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A Christie Film Collection

robbied84 02 Oct 08 at 3:36 p.m. GMT

Does anyone have any further details about this partwork? I subscribed and received issues 3 & 4 months ago and nothing since! I understand it was postponed but is it actually coming back? Hope so. s

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Moderator1 09 Oct 08 at 6:56 a.m. GMT

You subscribed to the test section of the partwork release which is why you haven't had anything more since issues 3&4. At the moment I don't have a start date for the full partwork but as soon as it is decided details will be on the website.

robbied84 03 Jan 09 at 9:18 a.m. GMT

Thanks for your reply Moderator. I re-subscribed in October but the partwork stalled again before I received anything! Do you have any idea whether it will be back or is it gone for good?

Moderator1 05 Jan 09 at 3:35 p.m. GMT

Sorry to say that Chroion has no plans just at the moment to continue with the partwork. I really do hope it hasn's gone for good and if things change there will be something on the website to that effect. I hope you are not too disappointed.

robbied84 14 Jan 09 at 11:20 a.m. GMT

That's a shame, I do hope it will come back one day. The other day I received four issues of the magazine in the post "with compliments" from the publishers which was a lovely surprise - and just makes me miss it more haha.

robbied84 21 Jan 10 at 5:21 p.m. GMT

Could anyone tell me the Film Collection titles from issue 13 to date? Thanks!

johnwaynefreak 24 Jan 10 at 6:50 p.m. GMT

Hope this helps! The Film Collection website also has a back issues sections that may prove useful if you want to periodically check what has come out: http://www.agathachristiefilms.com/shop.asp?issue=ACISSUE16

Issue 13:   Sleeping Murder (McEwan version)

Issue 14:   Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (The LWT version with Warwick / Annis - never previously released on DVD in the U.K.)

Issue 15:   Cards On The Table (Suchet)

Issue 16:   A Pocket Full Of Rye (recent McKenzie ITV version)

Issue 17:   Evil Under The Sun (Ustinov version)

Issue 18:   By The Pricking Of My Thumbs (McEwan version)

Issue 19 (coming soon - 28th Jan.) is the 1965 "Ten Little Indians" - I really hope this is a port of an Optimum Entertainment print as submitted to the BBFC recently and not the manky release put out by Orbit Media / Black Horse Entertainment.

robbied84 25 Jan 10 at 6:39 p.m. GMT

Thanks for your reply! I was asking as I had to cancel my sub at issue 13 due to being unable to afford it at the time - and wondered what I had missed! It seems that, apart from Why Didn't they Ask Evans - not much! (I own or have seen the others). Yes hopefully the Ten Little Indians film is the new transfer - which I was going to buy, but may just subscribe from that issue instead. Thanks again for your reply :)

johnwaynefreak 31 Jan 10 at 7:51 p.m. GMT

I have collected Issue 19 from WHS now - the cellophane wrap was fine but the magazine has a great big scorch mark along the spine, leaving a singed hole right the way through all of the pages.

"Ten Little Indians" is indeed an Optimum DVD (presumably an exact replica of what will eventually be released in the shops) - scene selection only, no trailer unlike their recent "And Then There Were None [1974]"

The print isn't bad, looks like a TV print to me but for the fact the 'Whodunit' Break is included. Don't remember seeing that on TV ever, not even the print TNT (or was it Bravo?) used to show in the early / mid nineties.

Issue 20 is announced as "Murder Is Easy", the recent McKenzie adaptation.

robbied84 19 Feb 10 at 5:12 p.m. GMT

Glad to hear it's the new version of the DVD! I resubscribed three weeks ago but have heard nothing, not even a confirmation letter, so have just emailed. :)  Hope you can get a replacement magazine JWF. Do you have any idea what issue 21 is yet ? :D

johnwaynefreak 19 Feb 10 at 7:56 p.m. GMT

Hi robbied84, issue 21 will be "After The Funeral" - I would much rather get some of the rarities that were promised, or even the TV series "Agatha Christie Hour" - I never bought the "Partners In Crime" boxset when that was availble, either.

Back to "After The Funeral", with "Mrs. McGinty's Dead" having been issue 3, I wonder whether they will include a Margaret Rutherford film after all - there's only "Murder Ahoy" (not original Christie) or "Murder, She Said" to choose from - and I would think the McEwan "4.50 From Paddington" would be included over the latter.

robbied84 20 Feb 10 at 3:47 p.m. GMT

Oh that's a shame! Another recent one. Like you I'm looking forward to the old movies and rare TV series... the reason I originally subscribed. Hopefully they will come out soon as I'm sure they're running out of the more recent stuff I'd also hope that all the Rutherfords would be released regardless of whether another episode has been released under the same title. Would be nice if they updated their list or gave subscribers a general idea of what's to come and when.

johnwaynefreak 11 Mar 10 at 10:12 p.m. GMT

Issue 22 - The Sittaford Mystery (McEwan) - boo!

Issue 23  - The Secret Adversary (Warwick / Annis) - hooray!

johnwaynefreak 09 Apr 10 at 9:42 p.m. GMT

Issue 24 - They Do It With Mirrors (McKenzie)*

Issue 25 - Taken At The Flood (Suchet)

*As this one has the young offender element used in "Murder "Ahoy", I presume we are left with only "Murder, She Said" for possible inclusion.

HarryG 30 Apr 10 at 1:40 p.m. GMT

Got so frustrated by the lack of rarities that I requested a list - here it is (in two parts, reply was too long):

1 Murder on the Orient Express   2 Murder at the Vicarage   3 Mrs McGinty's Dead   4 Moving Finger   5 Cat Among the Pigeons   6 The Mirror Crack'd   7 The Third Girl   8 Body in the Library   9 Appointment with Death   10 Murder is Announced   11 Death on the Nile   12 Mystery of the Blue Train   13 Sleeping Murder   14 Why Didn't They Ask Evans   15 Cards on the Table   16 A Pocketful of Rye   17 Evil Under the Sun   18 By the Pricking of My Thumbs   19 Ten Little Indians   20 Murder is Easy   21 After the Funeral   22 Sittaford Mystery   23 The Secret Adversary (120 mins)   24 They Do It With Mirrors   25 Taken at the Flood   26 Endless Night   27 4.50 from Paddington   28 5 Little Pigs   29 Why Didn't They Ask Evans   30 The Affair of the Pink Pearl & The House of Lurking Death   31 The Hollow   32 At Bertram's Hotel   33 The Seven Dials Mystery (131 mins)   34 Three Act Tragedy   35 Secret of Chimneys  

HarryG 30 Apr 10 at 1:40 p.m. GMT

List cont.

36 The Clocks   37 Ordeal by Innocence   38 Sad Cypress   39 Mirror Cracked form Side to Side   40 The Case of the Middle Aged Wife & In a Glass Darkly   41 Towards Zero   42 Finessing the King & The Clergyman's Daughter   43 Pale Horse   44 Murder on the Orient Express   45 The Sunningdale Mystery & The Ambassador's Boots   46 The Girl in the Train & The Fourth Man   47 Nemesis   48 Blue Geranium   49 Hallowe'en Party   50 The Case of the Discontented Soldier & Magnolia Blossom   51 The Man in the Mist & Case of the Missing Lady   52 The Mystery of the Blue Jar &The Red Signal   53 The Unbreakable Alibi & The Crackler   54 Jane in Search of a Job & The Manhood of Edward Robinson   55 Partners in Crime (2 progs)  56 The Agatha Christie Hour (2 progs)  57 Murder Ahoy  58 Partners in Crime (2 progs)  59 The Alphabet Murders 1966  60 Partners in Crime (2 progs)  61 The Agatha Christie Hour (2 progs)  62 Sparkling Cyanide 1983  63 Ten Little Indians 1965  64 Murder is Easy 1982  65 A Caribbean Mystery 1983  66 Murder with Mirrors 1985  67 Thirteen at Dinner  1985  68 Dead Man's Folly 1986  69 Murder in Three Acts 1986  70 The Man in the Brown Suit 1989 

johnwaynefreak 02 May 10 at 3:21 p.m. GMT

That leaves issues 55, 56, 58, 60 and 61 redundant as all of "The Agatha Christie Hour" and "Partners In Crime" are covered in other DVD volumes. Also, according to that list issue 63 is a duplicate of issue 19 (Ten Little Indians).

What a lack of rarities, HarryG! The omission of either version of "Witness To The Prosecution" leaves me dumbfounded - I've half a mind to cancel as ALL of these with the ONE EXCEPTION of the Alphabet Murders (possibly the worst adaptation of Christie ever), have all been either released / inevitably will be released (for complete Poirot / Marple) / have been announced. Inevitably, the partwork will still be going by the time the final Suchets have been filmed, so I expect to see "Elephants Can Remember", etc.

It doesn't surprise me to see no mention of the Austin Trevor rarities, although it would have been nice to get a copy of the silent version of "The Secret Adversary", "Die Abenteuer GmbH", which as I have mentioned previously was included in an Italian Agatha Christie partwork, with Italian subtitles created for the occasion - once again, the UK gets short shrift.

Very annoying when one considers the individual instore releases of the 70 partwork inclusions could, I estimate, be picked up for roughly a quarter of the price. For example, the 5 issues of "Agatha Christie Hour" = £39.95. The same boxset can be preordered online for £18. Similarly, the Suchet episodes in the partwork have so far cost (7 x £7.99 + 1 x £5.99)  £61.92, while the complete boxset so far, regularly drops to £60 in the sales.

Ms_Kylie_Menage 06 Jun 10 at 8:40 a.m. GMT

Hmmm...the list they sent you is very interesting! For a start, they seem to be including the four new Poirots and for new Miss Marples. None of these were in the advertised list. I don't believe the Suchet version of Death On The Nile was included originally either.

Then of course there is the obvious error re The Agatha Christie Hour and Partners in Crime. What can issues 55, 56, 58, 60 and 61 be? Obviously not those as every episode of those two series would have already been issued by then, according to their list.

The ones previously advertised as "hoping" to be included, that now seem they will not be are -

Ustinov's Death On The Nile and Appointment With Death.

Molina's Murder On The Orient Express (no loss by all accounts).

Three Rutherford Miss Marples (why only Murder Ahoy, not even based on an Agatha Christie? With the characterisation being nothing like Miss Marple from the books there is no link here to Agatha Christie at all!)

The fairly recent TV films of The Pale Horse and Sparkling Cyanide.

Black Coffee and Lord Edgware Dies from the 1930s.

Three versions of And Then There Were None/Ten Little Indians! (1945, 1959 and 1974 missing, assuming it's the 1965 one included.)

Vintage TV - A Murder Is Announced and They Came To Baghdad.

The Last Seance.

Ordeal By Innocence (80s film - nevermind, it's terrible.)

Both versions of Witness For The Prosecution!

I was really hoping they'd include Alibi from the 1930s, and the German silent film of The Secret Adversary, and either of both versions of Spider's Web. Who knows? Maybe some of them are issue 55, 56, 58, 60 or 61?!

johnwaynefreak 06 Jun 10 at 11:13 a.m. GMT

Ms_Kylie_Menage, Issue 11 was the Ustinov "Death On The Nile", not the Suchet one.

And aren't MGM in trouble at the moment? This could explain why Ustinov's "Appointment With Death" and the Billy Wilder "Witness For The Prosecution" aren't being licensed for inclusion - MGM released these in Region 2, although WFTP was only in a Wilder boxset in the U.K.

As five titles released have been Optimum releases (Orient Express, Mirror Crack'd, Death On The Nile, Evil Under The Sun and the Ten Little Indians discs - or is it six with Endless Night?), I would expect their disc of the Donald Sutherland "Ordeal By Innocence" to be included at some point, although that was sublicensed from MGM. Similarly, Issue 63 is most likely Optimum's "And Then There Were None" (1974) which has an on-screen title of "Ten Little Indians".

Acorn Media have done the standalone release of "Seven Dials Mystery" (Issue 33) - although I'm sure I remember my disc having a Network logo at the start. Partworks such as deAgostini's John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Classic War Movie collections have included documentaries as special unnumbered issues, so perhaps the Acorn documentary discs "Agatha Christie: A Life In Pictures" and "Agatha Christie's Garden: Murder & Mystery In Devon" could be included.

The Agatha Christie signature that ran along the spines of the collection finished at no. 26, and 27 and 28 repeat this motif right down to using the Albert Finney photo at the start. We will need 78 issues to keep things pretty!

I think perhaps I look too deeply into this DVD collection  but as I recently reread the Christie canon in chronological order, I need to get my fortnightly fix somehow!

johnwaynefreak 28 Aug 10 at 5:54 p.m. GMT

Issues 34 and 35 have turned out to be the McEwan "Ordeal By Innocence" and Suchet "Sad Cypress" respectively, despite both Suchet's "Appointment With Death" and the McKenzie "Evans?" being included in the partwork before the UK transmissions.

Issue 33, "The Seven Dials Mystery", had the ad-break bumpers removed - not too problematic, although the ticking of the clock that signalled the end / beginning of parts can still be heard over one or two snippets. Ad-breaks are present and correct on the Acorn Media / Network DVD release.

kirstin_kay 12 Nov 10 at 3:31 p.m. GMT

Does anyone know the running order of the partworks? according to the website issue 36 is 'the case of the middle-aged wife' & 'in a glass darkly' but when I rang up to enquire about back issues I was told that these titles are in fact issue 41. I am rather confused!