FAQ

The Lindbergh baby was kidnapped on 1 March 1932 and, despite payment of a ransom, the child's remains were found by a passing truck driver six weeks later in roadside woodlands near Mount Rose, NJ. Distraught in the wake of the kidnapping, the Lindberghs moved to England to escape the public attention as well as to protect their remaining children. The crime was eventually traced to Bruno Richard Hauptmann, a 34-year-old German immigrant carpenter. Hauptmann was electrocuted in 1936. Murder on the Orient Express begins with a flashback to the 1930 kidnapping of 3-year-old old Daisy Armstrong. Despite payment of a ransom, she was eventually found murdered. The incident so greatly upset her parents that her mother Sonia died giving premature birth to a stillborn child, and her father, Colonel Hamish Armstrong, eventually committed suicide. One of Daisy's kidnappers was caught, and he confessed that the kidnap/murder was actually planned by a man named Cassetti, but Cassetti has disappeared.

Yes, the Orient Express, operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, ran between Istanbul (Turkey) and Paris (France) between 1883 and 2009. It had several different routes, which can be seen here. The route of the train in this movie followed the southern route from Istanbul through Sofia (Bulgaria), Belgrade (Yugoslavia, now Serbia), Zagreb (Yugoslavia, now Croatia), Brod (Yugoslavia, now Bosnia and Herzegovina), Trieste (Italy), Venice (Italy), Milan (Italy), Lausanne (Switzerland), Basil (Switzerland), Paris and Calais (France) (and back, of course).

Yes. An amber moon is sometimes called a "pick me up" and is typically used as a hangover remedy. To make one, crack an egg into a highball glass, leaving the yolk unbroken. Pour in whiskey (or vodka), and add Tabasco sauce to taste.

McQueen mentions the feeling that Ratchett left America to escape from something. When Poirot melts the wax on the note found on Ratchett's bed table, he finds that it reads: "[...]aisy arms[...]" Filling in the missing letters, he comes up with "Daisy Armstrong", and voilà, the connection is made.

Spotted dick, also known as "spotted dog", is a traditional British pudding (similar to an American fruitcake) containing dried fruit such as currants or raisins, which is where the term "spotted" comes from. A recipe for spotted dick can be found here.

Mrs Hubbard (aka Linda Arden) was Mrs. Armstrong's mother, Countess Helena Grunwald Andrenyi was Mrs. Armstrong's sister and, by marriage, Count Andrenyi was Sonia and Hamish's brother-in-law. Princess Dragomiroff was Mrs. Armstrong's godmother, and Hector McQueen looked upon Mrs. Armstrong as a mother figure. Colonel Arbuthnot was Mr. Armstrong's army friend in India, and Mr. Beddoes was his batman (personal servant). Hildegarde Schmidt was the family cook, Greta Ohlsson was Daisy's nurse/nanny, Mary Debeham was Sonia's secretary, and Gino Foscarelli was the family chauffeur. Pierre was the father of the family maidservant Paulette, who committed suicide after being falsely accused of complicity (involvement) with the kidnappers, and Dick Hardman was Paulette's lover.