Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

What I’m Watching

Murder on the Orient Express (1974. Directed by Sidney Lumet)

I haven’t reviewed a film in awhile. I’ve been sick, and haven’t watched a compelling enough movie to review as of late. That is, until now!

Murder on the Orient Express is a 1974 film based on the novel of the same title by the great Agatha Christie. Unlike other films based on her novels, this is wonderfully accurate. Murder on the Orient Express takes us on the Orient Express, as it returns to England. Our protagonist is the great Belgium detective, Hercule Poirot. Poirot, who is featured in a number of Christie’s novels, is spontaneously on board the train, thanks to his connections with his friend, Bianchi, who is the director of the company which own the line. The passengers on the train are as diverse as they come, ranging from different nationalities, ages, and class statuses. In the dead of night, a particularly hard-faced American man named Rachett is murdered. After a little detective work, Poirot comes to find that Rachett is in fact a criminal named Cassetti, who kidnapped and killed the child of a prominent family, little Daisy Armstrong. Everyone on board is a suspect, and the great Hercule Poirot uses his masterly detection to find the truth!

This novel is loosely based on the 1932 kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. The novel itself is incredible, and the film does it justice. As an Agatha Christie fan, I was thrilled to see the fantastic representation of the novel. Along with about two name changes, this film is spot on. Obviously for sake of time, not all the evidence or full interrogations are portrayed, but the most important pieces of the puzzle are shown, which gives audiences an exciting, mysterious, and COMPLETE story.

I was so impressed by the cinematography. The train setting is so realistic and the corridors are incredibly small, but the camera angles, prop positioning, and blocking of the actors brings the coach to life.

This film is also a great period piece. The costumes designs (Academy Award nominated!) were an exact match to the early 20th century era. The accents were perfect. Characters held themselves accordingly, and gave believable performances in accordance to the time period as well. Speaking of the performances…

This is a film with the cast of a lifetime. Albert Finney is perfect as the quirky little Belgium man, complete with his world famous mustache. The entire cast is spell-binding and exact. With a cast of big name film and stage actors, every single character was just as I had imagined in my head when I first read the novel. I cannot begin to rave about each performance, so I will list the incredible cast featured in this film:

Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot
Martian Balsam as Bianchi
Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Hubbard
Ingrid Bergman as Greta Ohlsson
Vanessa Redgrave as Mary Debenham
Sean Connery as Colonel Arbuthnott
Anthony Perkins as Hector McQueen
Michael York as Count Andrenyi
Jacqueline Bisset as Countess Elena Andrenyi
John Gielgud as Edward Beddoes
Rachel Roberts as Hildegarde Schmidt
Wendy Hiller as Princess Dragomiroff
Denis Quilley as Antonio Foscarelli
Jean-Pierre Cassel as Pierre Michel
Colin Blakely as Cyrus Hardman
George Coulouris as Dr. Constantine
Richard Widmark as Rachett

Seriously, just look at this cast! Have you ever seen so many awe-inspiring actors in one film? Where else are you going to find James Bond and Norman Bates in a film together? Madness!

This film walked away with six Academy Award nominations, with one win.

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Ingrid Bergman
Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Lead Role for Albert Finney
Academy Award Nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted from Other Material
Academy Award Nomination for Best Cinematography
Academy Award Nomination for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
Academy Award Nomination for Best Costume Design

If you’re a lover of mystery, suspense, crime drama, or Agatha Christie, this is a must see!