Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

Paul Dehn (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 November 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | 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. Hubbard
Martin Balsam	...	Bianchi
Ingrid Bergman	...	Greta
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Countess Andrenyi
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Pierre (as Jean Pierre Cassel)
Sean Connery	...	Colonel Arbuthnot
John Gielgud	...	Beddoes
Wendy Hiller	...	Princess Dragomiroff
Anthony Perkins	...	McQueen
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Mary Debenham
Rachel Roberts	...	Hildegarde
Richard Widmark	...	Ratchett
Michael York	...	Count Andrenyi
Colin Blakely	...	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]
Oriento kyûkô satsujin jiken (Japan) [ja]
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:

1.66 : 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:

The actual Orient Express trains were no longer in existence at the time of shooting. However, the real Orient Express engine was used in the film although it couldn't travel very far. Only portions of the carriages still existed in museums, mostly in Belgium, and sometimes had to be recreated from real portions borrowed.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: During the interrogation of Colonel Arbuthnot, the reflection of a boom mic can be seen in the glass room divider behind the Colonel.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Sonny and Cher Show: (#1.3)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

On the Good Ship Lollipop

* * * * out of 4.

An all star cast aboard a luxuary train are questioned and suspected of a murder when one of the passengers who was already fearing for his life is found dead and all this seems to be releated to a child that was kidnapped and murdered years earlier.

Exceptionally done thriller is a homage to the mysteries of Hollywood's golden age with fun and brilliantly done performances from a seasoned cast, but Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, and an unreconizable Albert Finney really stand out. Magnaficent score, sets, costumes, color schemes, dialogue, and a fine eye for detail just add to the fun. Never a dull or boring moment; the finale is really, really good. I just love everything about this film. Very highly recommanded film is in my top 10 films of the 70's and is in my top 100 films of all time.