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REVIEW: ‘Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries’ Holiday Pop-Up Collectible

Image: Image courtesy of Acorn TV / Provided by press site with permission.


Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries starring Essie Davis is a wonderfully classy detective show that takes place in 1920s Melbourne. Several series, all based off Kerry Greenwood’s novels, have been commissioned, and now Acorn is celebrating a holiday special of the beloved period piece.

In what is being billed as a “Holiday Pop-Up Collectible,” Acorn has released the Christmas-themed episode of “Murder Under the Mistletoe” as a single-DVD set featuring a pop-up image of detective Phryne Fisher (Davis).

The actual episode on the DVD is a perfect introduction to Miss Fisher and her mysteries. The gang is together for a “Christmas in July” celebration at a Swiss chalet. It’s meant to be a perfect getaway, but it doesn’t take long for a mysterious death to occur and for Miss Fisher to start snooping around.

This time around, it appears people are dropping left and right thanks to certain holiday-themed clues that the most avid viewers may be able to pick up on, which makes the show so much fun. There’s a definite Three Blind Mice feel to this Agatha Christie-inspired Christmas special, which runs just shy of one hour.

As Phryne Fisher, Davis is glamorous, elegant and revelatory. She is a woman dedicated to the pursuit of answers, and she will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. A special treat in this special episode is the presence of Miriam Margolyes (Call of the Midwife) as Phyrne’s aunt, someone who has a connection to the dark past of this Swiss chalet and its closed gold mine.

For Miss Fisher fans, this will no doubt be a repeat of a DVD already in their collection, but for newbies, this is an excellent spot to jump on the mystery bandwagon.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: Holiday Pop-Up Collectible. Starring Essie Davis, Nathan Page, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Ashleigh Cummings and Miriam Margolyes. Based on the book series by Kerry Greenwood. Written by Elizabeth Coleman. Directed by Tony Tilse. Click here for more information.

John Soltes

John Soltes is an award-winning journalist. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Earth Island Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, New Jersey Monthly and at Time.com, among other publications. E-mail him at john@hollywoodsoapbox.com

One thought on “REVIEW: ‘Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries’ Holiday Pop-Up Collectible

  • I love the series, it’s so refreshingly different. Has anyone read the Books? The basic stories are similar to the tele shows and take place in the twenties but that’s as close as they come. They took a lot of artistic deviation to make it palatable for the English/Aussie & possibly American public. (Although the Black slave scene in her Bedroom has definitely caused the show to be pulled off the PBS station here in the states). In the books, her on going affair with a Chinese Industrialist would have been a problem here too. It’s so hard to believe the world has come so far and yet still can’t accept that we are ALL different and we ALL need to get along to survive.
    Now I’ve said my peace, ( I own the series, and hope to pick up all the Books) I recently bought the Pop-up and it says ‘Collect all 3 Holiday Pop-ups on the cover!’ I can’t find reference to the other two so does anyone know where to purchase them or if they even exist???

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