The British thriller "Murder on the Orient Express" premiered on 21 November 1974. Directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Paul Dehn, the film is based on Agatha Christie's 1934 novel of the same name. The music was composed by Richard Rodney Bennett.
The film features an all-star cast, with Albert Finney as the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot; Martin Balsam as the railway director, Bianchi; Richard Widmark as the American business tycoon Ratchett; Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard; Ingrid Bergman as Greta Ohlsson; Sean Connery as Lt. Colonel John Arbuthnott; John Gielgud as Edward Beddoes; Jean-Pierre Cassel as Pierre Paul Michel; Vanessa Redgrave as Mary Debenham; Michael York as Count Rudolf Andrenyi; Rachel Roberts as Hildegarde Schmidt; Jacqueline Bisset as Countess Helena Andrenyi; Anthony Perkins as Hector McQueen; Denis Quilley as Gino Foscarelli; Colin Blakely as Cyrus B. Hardman; and Wendy Hiller as Princess Natalia Dragomiroff.
 |
| Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot |
 |
| Anthony Perkins as Hector McQueen and Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot |
 |
| Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard |
 |
| Ingrid Bergman as Greta Ohlsson |
 |
| Jacqueline Bisset as Countess Helena Andrenyi |
Synopsis
Unexpectedly returning to England from Istanbul, the famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) finds himself traveling aboard the Orient Express. One of the passengers (Richard Widmark) approaches him, claiming to have received anonymous threats and asking Poirot to act as his bodyguard. Poirot declines the request. However, when the man is found stabbed to death the next morning, it becomes clear that the threats were real. As Poirot begins to question the passengers on the train, he discovers that several of them share a mysterious connection—and gradually, he begins to unravel the truth behind a remarkably complex crime…
 |
| Colin Blakely as Cyrus B. Hardman |
 |
| Jean-Pierre Cassel as Pierre Paul Michel |
 |
| John Gielgud as Edward Beddoes |
 |
| Sean Connery as Lt. Colonel John Arbuthnott and Vanessa Redgrave as Mary Debenham |
 |
| Denis Quilley as Gino Foscarelli |
Main cast
- Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot
- Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard
- Martin Balsam as Bianchi
- Ingrid Bergman as Greta Ohlsson
- Jacqueline Bisset as Countess Helena Andrenyi
- Jean-Pierre Cassel as Pierre Paul Michel
- Sean Connery as Lt. Colonel John Arbuthnott
- John Gielgud as Edward Beddoes
- Wendy Hiller as Princess Natalia Dragomiroff
- Anthony Perkins as Hector McQueen
- Vanessa Redgrave as Mary Debenham
- Rachel Roberts as Hildegarde Schmidt
- Richard Widmark as Ratchett
- Michael York as Count Rudolf Andrenyi
- Colin Blakely as Cyrus B. Hardman
- George Coulouris as Dr. Stavros Constantine
- Denis Quilley as Gino Foscarelli
- Vernon Dobtcheff as Concierge
- Jeremy Lloyd as A.D.C.
- John Moffatt as Chief Attendant
 |
| Vanessa Redgrave as Mary Debenham |
 |
| Richard Widmark as Ratchett |
 |
| Wendy Hiller as Princess Natalia Dragomiroff |
 |
| Michael York as Count Rudolf Andrenyi |
Trivia
- 84-year-old Dame Agatha Christie attended the premiere of the film. It was the only adaptation made during her lifetime with which she was completely satisfied. The premiere marked her final public appearance. She died fourteen months later, on 12 January 1976.
- Ingrid Bergman was initially offered the role of Princess Dragomiroff, but instead requested to play the smaller role of Greta Ohlsson.
 |
| Sean Connery as Lt. Colonel John Arbuthnott |
 |
| Rachel Roberts as Hildegarde Schmidt |
 |
| Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot and Jeremy Lloyd as A.D.C. |
 |
Martin Balsam as Bianchi, Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot and
George Coulouris as Dr. Stavros Constantine | |
Awards
- 1975, Academy Awards (USA), Best Supporting Actress: Ingrid Bergman
- 1975, BAFTA Awards (UK), Best Supporting Actor: John Gielgud
- 1975, BAFTA Awards (UK), Best Supporting Actress: Ingrid Bergman
- 1975, BAFTA Awards (UK), Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
- 1975, Evening Standard British Film Awards (UK), Best Film: Sidney Lumet
- 1975, Evening Standard British Film Awards (UK), Best Actor: Albert Finney
- 1975, Evening Standard British Film Awards (UK), Best Actress: Wendy Hiller
- 1975, Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards (UK): Best British Screenplay: Paul Dehn
Trailer
