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Murder on the Orient Express

  • 1974
  • PG
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
73K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,031
833
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Watch Trailer [OV]
Play trailer3:12
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99+ Photos
Suspense MysteryWhodunnitCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

Returning home from Istanbul on the Orient Express, renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the murder of an American businessman aboard the train. The suspects are... Read allReturning home from Istanbul on the Orient Express, renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the murder of an American businessman aboard the train. The suspects are numerous and the clues confusing.Returning home from Istanbul on the Orient Express, renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the murder of an American businessman aboard the train. The suspects are numerous and the clues confusing.

  • Director
    • Sidney Lumet
  • Writers
    • Agatha Christie
    • Paul Dehn
    • Anthony Shaffer
  • Stars
    • Albert Finney
    • Lauren Bacall
    • Ingrid Bergman
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    73K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,031
    833
    • Director
      • Sidney Lumet
    • Writers
      • Agatha Christie
      • Paul Dehn
      • Anthony Shaffer
    • Stars
      • Albert Finney
      • Lauren Bacall
      • Ingrid Bergman
    • 290User reviews
    • 83Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 10 wins & 17 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 3:12
    Trailer [OV]

    Photos264

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    Top cast30

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    Albert Finney
    Albert Finney
    • Hercule Poirot
    Lauren Bacall
    Lauren Bacall
    • Mrs. Harriet Hubbard
    Ingrid Bergman
    Ingrid Bergman
    • Greta Ohlsson
    Sean Connery
    Sean Connery
    • Col. Arbuthnot
    Martin Balsam
    Martin Balsam
    • Bianchi
    Jacqueline Bisset
    Jacqueline Bisset
    • Countess Elena Andrenyi
    Jean-Pierre Cassel
    Jean-Pierre Cassel
    • Pierre Paul Michel
    • (as Jean Pierre Cassel)
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • Beddoes
    Wendy Hiller
    Wendy Hiller
    • Princess Natalia Dragomiroff
    Anthony Perkins
    Anthony Perkins
    • Hector McQueen
    Vanessa Redgrave
    Vanessa Redgrave
    • Mary Debenham
    Rachel Roberts
    Rachel Roberts
    • Hildegarde Schmidt
    Richard Widmark
    Richard Widmark
    • Ratchett
    Michael York
    Michael York
    • Count Andrenyi
    Colin Blakely
    Colin Blakely
    • Hardman
    • (as Colin Blankey)
    George Coulouris
    George Coulouris
    • Doctor Constantine
    Denis Quilley
    Denis Quilley
    • Antonio Foscarelli
    Vernon Dobtcheff
    Vernon Dobtcheff
    • Concierge
    • Director
      • Sidney Lumet
    • Writers
      • Agatha Christie
      • Paul Dehn
      • Anthony Shaffer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews290

    7.272.9K
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    Featured reviews

    Kirpianuscus

    elegant

    Impressive cast, admirable performances, the right mark of Sydney Lumet, giving elegance to a well known story. and proposing not only a good adaptation but a sort of refined delight. because it is a remarkable show of nuances and convincing translation of the traits of characters in a sort of large puzzle of splendid roles. a film impressive scene by scene. maybe not the best adaptation of Agatha Christie novel. but a memorable one. and that is real enough.
    8roghache

    Elegant, star studded whodunit aboard the legendary train

    This is both a glamorous and entertaining adaptation of Agatha's Christie's mystery novel. There's certainly a star studded cast but perhaps the main star is the luxury train itself, the legendary Orient Express bound from Istanbul to Calais. Black with gold crests, it hisses steam as it streaks dramatically through the Balkans. Inside are opulent interiors, intriguing compartments, gourmet cuisine, fine wines & liqueurs, and elegantly costumed passengers. Of course there's the typical enclosed group of suspects with a murderer in their midst.

    The setting is 1935 and Belgian detective Hercule Poirot boards the Orient Express along with an assortment of colourful, suspicious passengers. One of them ends up murdered in his compartment, a man discovered to be a fugitive responsible (but never prosecuted) for the kidnapping some years earlier of a child that resulted in five deaths. Poirot is called upon to solve the crime, discovering that some of these intriguing passengers may not be who they appear but instead have links to this past case of kidnapping and murder.

    Albert Finney is convincing as the eccentric detective Poirot, with his slick black hair and elegant little curled mustache. He plays the role more seriously than Peter Ustinov in Death on the Nile, another film with a star studded cast. I enjoy both renditions of the detective, though my favourite may be A&E's David Suchet. I have heard that Christie herself approved of Albert Finney, but agree with her conclusion that Finney's mustache is too small! My only complaint is the scene in which Poirot is screaming quite abusively at Miss Debenham. It's out of character for this very cerebral detective.

    Yes, as the tag line claims, it's definitely the who's who in the whodunit, with the passengers all portrayed by famous stars. These actors must have had fun with their roles. Richard Widmark portrays the obnoxious American businessman, Mr. Ratchett, with Sir John Gielgud his perfectly cast, reserved butler Beddoes, and Anthony Perkins his secretary MacQueen. Michael York and Jacqueline Bisset play the mysterious, foreign Count and Countess Andrenyi, who act guilty as all get out. Lauren Bacall is suitably irritating as the loud, outspoken Mrs. Hubbard, while Ingrid Bergman is a frightened Swedish missionary...or is she? Bergman was a magnificent actress in many roles, but I have to agree with some who question whether she deserved the Best Supporting Actress Oscar here for really, quite a minor part.

    Sean Connery is handsome as always portraying the indignant Scottish Colonel Arbuthnot, though I find him even more appealing now. Like a fine wine, he simply improves with age! Vanessa Redgrave plays his love interest, Miss Debenham. What are these two hiding? Obviously something! Of course there's an aristocratic and eccentric old dowager aboard, the proud and haughty Princess Dragomiroff, played to perfection by Wendy Hiller. You can just tell that this black clad and bejeweled lady is not telling the truth! Personally, I took a liking to the train's French conductor, though was previously unfamiliar with the actor, Jean-Pierre Cassel.

    The famous locomotive is halted by a snow drift and meanwhile, Poirot is designated to solve the crime, interrogating each suspicious passenger in turn. The detective must summon his little gray cells to ferret it all out, though I find little humour in him here. No spoilers, but I think this is one of Christie's more clever twists. Personally, I would never have guessed the murderer if I hadn't read the novel first. However, one of the suspects being interrogated does give a clue, if you're really sharp!
    8giorgiosurbani

    A Cast To Die For

    That Sidney Lumet knows how to frame an actor within his or her character is a very well known fact - "The Pawnbroker" "Network" "Dog Day Afternoon" and some other spectacular pieces of acting prove that point unquestionably. Here, there is a sort of "divertissment". Agatha Christie given a first class treatment (not that Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple wasn't first class, but the production value here is as impressive as the cast) in the hands of Sidney Lumet who knew how to put a bunch of sensational actors in a confined space - "12 Angry Men" for instance and make it riveting. There a 12 Angry people here too and (almost) each part is cast with relish and delight. Albert Finney, marvelous, manages, not only to survive, under the weight of his characterization but to create something bold, exquisitely structured, great fun to watch and to hear. Ingrid Bergman won her third Oscar for her missionary looking after little brown babies - I thought she was a highlight indeed but in my modest opinion, Valentina Cortese for "Day For Night" deserved it that year, Anthony Perkins plays Norman Bates's twin brother, also with a mother fixation and a compelling facial tic. Wendy Hiller was, clearly, having a ball and that, on the screen, is always contagious. Sean Connery and Vanessa Redgrave make a surprisingly hot pair, Lauren Bacall over does it of course but who cares, Jacqueline Bisset is breathtaking, Rachel Roberts a hoot. John Gielgud is John Gielgud and that in itself is a major plus. Colin Blakely does wonders with his moment and Dennis Quilley plays his Italian as if this was a silent movie. Martin Balsam is always fun to watch, no matter the accent. Richard Widmark is splendid in his villainy and Jean Pierre Cassel very moving indeed. The only weak spot in the cast is Michael York. Totally unbelievable. I suspect that "Murder in The Orient Express" 33 years old already, will continue delighting audiences for years to come.
    8bkoganbing

    A well executed murder in every sense of the word.

    Murder on the Orient Express started a nice trend in filming some of the most stylish of Agatha Christie novels by producer John Brabourne. Although Albert Finney who does a fine job as the Belgian Sleuth Hercule Poirot declined to do further films with Poirot, Peter Ustinov more than amply took up the slack in later productions.

    Richard Widmark is an American expatriate traveling on the famous Orient Express train and he's been receiving mysterious death threats. As it happens Poirot is on the train also and refuses Widmark's offer to be a bodyguard.

    Widmark is later stabbed to death in his compartment and while the train is stranded somewhere in Yugoslavia due to snow drifts, Poirot investigates the murder in the best Agatha Christie tradition. Of course in that same tradition the plotters would have gotten away with it more than likely had Poirot and his little gray cells not been present.

    Widmark as it also turns out was a gangster who had to flee America because he was named as the mastermind of a horrific crime that shocked the nation. There are a whole lot of people who had reason to want him dead.

    Poirot conducts his inquiry of the other passengers and they are quite a crew consisting of among others, Lauren Bacall, Michael York, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Wendy Hiller, Rachel Roberts, Vanessa Redgrave, Jacqueline Bissett, etc.

    Of course I won't tell you the solution, but here's a hint. Note what Sean Connery says while he's being grilled.

    It's a great ensemble cast of course with a bunch of seasoned players doing their thing. Ingrid Bergman got a Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of a simple soul who is a missionary. I'm betting the critics noted that her part was offbeat casting for her which she pulled off. In any event she was surprised as all get out when her name was read at the Oscars in 1975. In accepting the award she got up and said quite matter-of-factly that fellow nominee Valentina Cortese deserved it. Of course she didn't turn it down.

    As I said, this was one elaborately planned murder and I think you will enjoy seeing Poirot unravel it and what happens later.
    8ackstasis

    "Can you give me your solemn oath - as a foreigner?"

    I don't mind telling you that my head nearly exploded during the opening credits: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Michael York, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Widmark, Anthony Perkins, Martin Balsam, John Gielgud! Not to mention that 'Murder on the Orient Express (1974)' was directed by Sidney Lumet, one of my favourite filmmakers, and adapted from an Agatha Christie novel. It was only recently that I had my first encounter with noted Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, having enjoyed a few television episodes with David Suchet in the title role. Finney's Poirot is perhaps too much of a caricature, emphasising the cartoonish silliness of the character rather than the quiet superiority found in Suchet's portrayal (however, I'm not familiar with Christie's novel, and perhaps he was simply written that way). Nevertheless, the remainder of the ensemble cast provides stellar support.

    Hercule Poirot is aboard a trans-European express train when a wealthy man (Widmark) is murdered in the neighbouring sleeping compartment. Poirot has a dozen suspicious suspects to choose from, and you'll never pick who did it. Such a large supporting cast may have proved difficult to depict without placing undue emphasis on any one character (and perhaps two hours is insufficient time to thoroughly explore everyone's motives), but Lumet does a good job of bringing together all the loose threads. Red herrings are scattered from right to left, and only Poirot himself can discern the real evidence from the decoys. Ingrid Bergman won her third Oscar for her role as shy missionary Greta, and I do love Ingrid, but the highlight for me was Lauren Bacall's insufferably loquacious Mrs Hubbard. For some high-class entertainment with some prestigious company, 'Murder on the Orient Express' is a surefire winner.

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    Related interests

    James Stewart in Rear Window (1954)
    Suspense Mystery
    Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
    Whodunnit
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
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    Drama
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    Mystery
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    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In 1929, a westbound Orient Express train was stuck in snow for five days at Çerkezköy, approximately one hundred thirty kilometers (eighty-one miles) from Istanbul, Turkey. This incident inspired the setting of the book and movie.
    • Goofs
      In Istanbul a muezzin is heard giving the standard Muslim azan (call to prayer) in Arabic: "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!" However, the movie is set during the 1930s when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was in power. During this time, the Arabic azan was outlawed, and a Turkish one ("Tanri Uludur!") had to be used instead. After Atatürk's death in 1938, the law was repealed.
    • Quotes

      Foscarelli: Hey, what are you reading, Mister Beddoes?

      Beddoes: I am reading "Love's Captive," by Mrs. Arabella Richardson.

      Foscarelli: Is it about sex?

      Beddoes: No, it's about 10:30, Mister Foscarelli.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Dumb Waiter (1979)
    • Soundtracks
      Overture And Kidnapping
      (uncredited)

      Composed by Richard Rodney Bennett

      Performed by Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (as Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden) conducted by Marcus Dods

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    • How long is Murder on the Orient Express?Powered by Alexa
    • How does "Murder on the Orient Express" compare to the Lindbergh kidnapping?
    • Is the Orient Express a real train?
    • Is there really such a drink as an "amber moon"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 24, 1974 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • StudioCanal International (France)
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • German
      • Turkish
      • Italian
      • Swedish
      • Hungarian
    • Also known as
      • Muerte en el expreso de Oriente
    • Filming locations
      • Istanbul, Turkey(Exterior)
    • Production companies
      • EMI Film Distributors
      • G.W. Films Limited
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £1,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $27,634,716
    • Gross worldwide
      • $27,660,394
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 8m(128 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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