Customer Reviews
Brilliant - By: Hawker, 23 Nov 2008 
The recordings are of good quality & the programmes are easily the best rendition of Poirot to date.
David Suchet is astonishingly convincing as Poirot - he makes all previous efforts look ridiculous. The regular characters (Hastings, Japp, Miss lemon, etc.) & the productions work so well that it is no surprise to see famous actors playing the victims & murderers. It is easy to imagine that they enjoyed taking part almost as much as the viewer enjoys the performances.
Superb.
An Excellent Beynon - By: ianrmillard, 26 Sep 2008 Agatha Christie's meticulous Belgian detective could never be better played than by Suchet & the settings & locations are brilliantly & carefully chosen for the right style & tone, even if some are (of necessity, because the real places have altered hugely since 1935!) not exactly like the particular locations as they are today. I am thinking particularly of the beautifully conjured-up Alexandria of 1935, which (apart from the nuisance factor of so many of the inhabitants) is very different today. I know that because backin 1998 I spent a month, of a several-months stayin Egypt, livingin Alex. And there are no mountains behind Alexandria, not even hills, but all the same the location they chose for Poirot (I suspect the real location is somewherein the Adriatic) was great.
Another good point about this collection is that the discs are clearly marked, unlike the situationin some collections (such as When The Boat Comes In) where you can get the discs all mixed up.
The above brings me to the Specials, which are very disappointing & could have been so much better.
I am unsure now as to whether this collection is "complete": I notice that a Collection 7 is about to come out.
Still, what can one do but award 5 stars?
Suchet the Great - By: Ramnish Kalsi, 10 Sep 2008 There are very few occasions, when a character is played to such a perfection that it is hard to
a) Imagine anyone else playing that character.
b) See the difference between 'the character' & 'the actor'.
It would not be an overstatement to say that David Suchet has played 'Hercule Poirot' to perfection. Infact, he may have done himself a great disservice by playing it to such greatness.
I am a HUGE fan of david suchet because of 'Hercule Poirot' work, & I have seen each episode many a times, infact everytime it is played on ITV, I am there, & I have also managed to get my wife hooked on to it.
So, what makes it so great ?
Of course, for anything to achieve a status, it has to have the right mix, & this seems to have all the necessary ingredients - the right sets, apt period representation, good support actors (not only the lead actor), & a strict no-nonsense approach. But, for me personally, if there is one factor, that is Mr. David Suchet.
Test drive it on ITV, & if you like it, go buy the DVD set. You will not be able to put the DVD back on shelf.
Try before you buy - By: P. R. Scott, 05 Aug 2008 
My parents bought this set & I borrowed it from them before deciding whether to buy it myself. It's a real mixed bag, some brilliantly filmed episodes that are very close to the book & some that are so altered, it's like watching a totally different story. The worst one was 'Cards on the Table' where they actually transposed a criminal/victim duo which left me feeling so cheated at the end of the film, as the person I had 'known' was the goodie ended up as the criminal! In the books, Poirot was often calledin as a detective AFTER the crime took place, whereasin the film, they try to include Poirot earlier by making him a guest/neighbour/passer by etc. Understandable from the producer's point of view, but it does leave you wondering why anyone would invite Poirot anywhere near their house since it was guaranteed to cause a murder! Also, Christie ends her booksin a variety of ways, but the films nearly all endin a ridiculously dramatic way with a chase, shooting or hostage taking scene. After the first couple, I started to wonder why someone who is supposed to be as bright as Poirot is stupid enough to put a bunch of innocent people into a room with a known murderer, doesn't check the murderer for a weapon or escape route, & then pronounces their guilt...
Is this worth buying? If you don't know the books, you'll probably love it. If you're a Christie fan, I'd suggest borrowing it first, as your opinion will be affected by how well they've filmed your favourite books. Me? I definitely won't buy the set, but I'll probably buy the earlier volumes. Suchet is incomparable as Poirot, it's just a shame they had to hype up some of the later stories.
Excellent deal! - By: Taz, 18 Jun 2008 My husband is a Poirot fanatic & this was a perfect gift for him. Very fast & effective service & the DVDs come as a set, completely brand new.
The quality of the DVDs are excellent & it keeps him out of my hair. You want to see Suchet at his best....then this is it apparantly. Even though i am not too much of a fan, even I'm starting to watch it.
