Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Poirot: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

They Continue Their Work, the Little Grey Cells

Reviewed by Michael Reuben January 31, 2012

Acorn Media appears to be in a hurry to please fans of Agatha Christie and her famous creation, Hercule Poirot, because they're releasing the second series of David Suchet's Poirot series on Blu-ray day and date with the first. Rather than repeat the series' history and the background of Suchet's definitive incarnation of the unconventional Belgian sleuth, I direct the reader to the review of Series 1.

Reflecting the overwhelming success of Poirot, Series 2 went into production almost immediately and aired in the U.K. exactly one year later, from January 7 through March 4, 1990. As if to demonstrate their growing ambition, the series' creators opened with their first effort to adapt a Christie novel, the two-part dramatization of Peril at End House, a twisty saga with even more characters, schemes and misdeeds than a typical episode of Poirot (which is saying a lot).

Still, by splitting End House into two individual episodes that could be broadcast separately, complete with a short recap built into the second part (conveyed in a conversation between Poirot and Captain Hastings), the creators hewed to the one-hour formula with which their audience had grown familiar. It was not until later that year, in September 1990, that they attempted a full-length standalone film, based on the novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, with an entirely new format. Styles is sometimes considered part of Series 2, but it's really a world unto itself, and Acorn has chosen to defer its release until March 6, 2012, when it will be included with the Series 3 set of Poirot.

The attentive viewer of Series 2 will spot minor adjustments in make-up, cinematography and, and perhaps most importantly, the shaping of roles for supporting characters. Poirot's moustache sits a bit flatter, Captain Hastings is treated more affectionately by Poirot (and, as a consequence, takes more overt ribbing from his old friend), and the rivalry between Poirot and Chief Inspector Japp becomes more of a friendly competition, with Japp's appraisal of the detective's skills maturing from grudging respect to outright admiration. Indeed, at points in Series 2, one can almost see Poirot, Hastings and Japp as a kind of tweedy Three Musketeers (though obviously without the swords). Hastings and Japp may seem too phlegmatic and English for such a comparison, but Poirot has enough panache for all three.

What hasn't changed is the seemingly infinite variety of gestures, expressions and intonations with which David Suchet makes Hercule Poirot the most consistently entertaining detective to appear on any screen. (Poirot, of course, would agree completely.) Series 2 had not yet reached some of the darker material that Poirot would explore later in the series, so that here Suchet can concentrate on the character's light-hearted and jocular side. He takes full advantage of every opportunity.

The two-part "Peril at End House" opens with Poirot (Suchet) doing something most uncharacteristic: shutting his eyes as tightly as possible. At the moment, Poirot doesn't want to see out the window of the small aircraft in which he's flying to the Cornish resort of St. Loo for a weekend's holiday with his loyal but dim-witted friend and fellow investigator, Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser). After recovering from the dreadful experience of flight, Poirot checks into the luxurious Hotel Majestic, where he encounters the exotically beautiful Magdala "Nick" Buckley, who is played by the exotically beautiful English actress Polly Walker. (Fans of the Jack Ryan film Patriot Games may recognize her as the red-haired female member of the ultra-radical terrorist group targeting the British royal family.)

Nick owns End House, a crumbling estate near the hotel, where she lives when she's in town, surrounded by a group of friends and hangers-on, but lately, she tells Poirot, she's had several lucky escapes from near-fatal accidents. Poirot becomes convinced that attempts are being made on Nick's life and undertakes to identify the culprit. His inquiries bring him into contact with a wide array of intriguing and sometimes questionable characters, including Nick's long-time boyfriend (and possible fiancé), Commander Challenger (John Harding); her frivolous, sharp-tongued friend, "Freddie" Rice (Alison Sterling); the Australian groundskeeper at End House, Bert Croft (Jeremy Young), and his voluble wife, Milly (Carol MacReady); and Nick's wallflower cousin, Maggie (Elizabeth Downes), whom Nick invites to stay with her at Poirot's suggestion.

Before the story reaches its final resolution, they've been joined by the reliable Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) and Poirot's loyal secretary, Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran), although the loyalty of Miss Lemon suffers a severe test late in the second episode when, without warning, Poirot presents her to an assembled group as a spiritual medium and requests that she contact the dead. The look on Miss Lemon's face at that moment is beyond description.

Though murder continues to threaten in Series 2, it is not the predominant crime. "The Veiled Lady" opens with a jewel theft, after which Poirot is approached by a nobleman's daughter who wishes him to retrieve some embarrassing letters with which she is being blackmailed. Do we suspect that these two stories will somehow be connected? Certainement! Stolen jewels also figure prominently in "The Adventure of the Western Star", which involves a pair of fabulous diamonds owned by two women who begin receiving mysterious and threatening notes. Of special interest to Poirot is that one of the women is Marie Marvelle (Rosalind Bennett), the greatest film star in Belgium, whom he adores. It frustrates the great detective no end that no one in England seems to have heard of her. "I didn't even know they made films in Belgium" is the common refrain.

International espionage is a recurrent theme in Series 2. "The Kidnapped Prime Minister" concerns an incident that appears to have been erased from the history books, in which the British P.M. disappears on the eve of a crucial arms summit. On Chief Inspector Japp's recommendation, the government turns to Poirot, whose approach baffles everyone—but does any viewer doubt that the great Hercule will find Britain's top official in time? In "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat", Samantha Bond (Pierce Brosnan's future Miss Moneypenny) appears as one half of a nice young couple, the Robinsons, who find a deal on an ideal apartment that really is too good to be true, because, in fact, they're being set up for something. Fortunately for the Robinsons, they meet Hastings and Poirot at a party that same evening, where Poirot is intrigued by the story, which turns out to be connected to an investigation for which Japp has been evicted from his own office by a brash FBI man (William Hootkins), who treats the British as bumpkins. A Belgian resident of Albion teaches him a lesson.

For sheer trickery, one can't beat "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim", in which Poirot bets Japp that he can solve a mystery without ever leaving his flat, as long as Hastings is allowed to gather facts for him. The mystery involves a banker who went out for a walk one night and vanished into thin air. Does Poirot succeed? Don't bet against him.

One of the great pleasures of Series 2 is watching Moran, Jackson and Fraser explore new territory for Miss Lemon, Japp and Hastings, no doubt aided by the writers, who are frequently inspired to superior work once they are able to write for specific figures and voices. A complete list of the episodes follows:

1. Peril at End House, pt. 1
2. Peril at End House, pt. 2
3. The Veiled Lady
4. The Lost Mine
5. The Cornish Mystery
6. The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim
7. Double Sin
8. The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
9. The Kidnapped Prime Minister
10. The Adventure of the Western Star

Poirot: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Poirot continued to be shot on 16mm film in these early years, but the attentive viewer will notice minute differences in the photographic technique of Series 2. I would describe the change as "naturalistic". While Agatha Christie's finicky Belgian connoisseur still inhabits a finely wrought Art Deco world (except, of course, when he ventures into criminal environs), it's no longer lit with the same degree of stylized fluorescence displayed in Series 1. The result is a somewhat more realistic texture in skin tones, clothing and surfaces, and this aptly suits the many episodes in Series 2 that take Poirot far afield from his London abode (or from London altogether). With the lighting less harsh, one is sometimes more aware of the softness of the image that results from the lower resolution of 16mm film, but the 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray remains highly detailed, allowing one to appreciate the meticulously designed sets, carefully chosen costumes and elaborate hairstyles of the period (one can be entertained just by counting the ringlets that line Miss Lemon's forehead). The decor of London's Chinatown in "The Lost Mine" or of the small town houses and shops in "The Cornish Mystery" can be seen in their minutia. Colors are vivid, blacks are deep, contrast is appropriate and grain is natural without being exaggerated except in a very occasional shot (pay attention near the end of "The Kidnapped Prime Minister" for several examples, although they go by quickly). Thankfully, even in the few grainy moments, no effort appears to have been made at artificial grain reduction, nor is there any indication of artificial sharpening. No compression or similar artifacts were observed.

Poirot: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with Series 1, the audio track for Series 2 is mono presented as Dolby Digital 2.0 at a bit rate of 256kbps. When played through a good set of stereo speakers in "direct" mode, the track should provide a wide soundstage, much like a typical theatrical array. When played through a matrix decoder, the two identical channels should collapse to the center speaker of a typical home theater array.

Again as with Series 1, the track sounds excellent, despite the lack of lossless encoding. Dialogue is clear, well-articulated and always intelligible (unless, of course, one has a problem with English or Belgian accents, in which case there are optional subtitles). Christopher Gunning's memorable theme, in its many arrangements and variations, plus the incidental music by a revolving team of composers (primarily Richard Hewson), plays tunefully with a pleasant musicality and excellent bass extension. The track may be monaural, but it has real presence.

Poirot: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Other than introductory trailers on disc 1 for Acorn Media, New Tricks and Garrow's Law, no extras are included.

Poirot: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's clear in this second series of Poirot that the actors, the writers and the entire creative team have settled in with the assurance that comes of public acceptance and knowing they're on the right track. Aware that darker and more disturbing material lay ahead, they took full advantage of these glittering baubles, making light of them as only experts know how. The parrot in "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim" is a long, precise setup to one of the greatest exchanges between Poirot and Hastings in the entire series (alas, not quotable out of context), and the scenes between Poirot and his tailor, Fingler (Milo Sperber), in "The Kidnapped Prime Minister" are a comic competition between perfectionists. (Fingler claims to have taught Saville Row everything it knows.) The comedy is often more surprising than the criminals, whose machinations have been stolen from Agatha Christie by later writers so often that contemporary viewers can spot them easily. Who cares? Watching Poirot discover them is more fun. Highly recommended.