Fun
Murder on the Orient Express
Dear Ann,
On the advice of a Wise Mutual Friend, I prepared for seeing Ken Branagh’s current remake of Murder on the Orient Express (starring his moustache) by watching the 1974 Sidney Lumet version of this all-star thespian showcase. (As the trailer puts it, it’s “the who’s who in the whodunit.”)
Murder is seasonal (snow makes the whole story possible). It’s nostalgic (Dame Wendy Hiller! Lauren Bacall looking mighty fine! Jacqueline Bisset, so lovely! Vanessa Redgrave OMGeee!), it’s atmospheric, and it has the best opening titles I’ve ever seen.
Watching my iTunes rental (it’s also available to rent on Amazon), I kept having to rewind and/or put down my knitting so as not to miss a bit of it. I also dozed off halfway through (no reflection on the movie; it was late and I’d been to the gym that day) so I had to watch it all over again. Which I didn’t mind at all.
In short, an excellent romp in this season of sitting and knitting. I’m now fully prepared for the Branagh version, although I may take Wise Mutual Friend’s counsel to wait for that one to hit Netflix. Abject Branagh Devotion knows no bounds, but it has become more reasonable with time.
Love,
Kay
I’ll be interested to hear your take on the latest model. I was surprised when Ken (I call him “Ken”) decided to do it, and even more surprised when I saw the moustache. Or “moustaches,” as Poirot himself would say. And the chocolate-box cast…it will be a challenge for me to stop associating each actor with previous roles, unless of course they are all so perfect in this film that one becomes totally immersed in the plot. I hope so!
Oh and what about that newcomer…Odum, is it? I know the man can carry a tune smoothly over a rocky road, but more to the point: can he act?
Oh, yes, Odum can act..he smolders in the role as it is reimagined in the new version. But the 1974 version! From years watching it every time it popped up on late-night tv it’s part of my family lexicon: “Grrreeen-vood!”
OOhhh, does he play Anthony Perkins?
Sorry, it was meant as a little joke 😉 “Mr. Burr, Sir,” was very big on my theatre radar for a looong time.
“Abject Branagh devotion.” Love that, wrote another member of the ‘club’.
Also probably waiting for the Netflix.
One of my favorite seasonal films is the 1995 Branagh written and directed “In the Bleak Midwinter.” It is the laugh out loud tale of a misbegotten Shakespeare production in rural England. Definitely good knitting entertainment.
Yes!
Agreed. Love that film!
Thank you!!!! I’ve been trying to think of the title of that film for days now. But I forgot that “Ken” (as he shall be forever referred to now) had directed it.
I very much enjoyed the new version. But they did feel the need to include a couple action sequences that are … anti-Poirotesque.
I found the romance more disturbing than the action. Enjoyed the film overall though.
Have you seen David Suchet’s Murder? Now that’s Poirot!
The best “Murder on the Orient Express” stars David Suchet as Poirot. For me, this one is the definitive version. Suchet WAS Poirot.
David Suchet will ALWAYS be my Poirot. I did see the new movie and it was alright, but there were so many flaws in it from what it should have been from the book. The mustache for one was WAY overdone and it was a bit distracting. David Suchet read all the books and studied Poirot. David Suchet even took a trip on the real Orient Express to get an idea of what it was like for Poirot!
I totally agree about the mustache being distracting…..not realistic, and the color was off. Would have enjoyed the film more if not for that!
I thought that the mustache was fun, but agree that its contrast with his I-think-natural graying strawberry blonde hair was distracting. I know that men can have different head and beard colors, but I kept being jarred by the difference.
The mustache definitely hams it up. In the close-ups, I found myself searching his pores for telltale signs of application. Pretty good job, but still, I agree it was a distraction.
While Suchet IS Poirot, I am surprised not to see Albert Finneys name come up. He was unrecognizable and made a very satisfying Poirot.
Or Peter Ustinov.
I know what I will be doing for the next couple of days, along with knitting. I wonder if I can come up with all versions of this film? Always love Agatha Christie! Thank you.
Saw the latest movie after a nightly mantra of “be open to new interpretations” for a week. I loved it. No spoilers.
For crime on train movies I feel nothing can beat ‘The Lady Vanishes’
I just listened to the Audible version and was glad that I knew the plot as it was a bit difficult to keep track of all of the players. However, it was fun. Now I have to watch the ’74 version before the new one. I have to go quite a distance to see something like this on the ‘silver screen’ so also may wait for Netflix to offer it. Thanks for your review.
I just finished listening to the BBC Radio 4 version last week with a John Moffat in the lead role — but picturing David Suchet in my mind’s eye as I listened. Thanks for the trailer!!! That alone is worth watching more than once. Not sure I want a new, modern MOTOE experience, though.
OK, now I’ve watched the trailer for the new version. Good heavens, the mustache must have required its own Equity card….
We watched the 1974 version on Friday night. I insisted the kids see it before they see the new one. All this mustache talk is disturbing though. I may not be able to look past it.
Finally, FWIW, I found it the perfect movie to knit by, even in the theater. I wound up a ball of cotton yarn and started a garter stitch dishcloth. I even managed to slip the first stitch of every row!
The ultimate knitterly thumbs (needles) up!
Every time I saw Leslie Odom Jr. on screen, I wished it was a musical!! 🙂