Poirot - Murder in Mesopotamia (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)David Suchet, in my opinion the best Poirot, returns in top form as the little Belgian detective, once again on the trail of murder. He is accompanied by the ever-faithful Capt. Hastings (once again masterfully, if somewhat dim-wittedly, portrayed by Hugh Fraser), and the setting is the hot Middle-eastern desert (filmed on location in Tunisia).
Anyone familiar with the Poirot series which ran during the early-nineties will find that this new production does not fail in keeping up the quality that has trademarked David Suchet's reign as Poirot. The music is well-composed by Christopher Gunning. Clive Exton (main story adapter for the series), does a good job here. The director, Tom Clegg, does fine. The location shooting adds a richness to the over-all feel of the production, and, of course, Suchet and Fraser are excellent in the roles they now know so well.
For those of you unfamiliar with the plot, it takes place at an archaeological dig. The wife of the head man, Dr. Leidner, has been receiving threatening letters. She is in fear of her life. A local Arab man has also been murdered. There is a French archaeologist who is a little too mysterious for his own good. Other stock Christie characters, such as a nurse, a dutiful policeman to aid Poirot, and a family member (this time related to Capt. Hastings) are all on hand. Fairly quickly, the wife of Dr. Leidner is murdered.
The story takes on the "murder in the locked room" feel once the main crime has been commited, and it is at this point that the production really becomes engaging. If you have followed the David Suchet Poirot mysteries, then you will enjoy this one. But it is fair to say that is not, by any means, one of the "best" of the lot, despite its high production values.
Perhaps it is the story.
Blame Christie for having come up with one of the THE MOST unbelievable murder plots in mystery history. I found it hard to swallow the first time I encountered the work, and though this adaptation did its jolly-well best to work with the material, it *still* seems *very* far-fetched. That is all I will say on the matter, for I don't want to give anything away. If you are coming to this story for the first time, then I'm sure it will be quite an enjoyable experience. But if you're like me, and have seen or read it before, you'll probably be sitting there, thinking to yourself: "Great actors, nice setting, *bad* murder idea."
To quote P.D. James, "Agatha Christie was a conjurer."
She conjured many a fine and engrossing mysteries in her day, but Murder in Mesopotamia was not one of them. However, if you're looking for a cozy little two hour get-a-way with Poirot, as portrayed by the marvelous David Suchet, then by all means savor this production. The setting is real, the acting good, and the experience a pleasing one. It is not one of the *best* Suchet entries into the Poirot cannon, but it is a very sturdy one.

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Threatening notes from beyond the grave. A ghostly face at a window.A woman found murdered in a locked room that no one could have entered. HerculePoirot is back, and mystery is on the menu.On holiday in Iraq, Poirot visits an ancient site that his good friend Captain Hastings ishelping excavate. But what begins as an entertaining diversion becomes a professionalpuzzle to challenge even Poirot's brilliance when the head archeologist's unpopular wifeis killed. Though there is no shortage of suspects, clues are few and misleading, and thelocal authorities turn to their esteemed guest for help.It's a double dose of delight for Agatha Christie fans as David Suchet returns to hiscelebrated role as the debonair Belgian sleuth in this feature-length adaptation ofMURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA.

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Poirot - The New Mysteries Collection (Death on the Nile / Sad Cypress / The Hollow / Five Little Pigs) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)The new POIROT series produced by A&E is excellent and I encourage all Poirot and David Suchet fans to purchase the DVD 4-pack. Suchet has literally grown into the part so he seems more natural than ever as Poirot. Pals from the earlier episodes, Japp and Hastings, are missing. I thought their absence and the fact that England has changed so much since the BBC first began airing these `cozy mysteries' might put a damper on my viewing experience but it did not. The filmography is beautiful. Most of the shots were taken in areas where knowledgeable Anglophiles know the past is fairly well preserved, including some lovely old estates. The BBC does it's best as ususal with lavish sets, costumes, and wonderful old automobiles for each production.
DEATH ON THE NILE - When it comes to this particular story, I still prefer the Peter Ustinov version with Mia Farrow, Betty Davis and Maggie Smith. The original film with Ustinov showed a good deal of actual footage shot in Egypt. This issue of `Death on the Nile' appears to have some shots in Egypt, but to tell you the truth, they could have shot most of the film elsewhere...for example Central or South America. Population growth and war have altered the terrain in Egypt considerably since Agatha Christie wrote her novel, which takes place around the 1930s following her travels to the Middle East with her husband, the great archeologist Mallowan.

Poirot - THE HOLLOW - The plot of this episode involves a two-timing husband who may or may not have been done in by his "stupid" wife. The wife, a doe-eyed creature who appears unable to harm a fly is soon incarcerated by the police who feel they have `got their man' but Poirot sets about trying to find the truth and unravel the obviously flawed case the police have constructed. Is the murderer the lady of the manor who stupidly placed a revolver in a basket of eggs, or is it the butler who was seen carrying a gun fitting the death weapon's description through the hallway (the lord has a gun collection, so there are plenty of guns about the place). Perhaps the mistress fired the fateful shot? She was two-timed by the dead husband who could not keep his hands off an old flame who suddenly appeared at dinner. Or was it the old flame herself who pulled the trigger? She was overheard arguing with him and wishing him dead only hours before the crime was committed.
SAD CYPRESS. Viewers of BRIDESHEAD REVISITED will recognize Diana Quick whose character from that earlier production could be the aged version of her younger self, now lying on her deathbed. Visited by her nearest kin and heirs, she soon succumbs to whatever ails her. Or does she. Has she had help? A cast of suspects soon emerges, but is all this `bother' a tempest in a teapot? Poirot is called in a soon deduces that not only has murder been committed, but the police may have locked up an innocent person. Soon the pressure is on, and Poirot must act quickly or someone else will die..perhaps at the end of a noose.

THE FIVE LITTLE PIGS is the most sad of all the new series developed by A&E, because a person has been wrongfully executed when the story begins. Perhaps this and other tales based on real life events brought the death penalty to an end in Britain. Gemma Jones stars in this episode involving a young woman named Lucy who seeks to clear her dead mother's name. Lucy's mother was executed some years before for a crime the girl believes she did not commit, and Lucy writes a letter urging Poirot to help her clear her mother's name. Poirot agrees to take her case but advises Lucy that she may not like what he uncovers. As ususal, the cast of characters is composed of excellent actors, many with familiar faces and the plot is excellent.


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This set will contain the following four Poirot movies (A&E September 2004 premieres): Death on the Nile, Sad Cypress, The Hollow, Five Little Pigs

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Poirot - The Complete Collection (Lord Edgeware Dies / The Murder of Roger Ackroyd / Evil Under the Sun / Murder in Mesopotamia) (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I recommend that you stay away from this set. American green eye shades from A&E's advertizing department cut ten-twelve minutes from each episode so that they could squeeze more fast food ads in to the showings on television. The resulting botch makes several of these episodes unwatchable. Sorry; hopefully Acorn will put these out in pristine form.

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Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I first saw this production of Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" when it was aired on Network TV back in 2001, and was more than excited to see it. I am a fan of the novel, Albert Finny movie, and even of the BBC radio drama version (which is still the closest adaptation to the novel). And while the acting, direction and the over all look is fine... I had a problem with the modern spin that was taken on it. Especially where Poirot uses a laptop computer to find information that he needed on the background of the case. Which left the traditional "detecting" out of the window, and made me think that the modern Poirot is only as smart as his Google search engine will let him.

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This made-for-television mystery is a contemporary version of the Agatha Christie book that was made into the classic 1974 all-star version starring Albert Finney Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman. This time around Hercule Poirot (Alfred Molina) uses modern technology to help solve the murder of a corrupt and devious Antiques dealer named Ratchett (Peter Strauss). Agatha Christie originally based MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS on the infamous Charles Lindbergh kidnapping case. This adaptation is given a current twist by making the despised Ratchett the abductor and murderer of the little girl of a wealthy software tycoon named Armstrong instead of a famed aviatrix. When Ratchett is found stabbed to death in his compartment and the train comes to a halt as a result of a rock slide that is blocking the tracks Poirot interrogates all of the passengers on the train. As the questioning proceeds Poirot realizes that virtually everyone has some kind of connection to Armstrong. But who is responsible for the grisly murder? Only Poirot can solve the mystery with the help of his "little gray cells of the brain" (and a few technological gadgets like a laptop computer palm pilot and VCR).System Requirements:Running Time 100 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating:NR UPC:783722735824 Manufacturer No:ARD27358

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Poirot - Evil Under the Sun (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)After collapsing while eating at a posh restuarant, famed detective Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) is sent by his doctor to an island resort, where he is subjected to a painful program of diet and exercise. However, it will be his "little grey cells" that get the exercising when a beautiful actress is found strangled on the beach. EVIL UNDER THE SUN is another film from the top-notch POIROT series from A&E, with David Suchet once again bringing his definitive portrayal of the Belgian sleuth to life. Hugh Fraser provides solid back-up as the rather dense Capt. Hastings, while Philip Jackson is his droll self as Inspector Japp. As is usual with this series, the locations are wonderful and the 30's atmosphere is wonderfully invoked. This version is not to be confused with the somewhat campy film starring Peter Ustinov. While that one is fun in its own way, it pales in comparison to the Suchet version. As always, this flick is another delightful treat for fans of Agatha Christie's classic detective and one I highly recommend.

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The Agatha Christie Megaset Collection (Miss Marple / Poirot) (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, elderly spinster from the village of St. Mary Mead, who unmasks even the cleverest killer with her seemingly innocuous "village parallels," and Hercule Poirot, the little Belgian with the many "little grey cells," whom a speck of dust pains more than even a bullet, are among crime fiction's all-time stand-out characters. After multiple other adaptations, some of which, although featuring thespian royalty like Sir Peter Ustinov and Dame Margaret Rutherford, had about as much to do with Christie's originals as Big Ben with the English countryside, they found their perfect personifications in Joan Hickson and David Suchet, the latter moving center-stage from being Inspector Japp to Ustinov's Poirot. And while not entirely faithful to Christie's originals - e.g. Miss Marple's foil Inspector Slack (David Horovitch) and Poirot's associates Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) and Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) are inserted in some of the storylines not originally featuring them - all these adaptations have exceptional production values, maintaining the atmosphere of Christie's books with loving detail.
The combination of productions featuring Hickson and Suchet in one set isn't illogical; although I wonder whether a straight "Miss Marple Megaset" wouldn't have made more sense, incorporating the features "The Body in the Library" (1942, BBC adaptation 1984, the first one starring Hickson), "A Murder Is Announced" (1950, BBC adaptation 1985) and "A Pocket Full of Rye" (1953, BBC also 1985), now all contained in a separate 3-disc set. That would've left space for any combination of the much ampler Poirot material in a separate package - but I suspect that'll come anyway, when the last of the shorter episode sets (11 and 12) and the four new movies ("Death on the Nile," "Five Little Pigs," "The Hollow" and "Sad Cypress") are released on region 1 DVDs. As it is, this is still an excellent collection.
Miss Marple:
"Murder at the Vicarage" (1930, BBC adaptation 1986; Christie's first Marple story): Disagreeable Colonel Protheroe is murdered, and both his wife and her lover instantly confess - but actually, half the population of St. Mary Mead would've had a motive.
"The Moving Finger" (1942, BBC adaptation 1985): Lymston village is haunted by poison pen letters; and when people begin to die, again there is no shortage of suspects. But Miss Marple, on a visit to a friend, sees through the killer's cruel game.
"They Do It with Mirrors" (1952, BBC adaptation 1991; a/k/a "Murder with Mirrors"): Inspector Slack's secret hobby provides a vital clue to the ungodly doings at the estate of Miss Marple's old friend Carrie-Louise Serrocold, which Carrie-Louise's third husband has transformed into a reformatory for young criminals.
"4:50 From Paddington" (1957, BBC adaptation 1987; a/k/a "What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!"): Miss Marple and professional housekeeper Lucy Eyelesbarrow investigate the murder of a woman, whom Miss Marple's friend Mrs. McGillicuddy has seen being strangled from a passing train, and whose body must have disappeared somewhere on the grounds of the Crackenthorpe family estate Rutherford Hall.
"The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side" (1962, BBC adaptation 1992; title taken from Tennyson's "Lady of Shalott"): Gossington Hall, erstwhile home to Miss Marple's friend Dolly Bantry, has been sold to ageing Hollywood star Marina Gregg. At a benefit, a local woman is murdered - and much points to Miss Gregg as the intended victim.
"At Bertram's Hotel" (1965; BBC adaptation 1987): Miss Marple deconstructs the all-too-respectable facade of a seemingly venerable London hotel, and the less respectable facade of a notorious society lady.
"A Caribbean Mystery" (1965, BBC adaptation 1989): In a for her unusual West Indian setting, Miss Marple solves the murder of a retired police officer, killed to prevent him from foiling his murderer's even more sinister plans.
"Nemesis" (1971, BBC adaptation 1987; sequel to the above): From his grave, rich Mr. Rafiel - who nicknamed Miss Marple "Nemesis" when meeting her in the Caribbean - sends her on a bus tour of historic homes, to either clear his estranged son of a long-ago murder, or prove him guilty.
"Sleeping Murder" (1976, BBC adaptation 1987; Christie's last Miss Marple mystery): With the old lady's help, newly-weds Giles and Gwenda Reed unravel the mystery behind Gwenda's nightmares about their new home, and a murder occurring there over 20 years earlier.
Poirot:
"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" (1926, TV adaptation 2000): One of Christie's most remarkable mysteries, not least because of its turntable conclusion. Industrialist Roger Ackroyd, squire of King's Abbot, an archetypal English village much like Miss Marple's St. Mary Mead, is found murdered, and Poirot steps out of his retirement to investigate his death - and its connection to that of Ackroyd's widowed friend Mrs. Ferrars.
"Lord Edgware Dies" (1933, TV adaptation 2000, a/k/a "Thirteen at Dinner"): Poirot is asked to help actress Jane Wilkinson, Lady Edgware by marriage, obtain her husband's consent to a divorce; but then Lord Edgware is murdered. Was it the Lady's doing? Poirot is somewhat dazzled, and unfortunately his little gray cells don't work quickly enough to prevent a second murder (of an American actress), and even a third one, of a young playwright ...
"Murder in Mesopotamia" (1936, TV adaptation 2001): One of several stories based on Christie's impressions while accompanying second husband archeologist Sir Max Mallowan to the Middle East; a classic "closed room" riddle: During Poirot's and Hastings's visit to an excavation site near Baghdad, the expedition leader's wife is found murdered - in her room, behind a closed door and closed window, and although nobody has entered the courtyard and staircase leading to her room.
"Evil Under the Sun" (1941, TV adaptation 2001): Likewise features a now classic pattern, in assembling Poirot and all suspects in a hotel on a small island off the English coast with no possibility to leave; thus similar in setup to "And Then There Were None" (1939), where one person after another is killed in the style of the "Ten Little Indians" nursery rhyme, and also to "A Caribbean Mystery."
Also recommended:
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Hercule Poirot's First Case
Agatha Christie: Five Complete Hercule Poirot Novels - Murder on the Orient Express / Thirteen at Dinner / The ABC Murders / Cards on the Table / Death on the Nile
Murder at the Vicarage: A Miss Marple Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)
Agatha Christie: Five Complete Miss Marple Novels (Avenel Suspense Classics)
Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection
Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection, Vol. 2
Miss Marple - 3 Feature Length Mysteries (The Body in the Library / A Murder Is Announced / A Pocketful of Rye)
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express
Death on the Nile
The Mirror Crack'd

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