Cheap Poirot Set 5 (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 5

It's great to have "Poirot" on video!
I so enjoyed the "Poirot" series when it was shown on PBS during the 1990's. David Suchet is for me the definitive Hercule Poirot, while Hugh Fraser and Philip Jackson are exactly how I always picture the characters of Captain Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp to be. This "Poirot" Box Set #5 contains three outstanding one-hour episodes. "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor" is a haunting tale of the supernatural. Young and beautiful Susan Maltravers, mistress of Marsdon Manor, is being tormented by visions of a girl who killed herself years ago on the Manor grounds. I wouldn't like to reveal any more of the plot that, but I would like to mention that in the episode the camera work is a remarkable feature and the denouement is terrifying. "The Double Clue" is a clever story about a theft that occurs during an elegant garden party. Even his romantic feelings for a Russian countess cannot distract Poirot from his first duty, to track down the thief. "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" is my personal favorite of the three episodes, an OTHELLO-like tale of jealous lovers. In addition to fine acting from each cast member and delightful period sets and costumes, each episode features a musical score that perfectly evokes the mood of the story. Anyone who loves the "Poirot" series will thoroughly enjoy this box set. Check out the other sets and the many full-length (103 minute) "Poirot" features, as well.

Still top notch entertainment
Thanks to Acorn Media, we may very well soon have all the Hercule Poirot episodes available for easy watching, the shorter ones on tape and the longer on DVD. With the arrival of Set 5, we have cases 13-15 from the classic BBC series that was once shown on PBS and currently in shamefully abbreviated forms on a commercial channel.

I have already posted my general comments about this series on the webpages for the first four sets, so let me cut to the chase.

"The Tragedy of Marsdon Manor" begins comically enough with a would-be mystery writer of an inn owner summoning Poirot to solve a baffling case that happens to be fictional. Naturally a real death takes place under what seems to be supernatural circumstances; and the production does indeed create a wonderfully English country manor spooky-ness that makes this worth watching. Never mind that the solution involves all sorts of twists that verge on the incredible; but to invert the aphorism in "Sleuth," this is Inspector Fiction, not Inspector Fact.

"The Double Clue" is exceptional in that it shows Poirot emotionally involved with a suspect, a fascinating (at least to him) Russian countess who might or might not be involved in a series of jewel thefts. Japp is honestly in fear of losing his job unless the thefts are stopped, while Miss Lemon and Hastings do their own sleuthing as Poirot spends time with the countess. "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" has a plot within the plot, so to speak, rather far-fetched. However, the presence of actor John McEnery and the opening surreally filmed dueling sequence more than make up for any storyline inconsistencies.

Again, it is always instructive to compare these dramatizations with the originals; but the former stand up very nicely on their own.