Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

"Has it occurred to you that there are too many clu-ues in this room."

There is something about Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express that I just can't help but love. Adapted from the classic Agatha Christie novel and brimming with A-List actors all giving fantastic performances playing off a witty and clever script, the film is simply fantastic. With the upcoming release of the Kenneth Branagh adaptation, I thought it would be fun to take a look at this classic rendition ahead of the release of the new film. 

Famed detective Hercule Poirot (played by Albert Finney) is in the process of traveling home and has booked passage on the famed Orient Express train, sharing it with a group of colorful characters that include the eccentric Mrs. Hubbard (played by Lauren Bacall), Col. Arbuthnot (played by Sean Connery) and his girlfriend Mary Debenham (played by Vanessa Redgrave) Count and Countess Andrenyi (played by Michael York and Jacqueline Bissett), Mr. Ratchett (played by Richard Widmark), as well as Ratchett's personal secretary Mr. McQueen (played by Anthony Perkins) and valet Beddoes (played by John Gielgud) and Greta Ohlsson (played by Ingrid Bergman). That night, Mr. Ratchett is murdered, having been stabbed twelve times and his body is discovered the following morning when the train makes a stop due to the tracks being blocked by an avalanche of snow. Bianchi (played by Martin Balsam), a friend of Poirot and owner of the railroad line, implores Poirot to take the case. Poirot agrees and along with Bianchi and another passenger, Dr. Constantine (played by George Coulouris), set out to investigate and find the murderer.     

The film was directed by Sidney Lumet from a script by Paul Dehn, based on the classic Agatha Christie novel. The filmmakers do a wonderful job of juggling all the different characters in the film and for the most part keeping all the different plot points clear. Dehn's script is wonderfully witty and manages to transfer Christie's story to the screen. Sidney Lumet and his Director of Photography Geoffrey Unsworth do a good job of moving the action around the train and mixing up the shots within the cramped quarters of only a few train cars to keep things interesting visually. I also adore the film's score by Richard Rodney Bennett. They could have gone any number of routes when composing the score, especially the main theme but instead decided to compose this big, joyous waltz and it works so well. Upon my latest rewatch of the film, I noticed a couple subtle nods to other classic films by Mr. Lumet. First, there are a couple references to another train set whodunit, Hitchcock's A Lady Vanishes, which starred Vanessa Redgrave's father Michael Redgrave. Secondly, in a couple of early scenes in the film, Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman are frequently seated together. This is noteworthy to me because some of Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman's most iconic work are their collaborations with Humphrey Bogart, with Bacall in the likes to To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Dark Passage and Key Largo and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. Now, this could be coincidence  but I figure if you're enough of a film nerd to be making references to a Hitchcock film, you know enough to put Bacall and Bergman next to each other when you have them in the same film. 

Speaking of the cast, they deliberately packed it with as many well known movie stars as they could and they got a fantastic cast for the film. Albert Finney is fantastic as Poirot, perfectly capturing the famous detective. He does a great job conveying the detective working things out and piecing the mystery together as he interviews each of the passengers. As the investigation goes on and he digs deeper and deeper, I really started to get a sense that Poirot was having the time of his life. Albert Finney as Poirot remains may favorite portrayal of the character (before you all start throwing things, David Suchet fans, I liked him as well (although I hated his version of Murder on the Orient Express)). Lauren Bacall's portrayal of Mrs. Hubbard is also a favorite of mine. Loud, brash and fussy she is also quite a character and I could tell Bacall was having a lot of fun with the role. Ingrid Bergman puts in quite the performance as well as Greta Ohlsson and even won an Oscar for the performance. Overall, the entire cast was fantastic though from Anthony Perkins to Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York and Jaqueline Bissett. There really isn't a weak link amongst them.

Murder on the Orient Express has long been a favorite of mine after having been introduced to it by my mom. It's a fun and entertaining movie that surprisingly holds up to repeat viewings, in many ways it's even more fun the second, third, onward times forward as you pick up little details you missed the first time through. Hopefully, with the release of the new film, this rendition picks up some new fans along the way as well.