Review of Murder on the Orient Express (1974) by Filipeneto — 04 Oct 2018

Agatha Christie was one of the greatest writers of crime novels ever. However, its hard to doubt that the short episodes and films of "Agatha Christie's Poirot" set a new paradigm for the adaptation of these books to cinema or television and that it will be difficult, in the next years, to surpass the interpretation of David Suchet. Anyway, this movie is prior to all this, dating back to 1974. The plot faithfully follows the book, so there is no great mystery here. What struck me most was the luxurious star-cast, worthy of a true super-production, with memorable names like Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean- Pierre Cassel, Sean Connery, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins and Vanessa Redgrave. Impressive. Personally, I didn't find Finney convincing in the role of the Belgian detective. The way he moved and spoke seemed very unnatural, particularly the way he seemed to be hiding his neck all the time. But this is the only negative criticism for cast performance, which did a very good job. Particularly, I would point out Lauren Bacall for the intense and passionate way she was given to her character. Ingrid Bergman and Wendy Hiller also deserve a word of praise. The rest, however, did not have much room to truly shine. It even feels sometimes that the cast has not been completely taken advantage of.

Visually, the movie is very good. Cinematography uses a lot of light and the colors are pleasant, as well as the choice of locations, sets and costumes. The soundtrack was competent and did his job well, but it's far from iconic.