Cheap Poirot - The Mysterious Affair at Styles (DVD) (Ross Devenish) Price

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Customer Reviews of Poirot - The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Enjoy with an old "cuppa" and some "seed cake"
One of the joys of having a long weekend at home is always having a good set of movies to fall back on. "The mysterious affair at Styles" proved to be not only entertaining but delicious to watch in that it was a feast for the eyes. I won't really summarize the plot here since I have already done so in my review of the actual novel. But I can honestly say that if there ever was to be a production that came as close to the original as possible this would be it. The English countryside of Essex during World War I is excellent. The small, fictional town by the name of Styles St. Mary, with a manor house like Styles Court, sets the ambience for one of the most famous first crimes by a novelist in history: that of Emily Agnes Inglethorp by strychnine poisoning. Coincidentally, Gillian Barge, the actress who portrays Emily, is my favorite of all the actors (after David Suchet as Poirot, of course). She brings unique class and distinction to the screen as best as a mature woman can do. She is a true British country old lady, who makes me think very much of the present Queen Elizabeth: someone soft, but with a powerful grip on everybody close to her.

As per Poirot and Hastings, they are in one of their best combinations, working in unison to bring the murderer to justice, and with Hugh Fraser achieving the portrayal of the unenlightened Hastings as good as ever. David Suchet's French accent is superb.

The only thing I felt disappointed about was the extra features of the DVD, all in all not much at all to justify the purchase of the disc: a simple biography of Agatha Christie that most everybody who knows something about her would know; a condensed list of the main actors' careers, and resources that are outdated. I'd prefer seeing interviews with the actors and/ or director, producer, etc. An interactive map of the house or the village wouldn't hurt (after all, there is something of this in the actual novel), and maybe better online resources. I'd recommend buying the VHS version, at least for this particular movie, and especially if you're not too keen on watching it very often.

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Hard to forgive the ending...
I am new to the Poirot series and just rented "The Mysterious Affair at Styles." I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the use of setting, and was very impressed by the acting.

I also thought the story was strong...that is until the end. Please DON'T READ ON if you haven't already seen the movie.

I want to see if other Poirot fans agree that this ending is hard to forgive...

The killer is revealed because he wrote a letter to his co-conspirator, a letter than describes in detail the murder they are about to commit. Then, Poirot deduces who the murderer is by finding scraps of the letter in the bedroom.

Here are my problems: why in the world would the killer write that letter in the first place, especially when his co-conspirator lives in the same house? Secondly, when the killer broke back into the bedroom to steal the letter from the briefcase, why didn't he just take the letter with him when he left the room? Instead, he rips the paper into three parts and hides them in the bedroom. The solution of the murder hinges on these details, but they insult the intelligence of the viewer.

I really enjoyed watching the movie, but came away disappointed with the absurdity of the conclusion.

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Take a step back to the beginning
Some actors play characters and some become them. Suchet is Poirot...or is Poirot Suchet? Missing is the greasiness that Albert Finney injected into the character in Murder on the Orient Express. Also missing is the familiarity that Ustinov brought--that feeling that Ustinov as Poirot was similar to Ustinov as anybody. Suchet is an original.

One warning before I say more: I've read only a couple of the books, and am no expert to say the least.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a good place to begin this series of DVDs, as it shows how Poirot and Hastings met. Especially memorable is the suggestion of a greater degree of depth of experience with Hastings than usually found in the shorter episodes. Don't worry though, you still get the enjoyable Hastings goofiness. Check out his marriage offer and the woman's response as an example.

The story itself isn't as memorable as some, though I think it does do an excellent job with redirection that sets it apart from most. Specifically, I think it does an excellent job of playing on the jaded assumptions we often make as we leap ahead with our guesses; I admit that I was more smug in the middle than accurate in the end. In addition, the settings, from buildings to countryside, are wonderful and the dialog is engaging.

However, I can only give the Acorn series 4 out of 5 stars. Why? Because until DVDs become the sole way people watch movies at home, expectations must be higher. I have no complaints about the audio or the picture, but where are the multimedia extras? The features that make owning (and paying more for) a DVD worthwhile. Except for some text-based items, this DVD is bereft of goodies. Shame on you, Acorn! How about a 10 minute interview with the actors? Behind the scenes footage? A brief documentary on Christie and where this episode fits in? Something? DVDs are not books. They are multimedia delivery devices.

OK. Rant over. Suffice it so say, if you love the character, and especially if you love the series, the feature length DVDs are worth it.