Agatha Christie’s
Poirot – The Classic Collection 2
(Acorn Media)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Episodes: C+
Proving
some cannot have enough of David Suchet’s version of Hercule Poirot, Acorn
Media has issued a second big DVD box of his telefilms. The first was the huge Agatha Christie’s
Poirot – The Classic Collection,
which we covered at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2291/Agatha+Christie's+Poirot
That included 36 films! This only includes nine, but has the same DigiPak
case bound together like pages of a book.
The titles below include the first year the original book went into
print:
1)
The ABC Murders (1936)
2)
Death In The Clouds (1935)
3)
Dumb Witness (1924 Christie short story)
4)
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (1938,
reviewed elsewhere on this site)
5)
Hickory Dickory Dock (1955)
6)
Murder On The Links (1923)
7)
The Mysterious Affair At Styles (1920)
8)
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (1940)
9) Peril At
End House (1932)
The last set was pretty much a bunch of Christie short
stories turned into feature films. You
would think having more text to follow would improve the telefilms, but that is
not the case. This is only for the most
diehard fans of Suchet or Christie. I
would simply pass, as even the technical aspects are the same disappointment of
the last set.
The 1.33 X 1 full frame image is a bit soft throughout all
the episodes, despite being shot in 16mm film using Panavision equipment. It partly is just the non-HD nature of the
transfers, the show never has any kind of distinguished or memorable look. This is not to suggest that it should have a
clichéd look, but it is just far too flat for its own good. That remains a setback to the show along with
it other issues.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is fairly good, but lacks any
major Pro Logic surround information.
The dialogue is just clear enough and the music is mixed. Extras include a documentary Agatha Christie’s Garden, which has apparently been
saved and preserved. The rest of the
extras are all text, including segments on the actors from all the
shows per each DVD and their previous works, bios on Suchet and on Christie. That is the same as the last set as far as
the text is concerned.
- Nicholas Sheffo
