Murder on the Orient Express
original movie poster
Directed by	Sidney Lumet
Produced by	John Brabourne
Written by	Paul Dehn
Starring	Albert Finney Lauren Bacall Sean Connery Ingrid Bergman Michael York Vanessa Redgrave Jacqueline Bisset Richard Widmark John Gielgud Martin Balsam Rachel Roberts Wendy Hiller Denis Quilley Colin Blakely Jean-Pierre Cassel
Music by	Richard Rodney Bennett
Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth
Editing by	Anne V. Coates
Distributed by	EMI Films (U.K.) Paramount Pictures (U.S.)
Release date(s)	November 24, 1974
Running time	128 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Murder on the Orient Express is a 1974 feature film directed by Sidney Lumet and based on the 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. The film (and the books) features Hercule Poirot. The film's tagline is: "The greatest cast of suspicious characters ever involved in murder." Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (558x755, 80 KB) movie poster for the American theatrical release of the film Murder on the Orient Express(1974) Source URL: http://www. ... Portrait of Sidney Lumet, May 7, 1939. ... The Right Honourable John Ulick Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne, CBE (9 November 1924–23 September 2005) was a British peer and a television producer. ... Screenwriter Paul Dehn (1912 - 1976) began his show-business career in 1936 as a movie reviewer for several London newspapers. ... Albert Finney (born May 9, 1936 in Salford, Lancashire, England) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated English actor of Irish descent. ... Betty Joan Perske (born on September 16, 1924), better known as Lauren Bacall, is a Golden Globe– and Tony Award–winning, as well as Academy Award–nominated, American film and stage actress. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is an Academy Award-winning Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ...   (pronounced in Swedish, but usually in English, IPA notation) (August 29, 1915 – August 29, 1982) was a three-time Academy Award-winning and two-time Emmy Award-winning Swedish actress. ... For the American hockey player, see Mike York. ... Vanessa Redgrave, CBE (born 30 January 1937) is an Academy Award winning English actress and member of the Redgrave family, one of the enduring theatrical dynasties. ... Jacqueline Bisset (born Winifred Jacqueline Fraser-Bisset on 13 September 1944) is an English actress. ... Richard Widmark in Kiss of Death Richard Widmark (born December 26, 1914 in Sunrise, Minnesota) is an Academy Award-nominated American film actor. ... Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH (14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000), known as Sir John Gielgud, was an Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Academy Award-winning British theatre and film actor. ... Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. ... Rachel Roberts (September 20, 1927 - November 26, 1980) was a British actress. ... Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller DBE (August 15, 1912 – May 14, 2003) was a distinguished English film and stage actress. ... Denis Quilley (December 26, 1927 - October 5, 2003) was a British theatre, television and film character actor who was long associated with the Royal National Theatre. ... Colin Blakely (September 23, 1930 - May 7, 1987) was a British character actor. ... Jean-Pierre Cassel is a french actor, born 1932 in Paris. ... Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (born March 29, 1936) is a British composer. ... Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was a British cinematographer who enjoyed a long and varied career in the British film industry, working on nearly 90 feature films spanning more than 40 years. ... Anne V. Coates (born 12 December 1925) is a Academy Award winning British film editor with a 40-year-plus career in film editing. ... EMI Films is a motion picture production arm of The EMI Group, and its films were released between 1939 and 1990. ... Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... See also: 1973 in film 1974 1975 in film 1970s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in USA May 1 - George Lucas creates the first draft of what would eventually become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ... Portrait of Sidney Lumet, May 7, 1939. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... For other uses, see Murder on the Orient Express (disambiguation). ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), mainly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in The Dream Hercule Poirot (pronounced in english ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. ...

The film was the first 'all-star' adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, and paved the way for similar films (Death on the Nile, The Mirror Crack'd and Evil Under the Sun). However it is the only occasion on which Albert Finney portrayed Poirot, with Peter Ustinov portraying the detective in subsequent films. This article is about the sports and entertainment industry term. ... Death on the Nile is a 1978 film based on an Agatha Christie mystery novel of the same title, directed by John Guillermin. ... The Mirror Crackd is a 1980 feature motion picture directed by Guy Hamilton boasting an all-star cast, Angela Lansbury, Geraldine Chaplin, Tony Curtis, Edward Fox, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, and Elizabeth Taylor, with Wendy Morgan, Maureen Bennett, Charles Gray, and Charles Lloyd Pack. ... Evil Under the Sun is a 1982 British mystery film, based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. ... Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov, CBE, KBE (IPA: ; April 16, 1921 – March 28, 2004), born Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinov, was an Academy Award-winning British actor, writer, dramatist and raconteur of French, Italian, Swiss, Russian, German and Ethiopian ancestry. ...

Richard Rodney Bennett's memorable Orient Express theme has been reworked into an orchestral suite and performed and recorded several times. It was performed on the original soundtrack album by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden under Marcus Dods. The piano soloist was the composer himself. Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (born March 29, 1936) is a British composer. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Marcus Dods (April 11, 1834 - April 26, 1909) was a Scottish divine and biblical scholar. ...

Plot

Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot

Image File history File links Hercul20Poirot3. ... Image File history File links Hercul20Poirot3. ... David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in The Dream Hercule Poirot (pronounced in english ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. ...

The murder

Detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) is travelling on the Orient Express. On the journey, Poirot encounters his friend Bianchi (Martin Balsam), who works for the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The train is caught in heavy snows in the Balkans on the second night out from Istanbul, and American millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett (Richard Widmark) is found stabbed to death the next morning. Albert Finney (born May 9, 1936 in Salford, Lancashire, England) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated English actor of Irish descent. ... Poster advertising the Orient Express Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. ... Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Carlson Wagonlit. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Richard Widmark in Kiss of Death Richard Widmark (born December 26, 1914 in Sunrise, Minnesota) is an Academy Award-nominated American film actor. ...

Poirot, Bianchi, and Dr. Constantine (George Coulouris), work together to solve the case. They are aided by Pierre Michel (Jean-Pierre Cassel), the middle-aged French conductor of the car. George Coulouris George Coulouris (October 1, 1903- April 25, 1989) was a prominent British film and stage actor. ... Jean-Pierre Cassel is a french actor, born 1932 in Paris. ...

Clues

• Ratchett was stabbed 12 times; some wounds were slight, but at least three of them could have resulted in death.
• Some wounds were made by a right hand and some by a left hand.
• Since the train has been surrounded by fresh snow since before the apparent time of death, and the doors to the other cars were locked, it seems that the murderer must still be among the passengers in Ratchett's car.
• A key to the solution is Ratchett's -aka "Cassetti"-revealed involvement in the Armstrong tragedy in America several years earlier, in which a baby was kidnapped and then murdered. (The fictitious Armstrong case was apparently inspired by the real-life kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's baby son.)

The current version of this article or section is written in an informal style and with a personally invested tone. ...

Suspects

Michael York as Count Rudolf Andrenyi

Jacqueline Bisset as Elena Andrenyi

Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard

Wendy Hiller as Princess Dragomiroff

The thirteen suspects are: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

• Hector McQueen (Anthony Perkins), a tall, young American man, the victim's secretary and translator
• Edward Beddoes (Sir John Gielgud), the victim's British valet
• Mary Debenham (Vanessa Redgrave), a tall, dark, young British woman, returning home to England after working as a teacher in Baghdad
• Colonel Arbuthnot (Sean Connery), a tall British army officer returning to England on leave from India
• Princess Natalya Dragomiroff (Wendy Hiller), an elderly Russian grande dame
• Hildegarde Schmidt (Rachel Roberts), a middle-aged German woman, the Princess' lady's maid
• Count Rudolf Andrenyi (Michael York), a tall, dark Hungarian diplomat with English manner and clothing, travelling to France
• Countess Elena Andrenyi (Jacqueline Bisset), née Gründwald, his pale young wife
• Greta Ohlsson (Ingrid Bergman), a middle-aged Swedish missionary returning to Europe on a fund-raising trip for her mission in Africa
• Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard (Lauren Bacall), former Gründwald, née Arden, an older, very excitable American woman returning to the United States
• Gino Foscarelli (Denis Quilley), an exuberant Italian car salesman
• Cyrus "Dick" Hardman (Colin Blakely), a Pinkerton's detective masquerading as a talent agent
• Pierre Michel (Jean-Pierre Cassel), the French conductor of the sleeping car

Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an Academy Award-nominated American stage and screen actor known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho and its three sequels, Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning. ... Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH (14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000), known as Sir John Gielgud, was an Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Academy Award-winning British theatre and film actor. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Vanessa Redgrave, CBE (born 30 January 1937) is an Academy Award winning English actress and member of the Redgrave family, one of the enduring theatrical dynasties. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is an Academy Award-winning Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller DBE (August 15, 1912 – May 14, 2003) was a distinguished English film and stage actress. ... Rachel Roberts in a scene from Picnic at Hanging Rock Rachel Roberts (September 20, 1927 – November 26, 1980, Llanelli) was a Welsh actress. ... For the American hockey player, see Mike York. ... Jacqueline Bisset (born Winifred Jacqueline Fraser-Bisset on 13 September 1944) is an English actress. ...   (pronounced in Swedish, but usually in English, IPA notation) (August 29, 1915 – August 29, 1982) was a three-time Academy Award-winning and two-time Emmy Award-winning Swedish actress. ... Betty Joan Perske (born on September 16, 1924), better known as Lauren Bacall, is a Golden Globe– and Tony Award–winning, as well as Academy Award–nominated, American film and stage actress. ... Denis Quilley (December 26, 1927 - October 5, 2003) was a British theatre, television and film character actor who was long associated with the Royal National Theatre. ... Colin Blakely (September 23, 1930 - May 7, 1987) was a British character actor. ... Pinkerton guards escort strikebreakers in Buchtel, Ohio, 1884 The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. ... Jean-Pierre Cassel is a french actor, born 1932 in Paris. ...

Motive

• All suspects were involved in the "Armstrong Kidnapping":
• McQueen was the son of the District Attorney who prosecuted the case.
• Miss Debenham was Mrs. Armstrong's secretary.
• Beddoes was Colonel Armstrong's batman (army).
• Col. Arbuthnot was an army friend of Col. Armstrong.
• Princess Dragominoff was a friend of Mrs Armstrong and Daisy's godmother.
• Miss Schmidt was the Armstrong's cook.
• Countess Andrenyi was Mrs Armstrong's sister.
• Miss Ohlsson was the Armstrong's nursemaid.
• Mrs. Hubbard was Mrs Armstrong's mother.
• Foscarelli was the Armstrong's chauffeur.
• Hardman was a ex-policeman who was in love with the Armstrong's maid who committed suicide when she was suspected of having been involved in the kidnapping.
• Michel was the father of the Armstrong's maid.

A district attorney is, in some U.S. jurisdictions, the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals. ... A batman is a soldier assigned to a commissioned officer as a personal servant. ...

Academy Awards and nominations

• Academy Award: Best Supporting Actress, Ingrid Bergman
• Academy Award Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Albert Finney
• Academy Award Nomination: Best Cinematography, Geoffrey Unsworth
• Academy Award Nomination: Best Costume Design, Tony Walton
• Academy Award Nomination: Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Richard Rodney Bennett
• Academy Award Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted from Other Material, Paul Dehn

Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...   (pronounced in Swedish, but usually in English, IPA notation) (August 29, 1915 – August 29, 1982) was a three-time Academy Award-winning and two-time Emmy Award-winning Swedish actress. ... Albert Finney (born May 9, 1936 in Salford, Lancashire, England) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated English actor of Irish descent. ... Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was a British cinematographer who enjoyed a long and varied career in the British film industry, working on nearly 90 feature films spanning more than 40 years. ...

Differences between Novel and Film

• The novel introduces Poirot to two of the suspects on a train bound for Istanbul. The ferry crossing from one side of the city to the other is barely mentioned. On film, Poirot becomes aware of Debenham and Arbuthnot on the ferry across the Bosporus, and the ferry crossing is the real start of the narrative.
• There are many changes connected to Ratchett's valet. He is a small, slight man called Masterman in the novel and is identified as an English man of 39 years of age who had never been to America. In the film the character's name is Beddoes (likely changed to avoid confusion with the similarly named Hardman), who, although English, was hired through an agency in New York City. At the time he played the part, John Gielgud was 70 years old. Gielgud is also notably taller than average.
• The character of the railroad official in the book is a Belgian named Bouc, he and Poirot converse in Belgian French and share an affinity due to the shared nationality; on film he is an Italian named Bianchi.
• Ingrid Bergman was also older than the character's stated age in the novel.
• Several characters look more like the actors who play them rather than their descriptions in the novel. Princess Dragomiroff is described as fat, Miss Debenham is supposed to have dark hair, and Greta Ohlsson is called sheep faced and her hair is worn in a bun. Wendy Hiller, who played the Princess was decidedly slight in build, Vanessa Redgrave displays her naturally red hair in the part of Mary Debenham and Ingrid Bergman is far from plain and sheep faced.
• The development of the plot and gradual solution to the case is streamlined.The novel introduces the revenge motive for the killing of Ratchett in dialog during the course of the investigation. The film lays some of this ground work with a short, atmospheric and effective prologue. The book sees Poirot gradually working out each suspect's connection to the Armstrong family step-by-step and revealing his knowledge to them one on one. In the film, the ultimate solution happens in a dramatic group setting.
• In the book, The Countess does not partake in the murder, but her husband does. In the movie, they grasp the dagger together to make one stab.
• The novel had the Orient Express run right into a snowdrift, so the murderer wouldn't have gotten off the train without getting buried in snow, and it would take a few days for men to dig out the train. The movie had the Orient Express stop before hitting the snowdrift, and while Poirot is stating the passengers' involvement in the murder, we see a steam engine with a snowplough clearing the tracks. The movie ends with the Orient Express following the rescue engine to the next station while the credits are rolling.
• In the novel at the end Poirot shows Rachett's pistol to the suspects and proclaims that it is not only fully loaded but that Rachett was prepared to use it to protect himself; in the movie Poirot has the pistol on a sidetable with the other evidence but does not pick it up or explain its significance.
• In the novel the first theory as to Rachett's death-is that he was killed by a stranger for unknown reasons; in the movie the first theory is that he was killed by a disguised stranger of the "mafia" {organized crime} as a result of a vendetta-{implying that Rachett past as "Cassetti" will be eventually exposed as the result of investigations of three police forces {American for his nationalty; French-as to his residence; and yogoslav as to where the murder occurred}

Satellite image of the Bosporus, taken from the International Space Station in April 2004 Bosphorus Bridge Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, (Turkish: İstanbul Boğazı or, for İstanbuls inhabitants, simply Boğaz; while the term Boğaziçi denotes those... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ...

Other versions

A made-for-television movie was made in 2001. Murder on the Orient Express is a 2001 made-for-television movie, based on the 1934 novel by Agatha Christie, featuring Hercule Poirot. ...

See also

• Death, Deceit and Destiny Aboard the Orient Express

The horrified guests watching their host on TV Death, Deceit and Destiny Aboard the Orient Express is a 2000 thriller film about a group of international terrorists who, a few days before the start of the new millennium, lure a group of very rich celebrities and businesspeople on board the...

External links

• Murder on the Orient Express at the Internet Movie Database
• Murder on the Orient Express at All Movie Guide
• Murder on the Orient Express at the TCM Movie Database
• Murder on the Orient Express at Rotten Tomatoes