Agatha Christie: Mystery Lover's Collection (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)No introduction is really needed for Agatha Christie, one of the most popular mystery writers since.... well, since ever. Sorry, Mr. Doyle.
And the "Agatha Christie: Mystery Lover's Collection" is a pretty good sampling of Dame Agatha's adapted work over the years -- a Poirot, a Miss Marple, two Tommy and Tuppence stories, and the standalone mystery "The Pale Horse." Although the last one is a rather lackluster affair, the others are all worth the price -- lots of retro glamour, abundant motives, and the occasional rendition of "It's a Long Way to Tipperary."
"The Secret Adversary" reintroduces Tommy (James Warwick) and Tuppence (Francesca Annis) to each other, in a blah period of unemployment after World War II. To drum up some money, they decide to become adventurers. But their lighthearted venture becomes deadly serious when they become enmeshed in an international situation involving a packet of secret documents, a mysterious girl named Jane Finn, an American millionaire and an elusive mastermind called only "Mr. Brown."
"The Affair of the Pink Pearl" takes place several months after that mystery, when Tuppence is bored by hat-buying and lounging around. So Tommy cures the situation with a shady detective agency -- and soon they have their first client -- seems a pink pearl has been stolen from a wealthy American lady, at an impoverished aristocrat's house. And while there's no lack of suspects, Tuppence's "Special 24-hour Service" has put them under a time crunch.
"The Body in the Library" opens with a young maid telling her employers that... well, there's a body in the library -- a platinum blonde in glitzy clothing. Sinc her old friend's husband is suspected, Miss Marple (Joan Hickson) decides to sleuth around St. Mary Mead, investigating a pair of obnoxious party animals, a wheelchair-bound millionaire, and a mysterious car crash -- with another body -- found in a nearby valley.
"The Mysterious Affair at Styles" happens when Arthur Hastings (Hugh Fraser) is staying with a friend in the countryside. Unfortunately, his pal's mother is killed by strychnine in a seemingly locked room, and the most popularly-suspected person -- her younger, creepy husband -- has an alibi. So it falls to a nearby Belgian refugee that Hastings is acquainted with, Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) to unravel this impenetrable mystery.
And finally -- last and least -- "The Pale Horse" has Mark Easterbrook (Colin Buchanan) intervening as a priest is murdered, which of course puts Mark in the spotlight for the murder. As he investigates to clear his own name, he finds that the priest's attendance to a dying woman -- whose symptoms are now shared by a sick friend of Mark's -- may have led to his death. And what does all this have to do with the three "witches" at the Pale Horse?
Agatha Christie has been lucky when it comes to adaptations. While some over the years haven't been too good, there have been some pretty faithful, brilliantly acted adaptations as well -- especially anything with Hickson or Suchet. And as an introduction to Christie's adapted mysteries, this is a perfect little collection... with the exception of the bastardized "Pale Horse."
And the first four mysteries are perfect examples of where Christie shines -- lots of sleek retro glamour from the 1920s, the cozy and inviting St. Mary Mead, and a stately country manorhouse. It's a bit like being soaked in the eras that the characters are in. And while the murders and thefts obviously take center stage, there are some gentle subplots about things like a love triangle between Tommy, Tuppence and a millionaire, and a poignant story about Hastings suffering from post-traumatic stress.
And while Tommy and Tuppence's stories are rather frothy, all of them have a slowly-unfolding storyline, clusters of seemingly disparate clues, and a gentle little sense of humor ("It ought to be a joke except that she's dead! She's a blonde, platinum blonde! You will come, won't you?"). Even the obnoxious people have some great lines ("You do not snog with overweight Hungarians... and if you do, you do so out of sight!").
Except, of course, "The Pale Horse." Not only is the storyline dramatically unfaithful to Christie's original work, but the writers tried to give it a leather'n'motorcycles, rock'n'roll flair combined with a darkly occult feeling. It barely resembles a Christie work, and leaves you with a vaguely distasteful feeling by the finale.
And the people leading these are utterly perfect -- David Suchet and an ornately curled mustaches are brilliant as the eccentric, polished little Belgian, while Joan Hickson is deceptively sweet and fluttery as Miss Marple. James Warwick is adorably Hastingsish as the laid-back Tommy, while Francesca Annis perfectly captures Tuppence's effervescent spirit ("They're not ALL the same... they have NUANCES to them!). She also is one of the three women alive who looked good in a flapper dress.
The "Agatha Christie: Mystery Lover's Collection" is a good sampler for those looking for good Dame Agatha adaptations, with the best actors who tackled Marple, Poirot and the Beresfords. But skip the wretched last movie.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Agatha Christie: Mystery Lover's Collection (2008)

Five classics from the Queen of Crime The Secret Adversary -- United by their love of adventure -- not to mention their romantic attraction -- Tommy Beresford (James Warwick, Lillie) and Tuppence Cowley (Francesca Annis, Madame Bovary) search for a top-secret document lifted from the Lusitania. The Affair of the Pink Pearl -- In a second romantic mystery set during the Roaring Twenties, Tommy and Tuppence start up their own detective agency and take on their first professional case: the theft of a valuable gem.The Body in the Library -- Miss Marple (Geraldine McEwan, The Magdalene Sisters) investigates the death of a glamorous young woman whose body turns up in the unlikeliest place. The Mysterious Affair at Styles -- Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) comes to the aid of an old friend, a recovering war veteran who encounters an apparent murder at the remote English estate of Styles St. Mary.The Pale Horse -- In swinging ’60s England, sculptor Mark Easterbrook (Colin Buchanan, Dalziel and Pascoe) tries to clear himself of a murder that he didn’t commit. With two lovely women as allies (Jayne Ashbourne, New Street Law, and Hermione Norris, Cold Feet), he uncovers a conspiracy that seems to involve black magic.

Get 12% OFF

Click here for more information about Agatha Christie: Mystery Lover's Collection (2008)