Poirot (TV Series) The Chocolate Box (1993) User Reviews

A very good episode - unusual and emotional

[gridoon2024 · 8/10 · 9 February 2008]

Hercule Poirot returns to Brussels after 20 years, traveling along with Inspector Japp who is invited there to be honored for his services to Belgium. Meeting his assistant from the days when he was still just a rookie police officer, Poirot remembers an old case from that period - the death of an ambitious Belgian government official that was attributed to heart failure. Poirot claims that the verdict was wrong, and proceeds to tell Japp the whole story.

"The Chocolate Box" is one of the best "Poirot" episodes since "Wasp's Nest", mainly for the same reason: because it moves away from the usual formula of the series and tries something different. It offers a glimpse at the earliest parts of Poirot's career - earlier even than "The Mysterious Affair At Styles" where he had already moved to England. It's also one of the very rare instances where we see Poirot involved in a subtly romantic relationship with a lady (the lovely Anna Chancellor). There is no investigation in the present - Poirot had actually solved the case in the past, and we get to see how in some beautifully done flashbacks. And the case is really quite simple - the clues are right there in front of you, but you still won't notice them. (***)

Handsomely mounted and beautifully done

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 26 February 2010]

Yet another gem from the Poirot series. Beautiful music and sumptuous filming and period detail are definite things to like about this adaptation. The story is simple but easy to follow, and the scripting is wonderful. Even better is David Suchet as Poirot, even when an adaptation is disappointing, not the case here I assure you, Suchet always makes it watchable. As far as I am concerned he IS Poirot, and in this episode he gives a wonderful performance, his younger version of his character was very impressive. Phillip Jackson is more subdued here than he is in an episode like Death in the Clouds, but he is still entertaining as Japp. Anna Chancellor is lovely as Virginie, as she usually always is, while Rosalie Crutchley is outstanding as Madame Deroulard. All in all, just wonderful to watch. 9/10 Bethany Cox

"I remember that it was not I who made the mistakes in that case; it was everyone else."

[bensonmum2 · 9/10 · 19 August 2015]

After 20 years away from Belgium, Poirot returns for a visit with Inspector Japp. He meets an old colleague and is reminded of a case he didn't solve. Poirot relates the case to Japp (in a series of flashbacks), including the solution to the murder.

The Chocolate Box is a truly wonderful, but different, Poirot episode. Suchet does what I consider his best piece of acting in the entire series. Going from young, slim Poirot in one scene to the older, balder Poirot we're more familiar with in the next is amazing. It's almost like watching two different actors. The supporting cast is equal to the task, with Rosalie Crutchley and Anna Chancellor being the standouts for me. The Chocolate Box is undoubtedly one of the most beautifully filmed Poirot episodes. The location shots are gorgeous. Costuming is also noteworthy. Set in a different time and a different place, everything looks stunning. The mystery itself is quite good with a satisfactory conclusion given the clues and events leading up to the finale. Finally, I have to mention the relationship between Poirot and Virginie Mesnard. It's beautiful and heart-breaking in it's honesty, innocence, and sincerity. Overall, this is one of the best episodes in the series. A 9/10 from me.

Putting an old case to rest in Belgium

[SimonJack · 10/10 · 20 February 2018]

In this episode of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, the great man returns to his homeland after 20 years in England. He had fled there when the Germans invaded Belgium early in World War I. Poirot is accompanying his friend, Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Japp who is being installed with great honor in an exclusive Belgian order. Although it's not stated, one gets the impression that it may have been Poirot who recommended Japp for the award. Or, that he at least gave him many kudos.

Japp is the only one of Poirot's frequent supporting characters to be in this film. And, during their stay in Brussels, Poirot tells Japp about a case he had been suppressed from solving while on the Belgian police force. This return enabled him to finally solve the crime. The story has some interesting twists and is intertwined with the actual history of the periods, 1916 and 1936.

And, as others have noted, the location shooting in Antwerp and Flanders is glorious. The producers of this series amaze me frequently with the sets, street scenes and locations they are able to reserve for shooting that look so authentic for that time, and by the costumes and props of the time. Most impressive by far is the array and numbers of automobiles used in the stories. There must be a great supplier of period machines and equipment for movies and TV programs filmed in England.

The cast is exceptional in "The Chocolate Box." And, all of the acting is superb. David Suchet and the entire cast make remarkable switches between their younger and old years. The makeup jobs are excellent. The plot is very interesting. The surprise ending is wonderful and original. Poirot allows justice to seek its own end in this truly remarkable and enjoyable tale.

A favorite line from this film involves Chief Inspector Japp and Hercule Poirot. Japp says, "Yes, but you had her down as a suspect...?" To which, Poirot replies, "Well, even the good chaps can sometimes kill their fellow man, chief inspector."

Best of the Best

[spirit11 · 10/10 · 26 February 2009]

I rarely give a perfect rating to any movie, episode, or series. That said, I'm a huge fan of Poirot on TV and film. (Yes, I've seen the 1960's Tony Randall version -- YIKES!) So lets get to the bottom line. I told my wife she HAD to watch this episode with me. It is the best episode or movie of Poirot that I've seen. Suchet is at his best, managing to work both the younger version of Poirot against the more mature version of Poirot, and make them both convincing. The mystery is challenging and fascinating, and even the love story woven throughout the episode has a surprising ending. And for the big fans, watch closely--you'll see the lapel pin from this episode pop up in others as well. All in all, a great episode!

A gorgeous episode, perhaps the best one

[dakota_linda · 10/10 · 12 January 2014]

I've watched nearly every episode of the Poirot series as well as some of the film versions and have loved most of them, but this episode stunned me with its rich, authentic period settings, Suchet's ability to portray the young and the mature Poirot equally convincingly, the graceful, unobtrusive background music -- all in all, I kept thinking I was watching a full-budget movie. I simply loved it and will watch it again to enjoy again the exquisite care for detail that make this such a fine series and this a particularly fine episode. I had just one quibble, that bothered me only because the episode is otherwise so perfect. A jeweled lapel pin worn by Poirot that features in the background story appears to have violet flowers in most scenes, but in a flashback when he first receives it, the flowers look decidedly pink or coral. If anyone can explain this discrepancy, I'd appreciate it, just so I can say, "Utterly perfect"!

lovely episode

[blanche-2 · 9/10 · 2 February 2015]

This is one of the best Poirot episodes, a story told to Poirot by Japp of a murder early in his career.

Poirot goes with Inspector Japp when he is to receive an honor from the Belgian government. Poirot recounts a case from 20 years earlier, when he was a young policeman. He agrees to look into the death of a politician, Paul Deroulard, for Virgina Mesnard. It had been ruled that the man died of a heart attack, but Poirot thinks he was poisoned from a box of chocolates he had been given by an aristocrat, Xavier St. Alard.

Great to see Poirot so early in his career with such an interesting mystery, which will seem simple when it's explained. Also there's a hint of romance for Poirot.

With the superb acting, superb production values, and superb story, this is a no-miss for mystery fans.

Flemish, Walloon and British

[safenoe · 8/10 · 24 June 2020]

This was an episode to make me hungry with the chocolates and all, and the episode was a lot of fun with a backstory for Inspector Poirot. What surprised me was that even though Belgium comprises Flemish and Walloon ethnic groups, all the characters except for Poirot had British accents. I almost expected one of the "Belgians" to break out in cockney and rhyming slang. Anyway, the ending was a complete mystery until the end, and allowed Poirot to consider the morality of the greater good.

A rare glimpse into Poirot's past

[grantss · 8/10 · 26 August 2016]

Chief Inspector Japp is in Brussels to receive an award from the Belgian government. Poirot accompanies him and, through meeting old acquaintances and seeing familiar places, recounts the details of his first case as a Belgian policeman, before World War 1. Paul Deroulard was a government minister with proposed policies, especially regarding language and religion, which make him unpopular, especially among his friends. One night, having eaten some chocolates provided by one such friend, he dies. It is ruled a death by natural causes but Poirot suspects that he was poisoned. With his superior insistent that there is no murder to investigate, Poirot investigates the death on the sly.

Pretty good, and a rare glimpse into Poirot's past. As far as I can recall, this is the only episode that covers Poirot's life in Belgium and it is quite warmly and engagingly done. The mystery is okay, though a bit disjointed due to the jumping back-and-forth between the early 1910s and the mid-1930s. The conclusion to the mystery also seems a bit rushed.

However, seeing Poirot as a youngish man and seeing him develop as a detective is quite interesting. There's even a hint of romance and regret and large dollop of nostalgia about it all too...

The Career, She Is Launched.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 6 June 2014]

It's the years preceding the Great War and Poirot is on the Brussels Police Force. A young man eats a box of chocolate and drops dead. "Heart attack," everyone says. "Murder," says Poirot.

In a flashback, Poirot the cop is hired to look into the case during his leave, by the stunning Anna Chancellor. She's one of those people who don't look so hot in still photos but in motion become the epitome of grace and beauty. (Yum.) She is not "THE woman" for Poirot, however, because he is above being impressed by Platonic accidents. I would have been in her thrall. Yet, they are soon calling each other "Hercule" and "Virginie", which meant more then and there than it does here and now.

As a cop, Poirot gets a lot of obstructionism from the authorities because the dead man was a member of the Belgian aristocracy. So time passes and pari passu Poirot is forced by the war to leave Belgium for England.

Years later he returns to Brussels with his friend, Inspector Japp, who is to receive an award for his own police work. Still nettled by the unsolved "suicide", by some loose ends, Poirot narrates the tale.

The most important clue is the mixing up of different colored lids on two boxes of chocolates, a result of arrant stupidity, if you ask me. PS: Poirot solves the case.

In the earlier period, set before the war, the principals are all in what looks like accurate period dress. Nineteen thirteen was certainly different than 1935. In his uniform, Poirot doesn't look much younger than in the other stories but he does appear somewhat leaner, though that may be a mistaken impression.

A sublime production.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 8 October 2018]

As the title would suggest, The Chocolate box is a decadent production, it's sumptuous, decadent, a true feast for Poirot fans. Suchet dazzles here in a performance that sees him superbly portray his younger self, it's fascinating that we get to see Poirot in his younger days, and some of the events that shaped him in later life. We get to see his cleverness and logic, but we also see a more personal side to him, as he's once again acquainted with Virginie Mesnard.

The crime itself is a tricky one to work out, but the clues are there if you're concentrating, I just love the way the story was adapted, it's such a slick production. Geoffrey Whitehead and Anna Chancellor are excellent, but it's Rosalie Crutchley that stands out for me, with a commanding performance.

It's hard not to love every inch of this episode. 9/10

The Chocolate Box

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 31 May 2018]

An unusual episode as we see Poirot in Belgium. Poirot is accompanying Inspector Japp who is going to be receiving an important civic honour.

Poirot meets an old friend from the police force. They argue about an old mystery in their days as a rookie policemen. The death of a Belgian government official attributed to heart failure. Poirot thinks he was poisoned as the man was so ambitious he had two vices. He worked hard and he liked chocolates. Poirot thinks the chocolates were poisoned. As Poirot tells the story, he tells Japp that you need to go back several years before his death when the man's wife fell down a set of stairs.

The Chocolate Box benefits in seeing Poirot in his native Belgium, seeing echoes from his past, even alluding to a lost love.

It is interesting to see a younger Poirot in flashbacks when he was a junior policeman. He meddles where he was not wanted, prepared to disobey his superiors. The flashbacks also made the episode disjointed as it was trying to disguise a rather simple mystery.

Poirot is Clouseau

[aramis-112-804880 · 5/10 · 5 January 2022]

In the Pink Panther flicks Peter Sellers' brilliantly incompetent Inspector Jacques Clouseau spoke a sort of French no other French people could understand. Cf. A Shot in the Dark where Clouseau talks to George Sanders. The movie's set in France and Sanders is playing a Frenchman so he uses his normally impeccable English intnations. Yet Clouseau's heavy French accent is nearly impenetrable to this other Frenchman ("the LIEU? You said the LIEU?")

David Suchet's Poirot is up to the same tricks in this episode, set in Belgium (cf. Douglas Adams). Nearly everyone else, including the lovely Anna Chancellor, use their own voices but Poirot has the same accent he'd use in England among the hoity-toity anti-foreign English.

Though Poirot is kind of the anti-Sherlock Holmes (short instead of tall, using his little gray cells rather than dogging around on all fours with a magnifying glass) Christie used several Conan Doyle tricks. In this one Poirot reviews an old case about a chocolate box or two while he's in his homeland to see Japp get an award. The usual TV liberties are taken (though one reviewer called another episode "Poirot fan fiction, and some episodes are like that as mere TV scribblers think they're superior to the little old lady who created the yarns in the first place, including some by former "Burkiss Way" writers).

Not one of the stronger Poirots but it has Anna Chancellor in it, who is always watchable; and Geoffrey Whitehead, who isn't. And Rosalie Crutchley, another example of cross-pollenation between this series and Jeremy Brett's almost miraculous Holmes series.

But was the case one of Poirot's failures or one of his successes? That's the real mystery.

A very beautiful episode of the series

[cemil-turun · 9/10 · 26 August 2017]

This is probably one of the best episodes of the Poirot series in my judgment. Several observations: 1)The beautiful widow, Virginie is smitten by young Poirot. She helps him find the murderer but also presents him a diamond embroidered silver pin (with a variety of dried flowers of different colors inserted into the pin) to show her affection to the young officer.

2) She later marries Poirot's best friend, the chemist who helped Poirot solve the case. Their elder boy is named Hercules, further indication that her love to Poirot was present even as she wed his best friend.

3) Does the episode imply that the boy named Hercules is Poirot's own son? I think not. All over the episodes Poirot is depicted as a singularly private man if not in the closet gay. I think, Hercules Poirot, even if he was gay, never actually got over his love for this woman, since he always kept her present, the silver pin, on his heart until his own death in the last episode of the series. Except for a single episode, the one that takes part in Rhodes.

9 out of 10.

Very nice Poirot - with one problem

[jonfrum2000 · 8/10 · 17 March 2011]

Somehow I missed this episode when it ran on television the first time. It's very nice to get out of the clichés of the series - as much as I enjoy them - and see Poirot in his homeland. It's almost like you're getting a feature film version of the television series. The settings are wonderful, and the acting is the usual high quality.

I do have one quibble. The director made the decision to have Poirot speak as he always does in England. Which, of course, makes no sense. As Poirot investigates the case in the flashbacks, he's speaking French, of course - it's translated by the actors for our ears. So you have the other Belgians speaking the King's English, but Poirot is still inserting 'merci's.' Once I realized it, I could only think of Inspector Clouseau and his bad French accent in the Pink Panther movies. Only that was a joke. Here, the director must have decided that the audience is used to hearing Poirot mix French with his English, so he would have to do so here. There is a logic to the decision, but I think it assumes that the audience can't deal with Poirot speaking English like the other French-speaking characters. Personally, I would have trusted the audience, and had Poirot speak proper English during the flashbacks. No doubt, some will disagree.