Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

Paul Dehn (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 November 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | 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 | Snow | Orient Express

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 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	...	Colonel 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

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Turkish | French | German | 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 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

EMI Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

G.W. Films

Trivia:

Albert Finney's denouement summation at the film's climax runs eight pages.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the train station we see Ataturk's (founder of independent and modern Turkey) poster on the wall. But in the 1930s, Ataturk was alive and had great power. Posters of him were only put on the walls years after his death.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ferry conductor: Your ticket, please.
Mary Debenham: Oh, yes.
Ferry conductor: Welcome aboard, Miss Debenham.
Mary Debenham: Thank you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in There's Something About Christie... Murder Made Simple (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

On the Good Ship Lollipop

Sheer perfection, with a once in a lifetime cast!

Whatever happened to the all star movie? Are they just too expensive now? I know a lot of the great stars are no longer with us, but there are enough to make another gem like this one. I just wish this movie was longer, so I could relish the performances of these brilliant people even more. What a magic moment it is when LAUREN BACALL and INGRID BERGMAN clink champagne classes - you can almost hear "As Time Goes By" playing in the background. Come on Hollywood, give us another all star movie, before we lose even more Hollywood royalty!