Cheap Poirot Set 1 (DVD) (Ross Devenish, Edward Bennett, Richard Spence, Peter Barber-Fleming, Andrew Piddington, Ken Grieve, John Bruce (II), Brian Farnham, Renny Rye, Andrew Grieve) Price

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Customer Reviews of Poirot Set 1

One of the most endearing features about this series as well as the others that follow is the humor value that is omnipresent throughout most of the series. Not only are the mysteries difficult to solve (most of them anyways), but the Christie's writing shines through giving the characters lovely quirks that spark laughter often during the episodes. You might find yourself distracted from the mystery itself by getting caught up in the comedy. The nuances come out perfectly and brilliant acting all around leads to one of the best shows ever produced for television.

I can't find anything at fault with the series. AcornMedia is not known for their superior picture quality, but this first in the series is actually a great transfer. If you enjoy a bit of British comedy, a good mystery, and all around outstanding entertainment, you should start collecting the series. You won't be disappointed!

Incredibly Well Done Television!
It's too bad that so few people know of this series, for it is one of the most well put-together television series I've ever seen. The series as a whole gets an easy 5-stars from me, but I plan to rate every episode so this particular box set gets its own score of 4-stars. Here are my thoughts on the individual episodes.

The Disappearence of Mr. Davenheim - Decent, but not great this one seems way to similar to Conan Doyle's "The Man With The Twisted Lip" to me, but not as good. - 3 stars

The Veiled Lady - Better than the first, but somewhat silly all throughout with a strange, but minor, flaw in the solution. Also the chase scene near the end was too drawn out. - 3.5 stars

The Lost Mine - Perhaps a glimpse of the greater future of the Poirot series, this one shines with a more interesting case and a more interesting solution. Also, watching Poirot and Hastings play Monopoly is priceless - 4 stars

Box Set Overall score (Not an Average) - 4 stars

Good fun and no gore
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.

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.