Murder on the Orient Express
The Albert Finney version of Murder
on the Orient Express (1974) is the first film version I will compare to the book. It is the oldest film adaptation I know of and figured it would be
the best one to start with. A film packed with stars of the time, I suspect it
was the movie to be in. The question is, how close is it to the book?
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| Murder on the Orient Express |
Daisy Armstrong is kidnapped
Newspapers flash across the
screen. Young Daisy Armstrong has been kidnapped and murdered. We see as Daisy
is taken from her bed. Her stuffed toy falls to the floor on the way out of the
house. Staff members are attacked. Daisy’s parents arrive home, ready to pay
the ransom for their daughter. The ransom is paid, but Daisy is killed anyway.
Five years later, Detective
Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) is traveling on the Orient Express. He was not
supposed to be on the train, but an urgent matter forces him to change his
travel plans.
The berths are full, but with a
little rearranging, Poirot is able to find a place to sleep. This is supposed
to be a simple train ride. It may have remained that way if it weren’t for a
snowstorm and murder. A murder connected to Daisy.
Ratchett is disliked by everyone
Ratchett (Richard Widmark) is a
passenger no one is particularly fond of. Even Poirot doesn’t care for him. He
turns down a job Ratchett wants him to do. This does not go over well with
Ratchett, but Poirot remains firm.
Despite their encounter over the
job offer, when Ratchett is found dead, it is Poirot who investigates the
murder. It is during this investigation that Poirot realizes Ratchett is really
a man named Cassetti. Cassetti is the man responsible for Daisy Armstrong’s
murder.
Poirot’s time to investigate is limited
With the help of railway director
Bianchi (Martin Balsam) and fellow passenger Dr. Constantine (George
Coulouris), Poirot investigates the circumstances of Ratchett’s death. Time is
limited, although not as limited as it could be. The train is currently trapped
in a snowstorm and unable to reach its destination. However, with a storm raging,
it is possible the murderer could make their escape before Poirot solves the
case.
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| Snow Walk Kate Dorsey |
Poirot looks into a long list of suspects
As I said, this film is packed
with stars. Here is the cast of characters. Or should I call them suspects?
Pierre Paul Michel (Jean-Pierre
Cassel)—a train conductor
Hector McQueen (Anthony Perkins)—Ratchett’s
secretary
Edward Beddoes (John Gielgud)—Ratchett’s
valet
Mrs. Hubbard (Lauren Bacall)—an
American woman
Greta Ohlsson (Ingrid Bergman)—a
Swedish charity worker
Princess Dragomiroff (Wendy
Hiller)
Countess Helena Andrenyi
(Jacqueline Bisset)
Count Rudolf Andrenyi (Michael
York)
Colonel Arbuthnott (Sean Connery)
Cyrus B. Hardman (Colin
Blakely)—another American
Antonio Foscarelli (Denis
Quilley)—an Italian-American car salesman
Mary Debenham (Vanessa
Redgrave)—a governess
Hildegarde Schmidt (Rachel
Roberts)—the princess’s maid
Not an exact adaptation, but close
There are some distinct
differences between the book and this film adaptation. One of the biggest,
which I didn’t fully realize until I was writing, was the name change for the
railway director. In the book his name is Bouc. In this film it is Bianchi. The
valet’s name changed too. It changed from Masterman to Beddoes. Why? I have no
idea.
Another change is the interviews.
In the book, for some people there is more than one interview. For the film,
there is only one official interview for each character.
One of the pieces of evidence is
different as well. In the book a woman is seen near the time of the murder in a
red dressing gown. In the film, the dressing gown is white with red on it.
There are still other changes.
Daisy Armstrong’s murder is mentioned right away in the film. In the book it is
not mentioned until later. Also, there is a story about Arbuthnott’s wife. Now
maybe I keep missing it, but I have been unable to find any mention of a wife
for Arbuthnott in the book.
As for the actual end, there is a
slight change there too. I won’t say what in order to keep the ending a secret
for anyone who does not know who the culprit is.
Most of these changes are slight
and not drastic. For the most part, this film adaptation stayed pretty close to
the original story. Thinking about what I have watched in the past with the other
two films, I don’t know if I will be able to say the same for them. I will
rewatch both to be sure.
There is one more thing to note about this version of Murder on the Orient Express. When Sean Connery is on the screen, he completely takes it over. No matter who he is with, all I am able to see is Sean Connery. So, if you are a Sean Connery fan, this is definitely a film to watch.
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