1974, Film: Murder on the Orient Express

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

1962, Film: “Dr. No”

The British film "Dr. No" premiered on 5 October 1962 in London, UK. The film was directed by Terence Young with a screenplay by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood and Berkely Mather based on the novel with the same title by the English author Ian Fleming. Main stars are Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman and Jack Lord. It is the first Bond film produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli, a partnership that continued until 1975.

Synopsis

James Bond (Sean Connery) aka 007, Britain's top agent, is send to Jamaica. He joins forces with Quarrel (John Kitzmuller) and CIA Agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord). He meets up with the beautiful Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) and goes face to face with the evil Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman)...

Eunice Gayson as Sylvia Trench, Zena Marshall as Miss Taro Kingston,
Sean Connery as James Bond and Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder

Sean Connery as James Bond and Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder

Joseph Wiseman as Dr. No

Main cast

• Sean Connery as James Bond (a British MI6 agent, codename 007)
• Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder
• Joseph Wiseman as Dr. No (a member of SPECTRE)
• Jack Lord as Felix Leiter (a CIA agent)
• Bernard Lee as M (head of the British Secret Service)
• Anthony Dawson as Professor R.J. Dent (geologist in Kingston)
• John Kitzmiller as Quarrel
• Zena Marshall as Miss Taro Kingston (a double agent working for Dr. No)
• Eunice Gayson as Sylvia Trench
• Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny (M’s secretary)
• Peter Burton as Major Boothroyd (head of Q-Branch)
• Reginald Carter as Mr. Jones
• Yvonne Shima as Sister Lily
• Michel Mok as Sister Rose
• Marguerite LeWars as Annabel Chung/The Photographer
• Dolores Keator as Mary
• Louis Blaazer as Pleydell-Smith
• Timothy Moxon as Strangways

Jack Lord as Felix Leiter and Sean Connery as James Bond

Sean Connery as James Bond and Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder

Trivia

• Originally Eunice Gayson was to play Miss Moneypenny and Lois Maxwell Sylvia Trench, but they switched roles.
• Anita Ekberg was considered for the role of Honey Ryder.
• The role of James Bond was first offered to Cary Grant, star of “North by Northwest” (1959). American actor Steve Reeves also turned the role down. Irish actor Patrick McGoohan turned the role down on moral grounds. Other actors considered for the lead role included Trevor Howard, Rex Harrison, Stewart Granger, Richard Johnson, William Franklyn, Richard Todd, Stanley Baker, Ian Hendry and Richard Burton. Albert R. Broccoli's favourite actor to play Bond was Roger Moore.
• This was the first James Bond movie. But the first James Bond was played by Barry Nelson in “Bond in Climax!” (1954).
• Cars featured in the film are a marine blue 1961 Sunbeam Alpine Series 5 Sports Tourer convertible II Tiger, a pre-war Packard LaSalle hearse, a black 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, a Mk II Ford consul taxi, an Austin A55 Cambridge, and a Ford Zephyr.
• The movie's title was spoofed in “The Flintstones” episode "Dr. Sinister" with a character named "Madam Yes".

Eunice Gayson as Sylvia Trench and Sean Connery as James Bond

Sean Connery as James Bond and Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder

Awards

• Golden Globe (1964), Most Promising Newcomer - Female: Ursula Andress (together with Tippi Hedren for “The Birds” (1963) and Elke Sommer for “The Prize” (1963))

"Dr No" Trailer (1962)