Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film)

Murder on the Orient Express

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1974
Founder	Sidney Lumet (director), John Brabourne (producer), Richard Goodwin (producer)
Products	Film adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel

Murder on the Orient Express is a 1974 British mystery film helmed by director Sidney Lumet and produced by John Brabourne alongside Richard Goodwin. It is adapted from Agatha Christie's 1934 novel of the same name.

The movie boasts a distinguished ensemble cast, with Albert Finney portraying the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who investigates the murder of an American industrial magnate (Richard Widmark) aboard the Orient Express. The list of suspects features Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York, Rachel Roberts, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Perkins, Denis Quilley, Colin Blakely, and Wendy Hiller. The screenplay was crafted by Paul Dehn.

Achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success, the film earned $37.7 million worldwide. Ingrid Bergman received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role, while the production garnered five further nominations at the 47th Academy Awards: Best Actor (Finney), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design.

Plot

In 1930, Daisy Armstrong, a young daughter of British Army Colonel Hamish Armstrong and his American spouse Sonia, is abducted and tragically killed.

By December 1935, Hercule Poirot is making his journey from Istanbul to London aboard the Orient Express. His acquaintance Signor Bianchi, a director at the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, arranges lodging for Poirot after first-class compartments are fully booked. Fellow travelers include American socialite Harriet Belinda Hubbard; English governess Mary Debenham; Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson; American businessman Samuel Ratchett accompanied by his secretary Hector McQueen and valet Edward Beddoes; Italian-American car salesman Antonio Foscarelli; Russian Princess Natalia Dragomiroff with her maid Hildegarde Schmidt; Hungarian Count Rudolf Andrenyi and his wife Elena; British Army Colonel John Arbuthnott; and American theatrical agent Cyrus B. Hardman.

Shortly after departure, Ratchett requests Poirot’s protection due to threats on his life, but Poirot declines. The train becomes immobilized by a snowdrift in Yugoslavia. During the night, Ratchett is discovered drugged and stabbed twelve times. Poirot uncovers a letter fragment disclosing Ratchett’s real identity as gangster Lanfranco Cassetti, who was responsible for Daisy Armstrong’s kidnapping and murder. Cassetti had betrayed an accomplice and absconded with ransom money. The Armstrong family endured devastating consequences following this crime.

Poirot finds Cassetti’s broken watch stopped at 01:15 and deduces that as the time of death. Various passengers disclose connections: McQueen is the son of the District Attorney involved in the kidnapping case; Beddoes served as a British Army batman; Ohlsson had previously been in America; Countess Andrenyi’s maiden name corresponds with Mrs. Armstrong’s; Princess Dragomiroff was Sonia’s godmother. Poirot discovers that multiple passengers were linked to the Armstrong household in capacities such as cook, chauffeur, secretary, and nursemaid.

Presenting two possible explanations: first, that an outsider disguised as a conductor carried out a Mafia-style revenge killing; second, that all suspects collaborated in the murder. He reveals each passenger’s identity and role connected to the Armstrong affair: Countess Elena is Mrs. Armstrong’s sister; Debenham served as their secretary; Beddoes was their butler; Ohlsson acted as Daisy’s nursemaid; Arbuthnott was a trusted friend of Colonel Armstrong; Foscarelli worked as their chauffeur; Pierre Michel is Paulette’s father; Hardman a former policeman enamored with Paulette; and Hubbard is Linda Arden, Sonia’s mother and orchestrator of the revenge plot.

McQueen administered a drug to Cassetti so that all conspirators could stab him twelve times collectively. The groan heard and broken watch were deliberate ruses intended to mislead Poirot regarding the exact time of murder.

Poirot requests Bianchi to select which version to report to authorities before the train continues its journey. Bianchi chooses the simpler Mafia vendetta narrative, which Poirot reluctantly accepts despite ethical reservations.

Cast

• Albert Finney portraying Hercule Poirot
• Lauren Bacall in the role of Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard/Linda Arden
• Martin Balsam as Bianchi
• Ingrid Bergman playing Greta Ohlsson
• Jacqueline Bisset as Countess Helena Andrenyi
• Jean-Pierre Cassel taking on Pierre Paul Michel
• Sean Connery as Lt. Colonel John Arbuthnott of the British Indian Army
• John Gielgud in the part of Edward Beddoes
• Wendy Hiller as Princess Natalia Dragomiroff
• Anthony Perkins portraying Hector McQueen
• Vanessa Redgrave in the role of Mary Debenham
• Rachel Roberts as Hildegarde Schmidt
• Richard Widmark playing Ratchett/Lanfranco Cassetti
• Michael York as Count Rudolf Andrenyi
• Colin Blakely portraying Cyrus B. Hardman
• George Coulouris in the role of Dr. Stavros Constantine
• Denis Quilley as Gino Foscarelli
• Vernon Dobtcheff performing as Concierge
• Jeremy Lloyd in the role of A.D.C.
• John Moffatt as Chief Attendant

Development

Dame Agatha Christie initially hesitated to authorize film rights, dissatisfied with previous adaptations of her work. When producer John Brabourne and EMI Films chairman Nat Cohen pursued approval for this project, they leveraged Lord Mountbatten’s influence. Christie's husband, Sir Max Mallowan, described her reaction as a "reluctant appreciation." Reportedly, Christie consented because she respected the producers’ earlier films, such as Romeo and Juliet and Tales of Beatrix Potter.

Casting

Christie is said to have expressed disapproval of Albert Finney’s interpretation of Poirot, particularly regarding the absence of the character’s trademark mustache. The cast members embraced their roles enthusiastically; director Lumet initially offered the part to Sean Connery, who found the invitation flattering. Ingrid Bergman opted for the smaller character, Greta Ohlsson, instead of Princess Dragomiroff, and delivered a remarkable five-minute continuous shot that earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

The film was entirely financed by EMI, with total actor salaries amounting to £554,100.

Filming

Unsworth employed Panavision cameras during production, shooting interior scenes at Elstree Studios. Exterior shots were mainly captured in France during 1973; a railway workshop near Paris substituted for the Istanbul station (Sirkeci station). Train sequences set in Central Europe were filmed along the Jura Mountains on a disused railway line running from Pontarlier to Gilley, while scenes depicting snowy conditions were shot near Montbenoît. Although producers had prepared to transport snow at considerable expense due to anticipated shortages, heavy snowfall overnight rendered this unnecessary—ironically, the snow trucks themselves became stuck.

Music

The Orient Express theme composed by Richard Rodney Bennett was adapted into an orchestral suite and recorded several times. The original soundtrack featured the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Marcus Dods, with Bennett performing as piano soloist.

Box office

Premiering in UK cinemas on 24 November 1974, Murder on the Orient Express achieved significant commercial success. Produced with a budget of $1.4 million, it grossed $36 million across North America, securing its position as the 11th top-grossing movie of 1974. Producer Nat Cohen highlighted that this film was the first British-backed production to lead the weekly US box office rankings in Variety. It remains recognized as one of Cohen's most notable professional accomplishments.

Critical response

The film holds an approval rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 44 critic reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10. The critical consensus praises it as "a stylish adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express featuring murder, mystery, and an ensemble cast," making it among the finest Agatha Christie film adaptations. On Metacritic, it carries a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 from 8 critics, signifying "generally favorable reviews".

Renowned critic Roger Ebert rated the film three out of four stars, remarking that it "offers an enjoyable experience with high style and a respectful homage to a bygone era of filmmaking". Writing for The New York Times, critic Vincent Canby stated:

[...] if Dame Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express had been adapted into a movie four decades ago, it likely would have been a modest black-and-white B-picture featuring lesser-known stars and studio contract players. The Sidney Lumet production debuting at the Coronet is an exceptionally entertaining tribute to a classic whodunit genre that continues to hold significance in our modern cinematic landscape.

Christie herself, who passed away fourteen months following the film’s release, expressed that she favored only two adaptations of her novels: Murder on the Orient Express and Witness for the Prosecution. However, she was dissatisfied with Poirot’s moustache as portrayed by Finney, which did not align with her original character description.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award ceremony	Category	Nominee	Result
2005	Satellite Awards	Best Classic DVD	Murder on the Orient Express	Template:Nom
1976	Grammy Awards	Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special	Richard Rodney Bennett	Template:Nom
1975	Academy Awards	Best Actor	Albert Finney	Template:Nom
		Best Supporting Actress	Ingrid Bergman	Template:Won
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Paul Dehn	Template:Nom
		Best Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth	Template:Nom
		Best Costume Design	Tony Walton	Template:Nom
		Best Original Score	Richard Rodney Bennett	Template:Nom
	BAFTA Awards	Best Film	John Brabourne, Richard Goodwin	Template:Nom
		Best Actor	Albert Finney	Template:Nom
		Best Direction	Sidney Lumet	Template:Nom
		Best Supporting Actor	John Gielgud	Template:Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Ingrid Bergman	Template:Won
		Best Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth	Template:Nom
		Best Editing	Anne V. Coates	Template:Nom
		Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music	"Richard Rodney Bennett"	"Template:Won"
		Best Production Design	Tony Walton	Template:Nom

See also

• Episode titled "Murder on the Orient Express" (2010) from the series Agatha Christie's Poirot
• The 2017 film Murder on the Orient Express, both directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh