Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

Paul Dehn (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

24 November 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | 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 | Orient Express | Snow

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 8 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	...	Col. 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 (in opening credits) (as Colin Blankey)
George Coulouris	...	Doctor
Denis Quilley	...	Foscarelli
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Concierge
Jeremy Lloyd	...	A.D.C.
John Moffatt	...	Chief Attendant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David de Keyser	...	Turkish Ticket Collector (voice) (uncredited)
Leon Lissek	...	Dining Car Steward (uncredited)
Robert Rietty	...	Various Tannoy's (voice) (uncredited)
George Silver	...	Orient Express Chef (uncredited)
Nubar Terziyan	...	Traveling Salesman (uncredited)

Directed by
Sidney Lumet

Writing credits
Paul Dehn		(screenplay)
Agatha Christie		(novel) uncredited

Produced by
John Brabourne	....	producer
Richard B. Goodwin	....	producer (as Richard Goodwin)

Original Music by
Richard Rodney Bennett

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Unsworth		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Anne V. Coates

Casting by
Dyson Lovell		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Tony Walton

Art Direction by
Jack Stephens

Costume Design by
Tony Walton

Makeup Department
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist
Ramon Gow	....	hairdressing supervisor
John O'Gorman	....	makeup artist
Charles E. Parker	....	makeup artist (as Charles Parker)

Production Management
Jim Brennan	....	unit manager
Jack Causey	....	production manager
Louis Fleury	....	production manager: French

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ted Sturgis	....	first assistant director
Richard Jenkins	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
E.W. Brister	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Tony Strong	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jonathan Bates	....	sound editor
Peter Handford	....	sound
Bill Rowe	....	sound
Jeremy Hume	....	assistant dialogue editor (uncredited)
David Stephenson	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Charles Staffell	....	process photography

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter MacDonald	....	camera operator (as Peter Macdonald)
Steve Birtles	....	gaffer (uncredited)
John Campbell	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Cedric James	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Joe Pearce	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brenda Dabbs	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Richard Hiscott	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Marcus Dods	....	conductor
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House	....	orchestra (as Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden)

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	continuity
Nat Cohen	....	presenter
Richard du Vivier	....	production associate (as Richard Du Vivier)
Norton Knatchbull	....	location manager
Elisabeth Woodthorpe	....	production secretary
François Guillaume	....	stand-in: Anthony Perkins (uncredited)
Catherine O'Brien	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• EMI Film Distributors (as Nat Cohen presents for EMI FIlm Distributors Ltd.)
• G.W. Films Limited (made by) (as G.W. Films Ltd.)

Distributors

• Anglo-EMI Film Distributors (1974) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Filmipaja (1974) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Gloria (1975) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Fotomat (Drive-Thru Movies) Video (1979) (USA) (VHS)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (DVD) (Middle East)
• Future Film (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (Germany) (DVD)
• Lumière Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1984) (Finland) (TV) (as MTV1)
• Nelonen (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (????) (Finland) (video)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• Thorn EMI Video (????) (Finland) (video)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD) (6-disc The Agatha Christie's Collection)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2008) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Leonard of London  Miss Bergman's and Mr. Finney's hair by
• Richard Williams Studio  montage sequences and titles by (as Richard Williams' Studio)
• Wartski  the Princess's jewellery by
• Panavision  cameras and lenses by
• Technicolor  colour by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French | German | Turkish | 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 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (tv rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG (video rating) (1989) (2002) (2006)

Filming Locations:

EMI Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

EMI Film Distributors

Trivia:

The poem that Rachel Roberts reads to the dozing Countess is "Kennst du das Land," by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, later set to music by Beethoven. The verse goes like this: Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn, Im dunklen Laub die Gold-Orangen glühn, Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Himmel weht, Die Myrte still und hoch der Lorbeer steht, Kennst du es wohl? Dahin! Dahin Mocht ich mit dir, o mein Geliebter, ziehn.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Early in the film, when the Count and Countess walk past the window of the train car, the scenery outside moves vertically for a quick second, as only a film playing outside a set would do.

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 "Cheers: Tale of Two Cuties (#6.15)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

On the Good Ship Lollipop

When Agatha Christie Finally Came Into Her Own Cinematically

Agatha Christie lived long enough to enjoy something few of her contemporaries could claim.

Movies based on Christie's novels and stories were being made back to the 1930s. One early one with Charles Laughton as Hercule Poiret so turned her off that she was hesitant about future productions of her work. But they were made - like the two versions of LOVE FROM A STRANGER. There were two high points: Rene Clair's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and Billy Wilder's WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (oddly enough with Laughton again, but in a better fitting performance). Then came the popular series of Miss Marple films with Margaret Rutherford, which were rewritten to emphasize Rutherford's comic abilities (and to give Miss Marple a companion - Mr. Stringer, played by Rutherford's husband Stringer Davis). Another attempt at Poirot was made, again as a comic film, THE A.B.C.MURDERS (with Tony Randall as Poirot). Christie was not amused. But in 1974 she saw her vision of Hercule Poirot as a character put properly on screen by Albert Finney in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.

It gave her a satisfaction that few mystery novelists of her age ever had. Dorothy Sayers did live to see Lord Peter Wimsey played by Robert Montgomery in BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON, but while entertaining it was not the Wimsey that she created - she died before she could see Ian Carmichael play the role on a series of television multi-episodes shows based on her novels. While Josephine Tey's novels occasionally were made into films, her Inspector Grant was not turned into a good running series character.

I think that the reason that Agatha Christie was satisfied was the care that Sidney Lumet took with MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Not only the all star cast involved, but keeping the story in the late 1920s to early 1930s style, with clothing, vehicles, and class snobbery maintained. It actually helped preserve the novel's effectiveness.

The casting is quite good. Poirot is ably played by Finney, who is fussy but also serious and sharp when going over the clues and interrogations. Martin Balsam as his friend, the railroad official, is properly "watsonish", constantly jumping at conclusions as to who the killer is. Interestingly forgotten in the background is the only other passenger we learn of that is not under suspicion, the Greek doctor who assists Poirot (George Coulouris). In the 1940s Coulouris would have been a red herring at least.

The suspects (led by Lauren Bacall and Wendy Hiller) are properly snobbish (especially Sean Connery). They are even snobbish towards each other. But the question of who killed the victim is handled to constantly throw off the viewers. It is one of the most perfectly balanced whodunits.

I only have one minor criticism. The murder centers on a "Lindbergh" kidnap-murder tragedy of the past, and the killer has to be someone after the real brains behind the tragedy. So all the suspects happen to be connected to the victim(s). But as it turns out there was one victim who was overlooked - the patsy killer (based on Hauptmann?) who was frightened into committing the crime and was hanged. It would have been interesting if the family of this criminal also had been represented among the suspects.