Agatha Christie's Romantic Detectives [7 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Romantic Detectives finds Christie's fabulous sleuthing duos mixing crime and romance in these stylish comedy thrillers. This 7 DVD set includes 11 episodes of Tommy & Tuppence: Partners In Crime, Why Didn't They Ask Evans? and The Seven Dials Mystery. Also included is a bonus program, "Agatha Christie: A Life In Pictures," a BBC drama that explores the shadowy side of the author's personal life.

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 7
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • Cast filmographies, Agatha Christie biography, and interactive trivia
  • Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures
  • Using Christie's own words, this innovative new BBC drama explores her shadowy personal life and what really happened during her mysterious 11-day disapperance in 1926. Starring Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense) and Anna Massey (Possession). "Mesmerizing" - Telegraph (U.K.) approx. 90 min. on 1 disc; 16:9 widescreen

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  John Howard Davies, Tony Wharmby

• Screenwriter:

  Pat Sandys

• Book Author:

  Agatha Christie

REVIEW:

• The Seven Dials Mystery may not be the very best adaptation of an Agatha Christie piece, but it's certainly one of the liveliest and overall quite entertaining. Director Tony Wharmby and scenarist Pat Sandys have done an excellent job of keeping Dials on its toes; there are a few bumps along the way, but for the most part this is one of the friskiest Christie filmings one is likely to encounter. That tone captures the period setting remarkably well, and at times makes one feel one is watching Christie as Noel Coward might have done her -- though perhaps without the same degree of wit Coward would have brought to the project. The mystery itself is a tad on the mundane side, but there's enough "meat" there to keep aficionados satisfied. While the technical aspects are rather primitive, with the camerawork cheap and flat and the sound sketchy due to Dials' videotaped origins, the film does feature a very fine cast. Sir John Gielgud, of course, imbues his brief supporting part with both life and class, making crusty aristocracy seem much more fun than it should. Cheryl Campbell carries the film ably as the heroine, and James Warwick makes quite an impression as her partner. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi