I saw some of these on TV when they first came out, and I have to tell you this set is well worth the price. First, we get Helen Hayes twice as Miss Marple and once as the victim with my old childhood hero Bill Bixby as the sleuth. Then we get 3 of the 6 mysteries with the only native born Russian to become a knight of the British Empire, Sir Peter Ustinov as Poirot (the other 3, 2 are available on Lion's Gate (older copies on Anchor Bay when I wrote this originally and 1 on MGM but only in England: Region 2). Watch for soon to be popular British TV star David Suchet on London Weekend Television's (PBS & A&E here) version of Poirot soon after, in one of these films, but as Japp. Finally, 2 other Christie Classics: Sparkling Cyanide and The Man In The Brown Suit, all with all star casts. Interesting to note, that the Hayes and Ustinov sets can be bought as separate items as well, but these latter 2 appear NOT to be available separately. If you wanna complete this great collection, I recommend the fore mentioned 3 pack by Lion's Gate with the other 2 Ustinovs available here (Evil Under The Sun and Death on The Nile) and Angela Lansbury (pre Murder She Wrote) as Miss Marple in The Mirror Cracked. These 3 are also available separately, but side by side these 2 multi disc sets would look great together. If you wanna see how "it was done" before Suchet and Hickson told us, buy these films.:-) Agatha Christie Classic Mystery Collection (Murder Is Easy/Caribbean Mystery/Murder with Mirrors/Thirteen for Dinner/Dead Man's Folly/Murder in Three Acts/Sparkling Cyanide/The Man in the Brown Suit)
This collection of 8 American(!!!) TV movies is a real treat for Christie fans. And it proves that we can honor the First Lady of Mystery on this side of the Pond just as well as her fellow Brits. Not all 8 are perfect gems, but they sure get an A for effort. With 2-time Oscar-winners Helen Hayes and Peter Ustinov as Miss Marple and Poirot, backed up by an impressive crowd of A-list film and TV stars, who could complain?
Extra treat for American mystery fans: 2 of these films--A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY and SPARKLING CYANIDE--were written by our own national treasure of mysterydom, Sue Grafton, and her husband, Steven Humphrey. Sue went on to prove with her Kinsey Millhone "alphabet" series ("A" IS FOR ALIBI, "B" IS FOR BURGLAR, etc.) that she is a true "daughter" of Christie.
And it's a delight to see established stars like Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Tony Curtis, and Faye Dunaway mixing it up with newer talents like Stephanie Zimbalist, Jameson Parker, Anthony Andrews, and Lesley Anne Down. And let's not forget Sir John Mills, Maurice Evans, Tim Roth, Bill Bixby, Jean Stapleton, Edward Woodward, Brock Peters, Tony Randall, Rue McClanahan, Jonathan Pryce, and David Suchet (as Inspector Japp in 13 AT DINNER, long before he went on to play Poirot). Whew! But the real treasures here are the stories themselves--8 of the cleverest mysteries ever written, well-served (for the most part) by several generations of our finest entertainers. And the slim packaging is especially elegant. Curl up in front of your TV and enjoy!
PS: The popularity of these films when they first aired led directly to CBS's decision to do MURDER, SHE WROTE--yet another reason to be thankful for them.
I'm so thrilled to hear about Agatha Christie Movies coming out on DVD in a Collection Box set of Eight enjoyable Agatha Christie movies - I loved watching A Caribbean Mystery, Murder With Mirrors, Murder Is Easy, Dead Man's Folly, Murder in Three Acts, Thirteen at Dinner, Sparkling Cynaide and The Man In The Brown Suit. I will add these eight movies to my Agatha Christie DVD Collection. Can't Wait for this collection to be released on September 12th. I loved the box cover Artwork. The Actors are superb to watch Peter Ustinov, Helen Hayes, Bill Bixby, Jean Stapleton, Bette Davis and many others to give wonderful performances in their roles in my favorite agatha christie movies.
What a treat to have some of the worlds favorites sleuths such as Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and Colonel Race all in one collection of eight mysteries. And Agatha Christie doesn't disappoint with exciting mysteries such as Murder in Three Acts, The Man in the Brown Suit, Murder is Easy, and Thirteen to Dinner. It's a pleasure just spending time with some of the great actors that have given so much pleasure to so many over the years such as Helen Hayes, Peter Ustinov, Olivia de Havilland, Tony Curtis, Jean Stapleton, Bill Bixby, Tony Randall and so many more.
With Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot and Helen Hayes as Miss Marple, these are delightful little mysteries with the supporting cast of stars that makes them worth viewing. With stars of the magnitude of Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Faye Dunaway and Tony Curtis, plus an array of TV favorites such as Jean Stapleton, Tony Randall, Bill Bixby and Jameson Parker, Agatha Christie fans shouldn't miss this DVD set. The only problem with the eight-set is that An Appointment with Death wasn't included, one of the better Christie films with Peter Ustinov and Lauren Bacall. Alas, we can but wait impatiently for the straggler to be released on DVD as a single.
If you are as big a fan of mysteries and of old Hollywood stars as I am then this set is a must for you. You get Peter Ustinov, Jean Stapleton, Faye Dunaway, Bette Davis, Lesley Anne Down, Tony Randall, Tony Curtis, and my personal favorite--Helen Hayes--just to name a few! Some of my favorites are "Murder with Mirrors with Helen Hayes and Bette Davis, and "Dead Man's Folly" with Peter Ustinov and Jean Stapleton. Jean Stapleton is a riot in this one. She really steals the show!
But I must admit that the stars are probably the best part of these Warner Bros. productions. It's just a shame that with such great actors the producers didn't get better scripts and directors. The weakest of the lot is probably "Murder in Three Acts", with Tony Curtis. The dialogue is weak and the scenes very choppy and hard to follow. Some of these stories like "Sparkling Cyanide" have been messed with so much that there is very little resemblance to Christie's original story! But if you like mysteries and want to see some great old Hollywood stars (especially Helen Hayes) then you will enjoy this set. - Miss Marple - Mystery - Hercule Poirot - British Mysteries'
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