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The incomparable David Suchet reprises his role as Agatha Christie's indefatigable Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in this collection of four A&E teleplays. Poirot is older now, and mostly solo in solving his crimes, without his previous sidekicks Hastings and Japp. Yet the world-weary Suchet is as compelling as ever to watch, surrounded by the decadent rich who seem to find murder an easy solution to life's inconveniences. The Mystery of the Blue Train, for instance, features a young, and suddenly very dead, heiress, with a dissolute husband, an overprotective father (a fabulously blustery Elliott Gould), greedy cousins, and all sorts of scheming money-owing hangers-on--all cocooned and coddled on a luxury train on the French Riviera. Indeed, one of the many pleasures of this collection is its very high production values; sets, costumes, and locations are detailed and opulently believable. (Though one annoying tic from the films' TV roots inexplicably remains: some "naughty" words, like the "God" in "God-damned," are edited out; surely we home viewers could handle a teensy bit of upper-crust rough talk?) The supporting casts are rich and varied, and the suspects deliciously numerous. And at the center of it all is the ever-refined, driven Poirot, who will not rest until the evil-doers are exposed. Extras include biographies of Agatha Christie and of David Suchet. --A.T. Hurley
Tony Award-nominee David Suchet reprises his celebrated role as Hercule Poirot in the CLASSIC CRIMES COLLECTION--an exclusive collection of four brand-new A&E original films. Artfully adapted from Agatha Christie s famous mystery series each multi-million dollar production features a top-notch cast stunning settings and of course enough murder and mystery to test the mettle of our inimitably beloved Belgian sleuth.The CLASSIC CRIMES COLLECTION contains the following four brand-new Poirot movies:THE MYSTERY OF THE BLUE TRAIN: When the daughter of an oil magnate is found dead on the famous Blue Train to the French Riviera Poirot must investigate the past to reveal the killer.TAKEN AT THE FLOOD: Mystery surrounds a young woman after her new husband is killed in the London Blitz but with the discovery of new information Poirot wonders about her true motives.AFTER THE FUNERAL: Following the murder of a wealthy patriarch Poirot is called upon to begin an investigation. The case takes a wild twist however when his prime suspect turns up dead.CARDS ON THE TABLE: When the host is found dead at a card game four investigators - including Poirot himself - look for clues as they set out to discover which guest is the killer.System Requirements:Running Time 379 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 733961752106 Manufacturer No: AAE-75210
