

Double Sin - This one combines great character interaction as well as a great mystery. The solution is great, and even the background music is good! If this episode has any flaws it's that the Miss Lemon side-plot seems out-of-place, but that doesn't really detract from the episode at all - 4.5 stars

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat - Another great mystery with a tad of a plot stretch. There are some enjoyable side-characters in this one like an American FBI agent and a club-owner who never picks up his phone. Just as good as the first two, rounding out this set rather nicely! - 4.5 stars

Box Set Overall score (Not an Average) - 5 stars

Rating:
Summary: Good fun and no gore
Review: There were many one hour and somewhat less two hour episodes of the Hercule Poirot mysteries shown on PBS; and foresighted fans should have taped them then, because when A&E re-runs them, parts of each have to be removed to make room for all the commercials. Very often, the solution at the end flashbacks to scenes that we never saw because of the abridgments and frankly the value of these episodes are reduced considerably.

But now Acorn Media is reissuing them in complete versions, with the two hour features on DVD and the shorter ones on VHS. Both series are a delight. The acting genius of David Suchet is enhanced by his usual supporting cast (Hugh Fraser as Hastings, Philip Jackson as Japp, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon), the wonderful guest casts, the done-to-perfection ambiance of time and place--the late 20s and early 30s--with all those fabulous art-deco buildings they have managed to find and populate.

The first boxed set of 3 episodes contains "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim," "The Veiled Lady," and "The Lost Mine." In the first, you might spot a bad flaw in the solution. Hint: how long was the playing time of the average 78 rpm disc back then? The second set includes "The Cornish Mystery" (with a genuine "blonde hussy"), "Double Sin" (with a Sweet Young Thing in Distress), and "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat" (with a neat reversal on the plot of Doyle's "The Red Headed League"). And if too many solutions depend on Poirot overhearing by chance some remark early in the story, well that should teach you to be more alert to these things on future viewings. Also if Poirot is not above breaking the law with a little forced entry now and then, well so did Sherlock Holmes. Very amusing sleuthing for one and all--and a very welcome relief to the grizzly "modern" mysteries now being shown with extreme close-ups, whispered dialogue, and as much gore as possible in each frame.

Rating:
Summary: Poirot Series 2
Review: This is classy, intelligent entertainment. I've watched the series many times and have returned to it like an old friend. Beats everything else on TV hands down.

Rating:
Summary: Great Shows, Mediocre Video Transfer
Review: This rating is an average, taking about 5 stars for the quality of scripts and performances, and about 1 for the technical quality of these DVDs. I've been a fan of Suchet's Poirot from the get-go; and have just about worn out my tapes. For my wife and me, Poirot is video comfort food. That's why I'm buying the DVDs-to have wear-proof copies of these beloved shows.

Having said that, Acorn should not be proud that this is the best technical quality they can produce. Basically, these shows on DVD look no better than mediocre VHS; perhaps less than mediocre. The imagery is neither sharp nor crisp; dark scenes have a sort of permanent haze over them; they're almost in a monochrome, washed out with little color to the wonderful period scenery and sets.

I believe the shows were shot on film, which means negatives must exist. One has to wonder if the negs were lost or damaged, and these DVDs were made from secondary or tertiary sources. At any rate, I would love to know the story of how these video transfers came to be.

Whatever the reason, it's too bad that such a great series is being represented this way on DVD.