Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

Paul Dehn (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 November 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The greatest cast of suspicious characters ever involved in murder.

Plot:

In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.

Plot Keywords:

Hercule Poirot | Train | Detective | Snow | Orient Express

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Albert Finney	...	Hercule Poirot
Lauren Bacall	...	Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard
Martin Balsam	...	Signor Bianchi
Ingrid Bergman	...	Greta Ohlsson
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Countess Andrenyi
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Pierre Paul Michel (as Jean Pierre Cassel)
Sean Connery	...	Colonel Arbuthnot
John Gielgud	...	Mr. Beddoes
Wendy Hiller	...	Princess Dragomiroff
Anthony Perkins	...	Hector Willard MacQueen
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Mary Debenham
Rachel Roberts	...	Hildegarde Schmidt
Richard Widmark	...	Mr. Ratchett
Michael York	...	Count Andrenyi
Colin Blakely	...	Mr. Cyrus Hardman

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (UK) (complete title)
Mord im Orient Express (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Asesinato en el Expreso de Oriente (Venezuela) [es]
Asesinato en el Orient Express (Spain) [es]
Assassinato no Expresso Oriente (Brazil) [pt]
Assassinato no Orient Express (Brazil) [pt]
Assassinio sull'Orient Express (Italy) [it]
Crimen en el Expreso de Oriente (Argentina) [es]
Eglima sto Orient Express (Greece) [el]
Gyilkosság az Orient expresszen (Hungary) [hu]
Idän pikajunan arvoitus (Finland) [fi]
Le crime de l'Orient-Express (France) [fr]
Meurtre de l'Orient Express (Canada: French title) (TV title) [fr]
Morderstwo w Orient Ekspresie (Poland) [pl]
Mordet i Orient-ekspressen (Denmark) [da]
Mordet på Orientexpressen (Sweden) [sv]
Sark ekspresinde cinayet (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Um Crime no Expresso do Oriente (Portugal) [pt]
Vrazda v Orient-expresu (Czechoslovakia) [cs]

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Turkish | French | German | Italian | Swedish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Iceland:12 | Ireland:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:PG (certificate #24034) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

EMI Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

G.W. Films

Trivia:

An 84-year-old Agatha Christie attended the movie premiere in November of 1974. It was the only film adaptation in her lifetime that she was completely satisfied with. In particular, she felt that Albert Finney's performance came closest to her idea of Poirot. She died fourteen months later, on January 12, 1976

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The British officer who escorts Poirot on the ferry thanks him for saving the honor of the British garrison in Jordan. The Kingdom of Jordan did not exist until 1946. In 1935 it was the Emirate of Transjordan.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ferry conductor: Your ticket, please.
Mary Debenham: Oh, yes.
Ferry conductor: Welcome aboard, Miss Debenham.
Mary Debenham: Thank you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

On the Good Ship Lollipop

It Oozes Elegance

This whodunit story by Dame Agatha is excellent. She has always been my favorite writer of detective fiction. I keep returning to the film version, however, not because of the story but because of the film's sheer elegance and style. It is awash in elegance ... the majestic cinematography; the glamorous clothes; the delightfully eccentric aristocratic characters; the mysterious yet refined musical score. The film is so theatrically regal I'm surprised that it did not feature a representative of British royalty.

The setting is Europe in the 1930's. The pace is slow and relaxed. And while the dialogue is in English, the film has a deliciously international flavor, with a mix of interesting accents and word pronunciations. Heavy on dialogue, the film never seems overly talky, the result of a clever screenplay and lush visuals. Humor is included in the script usually in the form of tasteful put-downs. Example: an attractive Mrs. Hubbard comments: "Don't you agree the man must have entered my compartment to gain access to Mr. Ratchett?" The aging Princess Dragomiroff responds in a deadpan tone: "I can think of no other reason, madam."

In his portrayal of Hercule Poirot, Albert Finney almost literally disappears into the role, a tribute to convincing makeup and to Finney's adroit acting. His performance is appropriately idiosyncratic, deliciously hammy, and theatrical, every bit as entertaining in this film as Peter Ustinov is in subsequent Christie movies. The rest of the cast has ensemble parts, my favorite being Wendy Hiller whose Princess Dragomiroff comes across as royal, proud, and very eccentric.

With its snowy landscapes, ornate and cozy interiors, and subdued lighting, "Murder On The Orient Express" is an excellent movie to watch on a cold, winter night, snuggled under a blanket or next to a warm fireplace with a cup of cappuccino or a glass of cognac. Just be sure that all knives and daggers in your mansion are out of reach from your staff of servants.