Plot
Like many of Agatha Christie's mysteries, Murder on the Orient Express is predicated on an actual event, in this case the Lindbergh kidnapping. In the movie, everyone on board the Orient Express seems to have concluded that hateful financier Ratchett (Richard Widmark) was behind the abduction and murder of the infant daughter of a famed aviatrix. Thus, when Ratchett is himself found murdered, everyone is suspect. Normally, the police would handle the investigation, but the train has been stalled by a snowslide halfway between Istanbul and Paris. Thus, it's up to the insufferable but brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (an unrecognizable Albert Finney) to activate his "little grey cells" and determine who's guilty. Among the suspects are colorful characters played by Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, Wendy Hiller, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, and Ingrid Bergman, whose performance won her a third Academy Award. (In her acceptance speech, Bergman apologized for her win, insisting that Day for Night's Valentina Cortese deserved the prize.) The first and best in a long line of contemporary Christie adaptations, the film scores on atmosphere, period detail, and richness of characterization. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
This lavish adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is uncharacteristic territory for director Sidney Lumet. The creator of socially conscious message movies (12 Angry Men, Fail-Safe), intense emotional dramas (The Pawnbroker), dark satires (Dog Day Afternoon, Network), and morally complex crime movies (Serpico), Lumet usually marks his films with a gritty, realistic edge. Rich and visually ornate, Murder is opulent in both style and pacing. The leisurely direction appears well-suited to most members of the large, talented cast. Albert Finney was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actor in the lead role and Ingrid Bergman won her third Oscar as a Swedish missionary (though Lumet initially wanted her for Wendy Hiller's role as the Russian princess). The elegant cinematography and costume design were also nominated for Academy Awards. The success of Murder paved the way for a number of other Christie adaptations. ~ Brendon Hanley, RoviCast
- Albert Finney - Hercule Poirot
- Lauren Bacall - Mrs. Hubbard
- Ingrid Bergman - Greta
- Sean Connery - Col. Arbuthnot
- Martin Balsam - Bianchi
- Vanessa Redgrave - Mary Debenham
Credit
Jack Stephens - Art Director, Tony Walton - Costume Designer, Ted Sturgis - First Assistant Director, Sidney Lumet - Director, Anne V. Coates - Editor, Richard Rodney Bennett - Composer (Music Score), Marcus Dods - Musical Direction/Supervision, Tony Walton - Production Designer, Geoffrey Unsworth - Cinematographer, Lord John Brabourne - Producer, Richard Goodwin - Producer, Peter Handford - Sound/Sound Designer, Bill Rowe - Sound/Sound Designer, Paul Dehn - Screenwriter, John Siddall - Draftsman, Agatha Christie - Book Author| Murder on the Midnight Express (1974 Film), Murder on the Campus (1934 Film) | |
| Murder on the Orient Express (2001 Film), Murder on the Roof (1930 Film) |
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