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The modern version of Murder On The Orient Express is visually stunning and very well acted. I would say watch the new one and compare. They also made the next book in the series into a film just as well done. Death On The Nile. I have both saved on my limited space DVR.
@@douglascampbell9809 I have seen the modern version with Kenneth Brannagh, so by all means, it would be interesting to see how the comparissons are looked upon. As to Death on The Nile, I have seen both versions, and yes they do play out somewhat "similar" as to to the novella, but Nothing beats Peter Ustinov as Poirot. That been said, Peter was also in "Murder In Three Acts" I believe it was called, as well as Something Folly. All are great, and not to forget "Evil Under The Sun", another Agatha Cristie novel with Poirot. Scrooged is terrific so think you will enjoy that one!
The events are centered on the real life kidnapping and murder of the child of Charles Lindbergh. Of course it's wrong to get away with murder but the murder of a child is far more devastating than the murder of the man who planned a murder on a child. Great film and reaction
"You never smile, madame la princesse?" "My doctor has advised against it." Fun Fact: Virtually all of Ingrid Bergman's Oscar-winning performance is contained in one scene: her interrogation by Poirot (Albert Finney), captured in a single continuous take, nearly five minutes long. Author Approval Fact: 84-year-old Agatha Christie attended the movie premiere in November 1974. It was the only movie adaptation in her lifetime with which she was completely satisfied. In particular, she felt that Albert Finney's performance came closest to her idea of Poirot (though she was reportedly unimpressed with his too-subtle mustache). The premiere was her final public appearance. She died fourteen months later, on January 12, 1976. Sleep Acting Fact: Since Albert Finney required many hours of make-up procedures before shooting each day, and because he was performing in a stage play at the same time, he didn't have much time for his badly needed sleep. A daily routine was developed where an ambulance arrived to pick up the sleeping actor at his house, in his pajamas, carefully, trying not to wake him up. During the half hour commute to the studio, the make-up artists would begin the rough work on his face. The rest of the fine detail work was completed at the studio on a still sleeping Finney.
And I read that she was offered the role of the Countess, as Ingrid usually played the roles of beautiful women since she herself was so incredibly gorgeous, but she said she wanted to play someone plain for once, and asked for the role of the nurse/missionary.
I believe it was the Princess Dragomiroff, not the Countess Andrenyi, that was offered to Ingrid Bergman. Nonetheless, she was terrific as Greta Ohlsson.
Yay finally someone’s reacting to this movie, Agatha Christie really was a genius. I love everyone in this movie, Lauren Bacall is especially hilarious as mrs. Hubbard. Every time I read the book and get to the mrs. Hubbard parts I hear her screaming in my head.😅😂 Also Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her part as Greta Ohlsson.
Recently, there was a stage production of this in Chicago, and the tv/online ads featured various individual characters speaking straight at the camera. The commercial with Mrs. Hubbard, it was immediately identifiable who she was if you knew the story, her speaking style is so distinctive.
Interestingly, if you read the book with no awareness of the movie (as I did, before it was made), Mrs. Hubbard is a silly, dithery, chattery, motherly character, not a loud, abrasive one. They had originally cast Helen Hayes, who was good at that sort of person (and was, in real life, the First Lady of the American Stage that the character turns out to be), but when she had to drop out they turned to Lauren Bacall, whose persona delivered the lines in a whole different way.
It's a special thing to be able to read or watch this story for the first time without knowing the ending, since as you can imagine, it's reached a level of pop culture awareness similar to Planet of the Apes or The Sixth Sense. My first experience was with the original book, and I was completely floored by it.
@@CasualNerdReactions The last chapter is called "Poirot Proposes Two Solutions," so if you're like me and look over the whole table of contents first, you spend the whole book wondering what the deal with that is.
Mine was this production of Murder on the Orient Express :-) Another great one is (the old!) Death on the Nile, which I personally would recommended watching before Evil Under the Sun
What I didn't realize, is that this film and the following Poirot films starring Peter Ustinov were produced by same people, practically a franchise by today's definition. Apparently, Albert Finney was so frustrated with the makeup, he refused to play in the sequels. So we got us Peter Ustinov instead. Death on the Nile is considered best of the sequels. Oddly enough, I believe some actors played different roles in them.
What a movie and what a cast! This remains my absolute favorite version of Murder on the Orient Express, in no small part to Albert Finney and his brilliant portrayal of Hercule Poirot!
It is claimed that this was the only adaptation of her work that Agatha Christie herself liked. She was screened a rough cut privately, at a point when she was wheelchair ridden. She praised Albert Finney's portrayal, saying that he perfectly captured her own vision of just how annoying and full of himself Hercule Poirot is. And the moustache was perfect too.
Great reacton. :) There are, in fact, *two* later versions of this film, one starring David Suchet (2010) and one starring Kenneth Branagh (2017). In both cases the solution is the same, but what is fascinating is that Poirot's *reaction* to it is entirely different. It presented a terrific opportunity for the three lead actors to give their own interpretations of the character. Like this version, the later ones all have world-class, famous actors in the various roles, even minor ones. So Mrs. Hubbard, played here by the legendary Lauren Bacall, is played in 2010 by Barbara Hershey, and in 2017 by Michelle Pfeiffer. Mary Debenham, played here by Vanessa Redgrave, is played in 2010 by Jessica Chastain, and in 2017 by Daisy Ridley. Princess Dragamirov, played here by Dame Wendy Hiller, is played in 2010 by Dame Eileen Atkins, and in 2017 by Dame Judi Dench. And so forth.
David Suchet is considered by many to be the gold standard in depiction of Poirot as Christie wrote about him, a funny little man that most people don't take seriously - often to their detriment. Suchet has starred in most of Christie's stories put to film and devote so much effort to it there is even a full episode where he discusses it, available on UA-cam. "David Suchet: Being Poirot (2013) - Agatha Christie's Poirot" He met with members of the Christie estate to get their imput, along with many other things.
Albert Finney is wonderful in everything. Please, Chris, treat yourself to his SCROOGE, a musical version, and my favorite. Also: Poirot was excellently played by Peter Ustinov in other all-star Christies.
BBC's Poirot "Murder on the Orient Express" moved me to tears. You said you were conflicted at the end, and, in BBC's version, there is a tension between the forces of law and the forces of justice that doesn't rest. There is no peace in the end for anyone and it truly captures the horror of the crime and the burden of the vengeance.
I personally think Suchet's version of this story is the best and closet to the book AND among my least favorite of the David Suchet adaptions - meaning his other episodes, I like much better.
There are a few other Agatha Christie Murder Mystery’s I would recommend. I like two of the Peter Ustinov portrayals of Hercule Poirot. The first is Death on the Nile, great cast, great story, and exotic locale. I also love Evil Under the Sun, it has great humor and a wonderful score made up of Cole Porter songs.
Totally second the recommendation of those 2 films. Both are great fun with terrific casts. And as much as I loved Finney as Poirot, my favorite is Ustinov.
Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors (have read everything by her), but I have a *very* difficult time watching anyone play Poirot other than David Suchet. He *is* Poirot. But, I enjoyed watching the reaction!
She was still alive when this film was made, and said Finney was about as good a Poirot as she could imagine, even though his moustache was wrong. Of course, she didn't see Suchet.
Suchet is the best, but Finney is best of the rest. I like the Ustinov movies in toto, but his Poirot plays as buffoonish (which does fool his targets into complacency) rather than eccentric.
Yes, yes, yes. I think Suchet is so good, I could just watch him puttering around his office with Miss Lemon, Hastings, and Japp - no need for a murder.
@@johnnehrich9601 Though unfortunately they also let him have more influence on the scripts, where his strict religious views are often very noticeable like when Poirot has absolutely no sympathy for the killers in Orient Express.
@@Rmlohner I noticed that, too in regards to this story. I understand, however, that Suchet's views became stronger as time went on and this story was one of the later ones. There are other stories in that series where he does have sympathy and is able to look away.
Great reaction to one of the all-time classic who-dunnits. If it wasn’t already clear, this was an absolutely stacked cast, with some of the very best acting talent of its era.
The only Poirot that works for me is David Suchet. Watch the version with him. This one has a stellar cast but it still doesn't measure up (because of the above mentioned issue). Suchet IS Poirot.
I'm soooo glad you picked the original. The cast..!!! the WHO is WHO at that time. I think this is actually THE best crime story ever! I don't know how familiar you are with the Agatha Christie's novels. She is really popular in Europe. The Miss Marple stories (even more the movie adaptions like "Murder, She said (1961)") are well-known classics in Germany. The ultimate watchlist: with the big revelation at the end, are "Death on the Nile" (1978) and "Evil under the Sun" (1982) both with Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot; "And then there were None" (1945), "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957) with Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich; "The Mirror crack'd" (1980) with E. Taylor and Rock Hudson; "The Spider's Web" (1960)..
I fully second all of these. For me and Miss Marple, as you stated, There is only ONE Miss Marple, even though Agatha Cristie apparently hated the idea, is Margeret Rutherford. She made 4 Marple films all very good and fun, so they be great idea too.
@@jaquesshugossen9398 I know the she disliked her. Nevertheless, the fan community spoke :-) And M. Rutherford is our queen in this role. No doubt about that. I can't stand seeing A. Lansbury as Miss Marple in "The Mirror crack'd" for example. She serves more the US fan base, I would say. But the cast is one thing, it is the well written story that's actually key. Therefore, we can be grateful for A. Christie's legacy. Almost all of her stories/novels are masterpieces ,IMO.
@@007sMoneyPenny The fans certainly spoke on that one! She certainly IS the Queen in the role! I do agree with you on A. Lansbury in "The Mirror Crack'd". The script is GREAT which at the end of the day, is one of the major key things. Delivery is also another and you have T. Curtis to support as well. A: Christie left a great amount of great stories and Masterpieces, most true!
For me, Joan Hickson is THE Miss Marple, but I can't deny that Margaret Rutherford is a ton of fun. By the way, I think Angela Lansbury was very enjoyable as the drunk romance writer in Death on the Nile.
This was quite an unusual movie for Sidney Lumet, who typically did dark and heavy dramas with important social themes like 12 Angry Men, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon. His specific request that got him this script was "I want to do something gay" (in the original sense of the word).
Well as it was said in the movie, it was a jury of 12 people, they all enacted his demise. An interesting fictional story, practically impossible as someone would talk eventually.
I was brought up on David Suchet's Poirot and I've always loved his portrayal of the character. Rewatched Curtain : Poirot's Final Case again recently and David just captures all the emotions superbly.
Yippy!! I was hoping you react to this movie. I love the cast and the movie, I've watched it a few times. Another murder mystery to check out is 1945's "And Then There Were None".
Actually, there was a recent tv adaptation of And Then There Were None that I think is the best one yet. Very true to the book, but it also really expands on the characters’ backstories.
@@kathyastrom1315 Oh really, I did want to know the back stories on the characters in the film. Thank you for letting me know, I'm going to have to search for tv adaptation.
Hi Chris This is a favorite of mine ....I Love movies based on Agatha Christie novels . Evil Under The Sun is another great one . The remake of this has Johnny Depp as the Investigator . I will be watching Murder on The Orient Express here again . Thank you for this treat
Excellent choice! This was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid-my whole family went to see it in the theater (I was 8). A few years after that, I got into reading the Agatha Christie books and then was in a high school production of Appointment with Death, where I played the evil stepmother who gets killed halfway through (loads of fun!). I like the recent film, but the cast here is just so great that the newer film doesn’t really compare. So many wonderful performances, but my personal favorite is Wendy Hiller as the Princess Dragomiroff. As a young woman, she was in two of my favorite films of all time: Pygmalion with Lesley Howard and I Know Where I’m Going, which I first saw because the TV guide called it “the most romantic film ever,” and it really was. It was delightful seeing her in this film, even in a smaller role. My other favorite was Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Hubbard. She was an icon of 1970s tv talk shows, but I didn’t see her classic films with Bogart until a few decades later. “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together, and…blow.”
Thank you for mentioning those two fabulous films with Wendy Hiller. My admiration for both films is practically limitless! I particularly loved the idea that, in IKWIG, everyone in the film knew all about the dreaded "curse" at Moy Castle, except the audience! And, as long as we're talking Wendy Hiller we certainly should mention "Separate Tables" for which she won a long overdue Oscar.
HEY CHRIS!! I love Agatha Christie's mysteries and I LOVE Hercule Poirot. But my very favorite Poirot is played by Peter Ustinov...he's just amazing as the great detective Poirot. Peter Ustinov played the detective 6 times, my favorite of the 6 is "Evil Under The Sun" (1982). Have a good day!! ~Dawne
@@CasualNerdReactions including the hottest woman on earth at that time (Mrs "Emma Peel" from the Avengers or from Game of Thrones "Lady Olenna") --> DIANA RIGG _you'll enjoy to hate her ;-)
ingrid bergman, the 'backwards' woman, won an oscar for her performance here. just as an additional note on her, she was the drop dead gorgeous love interest of humphrey bogard in 'casablanca', while lauren bacall, daisy armstrong's grandmother and the princess's mother, was the real life wife of bogard. this was a true all-star cast. ratchet's secretary starred in alfred hitchcock's 'psyco', sir john geilgood (butler) and albert finney (poirot) starred in more things than i can name and got all types of awards (and a knighthood from queen elizabeth), sean connery was not only 007 but many other fantastic roles as well, and every other person was a star in either movies, theater, or both. i read somewhere that the producer wrote out a list of every a list star he wanted in it, chose the one who he thought was the biggest draw att the time (connery), asked/signed him on, and pretty much just went down the line saying connery's in it, then connery +, and +, and +, and by the end people were jumping at it almost before they'd even been asked. finally, this was of course written by the most well known mystery writer of all time, agatha christie. during her lifetime the baby of charles lindberg, the first person ever to fly across the atlantic from the u.s. to europe, was kidnapped and murdered much as portrayed at the beginning of the movie. lindberg was wealthy, and the household was similar to what's portrayed here. that murder was never solved, but there was deep shock and horror felt around the world, with lots of feelings somewhat as shown in her book/this movie about what should happen to that person. [an individual was arrested, tried, convicted, and electrocuted; however, he maintained his innocence right up to the time of death, and a very large number of people always believed that law enforcement just felt they had to arrest 'somebody', and the person they latched onto was a poor guy who couldn't defend himself.]
What strikes me about the conclusion of this film is that the detective figures out that everyone involved conspired to murder, then, because he sympathized with their reasons, made himself an accomplice to the murder as well. He might as well have taken a turn with the knife.
I don't remember the specifics from this film, but in the book, Poirot leaves the decision as to which theory was the correct one to his friend (the RR owner) and the doctor, and said he would go along with whatever they decided. They opted for the first theory.
One little mathematical point: As Poirot says, there were 12 passengers excluding himself and Ratchett in the Calais coach, the number required for a jury. But the conductor was also one of the murderers, making 13. In the book, it is made clear that Countess Andrenyi, though she must have realized that something was going on, was not personally involved in the murder plan or its execution, so we're down to 12 again - but no doubt the filmmakers didn't want to prolong an already lengthy explanation scene with this detail, so they left it out, and figured we wouldn't actually count to make sure that the number of murderers was in fact 12.
Loved every minute of this movie and the book too, which had some changes. The most recent remake, IMHO, tried to make it less of a who dunit and more of a thriller. The final scene in the new movie outside the train in the snow is just ridiculous.
Agatha Christie is so so so good. I really recommend reading her books (or watching adaptations of her work). Ryan Johnson said that she was his great inspiration when writing Glass Onion and I have to say that when I was watching GO for the first time, with some scenes I had a feeling that it was very Christie-like. Anyway, basic rules of watching any Christie adaption is NOT to watch Kenneth Branaugh's atrocities.
I have to say that granted the newer versions of Murder and Death on the Nile are not up to AC standards, it was still fun to watch because Kenneth made everything different. When you've seen the originals so many times, I found it fun to watch it differently.❤❤
Highly recommend the 2015 make of And Then There Were None; not Poirot, but also written by Agatha Christie. It's pretty close to the original book, and just as complex.
I love the Poirot series starring David Suchet, and it's fun to see other adaptations such as this one. While I agree that legally, the killing of Ratchet was wrong, I am ultimately satisfied with him being dead and those responsible being at peace.
Agatha Christie’s murder-mysteries ALWAYS involve some bit of magician’s misdirection, where she gets you to take the deceptive red herring (one killer?) so sensibly for granted, you don’t even notice the key clue that slipped by in casual conversation. There’s other good Christie on film, including the old version of “Death on the Nile” with Peter Ustinov as Poirot, and “The Mirror Crack’d”, with Angela Lansbury as detective grandma Miss Marple, years before Murder, She Wrote.
Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile from this era are also fun to watch. If you're looking for another murder mystery, The Last of Sheila is a cult classic, co-written by Anthony Perkins who played Mr. McQueen in this movie.
To respond to your comment about being in two minds, and a legal standpoint, here's a quote from the book. "Ratchett had escaped justice in America. There was no question as to his guilt. I visualized a self-appointed jury of twelve people who condemned him to death, and were forced by exigencies of the case to be their own executioners. And immediately, on that assumption, the whole case fell into beautiful shining order." BTW Other adaptations had MacQueen's father, the D.A. in the Armstrong kidnapping more involved. He was pressured to go after Suzanne/Paulette, the innocent French maid. When it was discovered she was innocent after committing suicide, MacQueen Sr.'s reputation was ruined. In the BBC version with David Suchet, MacQueen was held by Ratchett's gang and the ransom was MacQueen Sr. had to let Ratchett go. So Hector MacQueen stabbed Ratchett out of justice for his own father's sake.
Director Sidney Lumet said he wanted the film to be a soufflé, and added the toasting to Mrs. Hubbard & her daughter at the end to create a kind of curtain call, because it was such a theatrical film. The DVD extras are full of great trivia, like when Tony Walton, the costume designer, created the first outfit we see Lauren Bacall in, he hadn't checked with Lumet to see which side he'd be filming, and was horrified he might have created a look that hid her face (he guessed correctly, however). Jacqueline Bisset also talked about how excruciating it was to film the final exposition, because Albert Finney (who was one of several cast members also appearing on the West End, & had his makeup done in an ambulance they sent to fetch him each morning, so he could get more sleep on the way to the studio) had pages of dialogue he had to do over and over for the various shots, while everyone else had to pretend they were hearing it for the first time.
"You never smile, madame la princesse?" In the Mad Magazine parody, her response was, "My makeup man has advised against it." I read the novel in 1975 while on a family vacation. My Dad objected to me reading it because he didn't think a 13-yar-old should be reading about gruesome murder, but he didn't prevent it. The book inspired me to take French in high school because I didn't know how to pronounce Hercule Poirot's vocabulary. French in my part of the country is totally useless. I should have taken Spanish.
Christie wrote so many stories and one of the things she did is go through the gamut of completely unexpected murders - the policeman, the entire train, the narrative, and so on. She is still considered the queen of mysteries. One of her stories was made in a Hitchcock film, Witness for the Prosecution, another one of my favorites combing the joint work of two masters.
this version has a great cast, great soundtrack and no CGI. The Branagh version has horrendous CGI which makes it look like a video game. Also did I mention this cast is full of Hollywood legends. Yes I did!
I used to enjoy his Shakespeare, but I now feel that Shakespeare only really works with a live audience. The dialogue is very rhetorical, and you need that interaction to make it work.
I love this film, I definitely prefer it to the modern remake starring Kenneth Brannagh. You should also watch Death on the Nile (1978) starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot, which again i think is better than the recent remake.
Every actor was well known, and each was a major actor in films at the time. Albert Finney Ingrid Bergman Lauren Bacall Sean Connery Martin Balsam Vanessa Redgrave Anthony Perkins Jacqueline Bissett Michael York Wendy Hiller Richard Widmark John Gielgud Unbelievable.
If this case had actually gone to court, there would be 12 witnesses who jointly could tell any story, like they saw the murdered get away, and basically only Poirot saying otherwise. They could even threaten to pin it on him if he didn't look the other way.
An excellent movie, there were 4 versions of this story made. The last one starred Kenneth Branagh, and all star cast. This Poirot was much more vigorous, and physical, worth watching. My moral compass would say they wee justified, as there was no real physical evidence that the courts would accept, I agree with this verdict.
You might like another 'Train' film The Lady Vanishes', an early Hitchcock film in black and white, which is set in a similar time and place as 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
Great reaction! Maybe you mention it in the full-length reaction, but several of the actors are old-timers you might have seen in older movies you may have reacted to: Anthony Perkins (the victim's secretary) from Psycho, for instance, and Ingrid Bergman (the Swedish nurse) from Casablanca and Notorious. Ms Bergman won an Academy Award for this role -- they had wanted her to play the princess, but she insisted that she could do something distinctive and funny as the nurse. This is one of the greatest of all all-star casts ever. They're not just popping up for cameos, but all interacting together all the time. I especially enjoy Vanessa Redgrave (Mary Debenham), because she almost never got a chance to be flirty and funny onscreen like this. Isn't it great the way that, at the end, when all the characters walk by one by one to toast Lauren Bacall, they seem to be taking their bows at the end of a play? This is just about the only time Agatha Christie allowed murderers to get away with it. Later in life she regretted having done so, feeling that taking the law into one's own hands like this is not right. In real life, I agree, but in this story I prefer the outcome we have. This also has one of my favorite film soundtracks. I think that Richard Rodney Bennett's music is superb -- the jazzy opening theme, and the grand waltz for the train itself.
Indeed! I commented on it during the credits as name by name felt familiar. The cast was stacked! It was originally in my edit, but I had to trim it down a bit to clear copyright.
Lauren Becall was in Misery that was reviewed on this channel, also How To Marry a Millionaire. Martin Balsam also from 12 Angry Men. So many more movie to view with this cast. Julia James Bond with Sean Connery Big Fish. Is a must to see with Albert Finney Arthur with John Gielgud Michael York in Romeo and Juliette Pygmalion and Major Barbara with Wendy Heller..
It’s funny how you mention the Count and Countess seemed the most disconnected, when in the book the husband took his wife’s place in the killing because if the Countess was identified as who she was, her connection to the Armstrongs was the strongest and she would be the most suspected, so everyone was working to protect her the most.
Hey, if you loved Knives Out, I highly recommend the underseen 1973 gem, The Last of Sheila. It's an 1970s all-star ensemble cast with a witty, caustic and clever script. Rian Johnson, director of the Knives Out films, has publicly cited as inspiration for both.
You have a big fan down unda m8 here in Oz, Personally I loved Rachel Roberts as Hildegard Schmidt , but also Lauren Bacall, Jackie Bisset , John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins and of course Wendy Hiller (and of course Martin Balsam and Albert Finney)...SIDNEY Lumet famously added the champagne glass clinking ending himself for that extra classy touch ! Please do Death on the Nile, The Mirror Crack'd and Evil under the Sun
Watch 1971's 'What's the Matter with Helen?", with Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters. It had the same type of opening. I think you'd get a kick out of that film.
Great reaction to a great classic who done it movie with a great cast and a great twist at the end. This is my 2nd favorite book adaptation from Agatha Christie. My favorite is And then there were none (1945). If you ever get around to watch that movie. You can write down who you think the murderer is after every kill. Yep multiple murders in that movie.
Brilliant entertainment. Excellent acting from all the fab cast. Top notch script and directing (and giving the trauma that must spread out from the murder of a child it’s proper weight) The lady Vanishes is another great film set on a train 🤔.
Very good reaction, you should also react to its sequels: Death on the Nike (1978), and Evil under the Sun. Also, the remakes that are directed, and starred by Kenneth Branagh, please.
The remake is not bad, but not nearly as good as the original. I feel the same about the original version of Death on the Nile vs Kenneth Branagh’s remake. Branagh changes too much of Agatha Christie’s original depiction of the side characters. He gives them too much back story that wasn’t in the story. This version you just watched was excellent and I enjoyed your reaction. I suggest watching the 1978 Death on the Nile with Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot as well as his reprisal of the Poirot role in the 1982 Evil Under The Sun!
@@tubekulose my beef with Branagh and other remakes is, “why do you think your vision is better than the original writer?” I hated the Hobbit movies for the same reason.
This is my favorite Murder on the Orient Express. For a more conflicted Hercule see 2001's with Alfred Molina. If you watch the most recent with Kenneth Branagh 2017, I hope that you have Blu Ray or similiar quality, as it is beautifully filmed.
I'm a fan of 1970's cinema and loved those films that had stark endings that often dealt with the push and pull of moral ambiguity and sometimes where evil triumphed outright. The Kenneth Brannaugh(sp) version had an ending where the characters wrestled more with their guilt after getting away with it. The '74 version had them toasting their deed which suggests no remorse and in retrospect is much more cynical.
As always, your reaction is captivating. This version is great. However, I do highly recommend you watch the remake. It has a very stylised feel I think you would like and a wonderful cast. It also unfolds the telling of the Armstrong story in a slightly different way/pacing that I think I prefer. No matter which version of the story, you can never go wrong with an Agatha Christie mystery. I also recommend you watch " And then there were none" (1945) or "Ten Little Indians" (1965), which are both adaptations of another one of Agatha Christie's novels " And then there were none."
I saw this movie in a theater when it came out. It was a packed house and we weren't exactly early. We weren't seated until about 10 min in and stck in the back corner the sound was pretty bad and I missed half the dialogue with those fake accents so I was totally lost in what was going on, lol. Anyway, I did see it again many years later and speciation it although by then I knew the ending.
When the missionary character says she was interested from five years, she means she was interested in religion since the age of five, btw. It is kind of awkward wording so I get the confusion.
Why did I watch at age 9 too? I remember being quite terrified, when that group of very polite folks suddenly steps in one by one with murder in their eyes.
What a wonderful movie. I saw it when it came out, and several times since. Too bad you had to mute a lot of the music for UA-cam -- it's sublime. It just struck me that when Poirot left the final decision to Mr. Bianchi at the end he was probably pretty confident about what option Bianchi would choose. After all, Bianchi would not want Wagon-Lits, the company he worked for, to be associated with a sensational crime which would be international news.
The music was wonderful! This company that holds the rights to this one is challenging on copyright, I'm honestly shocked this was able to post at all with the last half hour being so tightly written with every moment feeling essential.
Ok which should be next? Death on the Nile (1978)? The Mirror Crack'd (1980)? Evil Under the Sun (1981)? Crooked House (2017)? Murder on the Orient Express (2017)? (I still prefer this version but I enjoyed the 2017 version a lot more than I thought I would0 Death on the Nile (2022)? (A LOT of changes from the original story but the 70s movie made several changes as well - it's rare that you come across an Agatha Christie adaptation that doesn't include at least two changes) The David Suchet Point series - as in the whole thing, shorts as well as the full 90 minutes? The Geraldine McEwan/Julie McKenzie Marple series? The Joan Hickson Miss Marple series?
I was was watching this with my Wife and Daughter and asked why this did not get an Oscar, my Daughter did a quick search and this movie was released the same year as The Godfather.
I saw the recent adaptation of death on the nile, so I'm gonna skip it for now. I plan to do Evil Under the Sun next, although unless it wins a poll it'll be several months.
@@CasualNerdReactions Do that one anyway. It only recently dawned on me that Colin Blakely (Hardman) and Denis Quilley (Foscarelli) plays in that one as well, both being completely unrecognizeable from this one. And Maggie Smith is in it too, she plays with Ustinov in Death on the Nile.
The more modern version is good. But in the PBS series the inspector really struggled with the murder even however justified. Which makes the finale even more profound. I love Agatha Christie's movies however the books are so confusing.
Love Agatha Christie movies of all kinds (I was raised on the books so I usually know who did it) But the stories are so good you just want to watch it unfold!
Perfect Agatha Christie adaptation! The producers went all out with casting and production values and succeeded wildly. They continued with two more glittering, all star theatrical Poirot films: "Death On The Nile" and "Evil Under The Sun", both excellent with "Death On The Nile" being my favorite of the trilogy. Peter Ustinov replaced Albert Finney as Poirot for these two and ,though Finney was brilliant, I prefer Ustinov who completely embodies my particular idea of the character. I highly encourage you to check out both especially "Death On The Nile".
Great reaction, Chris. I'm glad you enjoyed this version. But,speaking as a retired movie critic, avoid at all cost the remake with Kenneth Brannagh as Peirot. It has great cinematography and some very good acting, but Brannagh's Peirot cannot match the great performance of his fellow English man Albert Finney. Brannagh made his version to satisfy his own ego and it shows in his overwhelming performance. But, I suppose, you have to please your Patreon members if they want you to see that version. Personally, it was a waste of my time. Will be looking forward to your reactions to Apollo 13, The Polar Express, and Krampus.
It looks like it’s available on Hoopla and Kanopy which I believe you can access for free with a public library card. You can also rent it for 3.99 on Amazon, UA-cam, or Vudu (this is the one I usually do).
The Branagh remake is a disaster. The David Suchet BBC version is masterful. Suchet is the greatest Poirot. He became the character by doing the entire Agatha Christie Poirot series. He is the only actor to fully represent Christie's intentions, especially her religious themes.
I am frankly shocked that you never read this. I guess I assumed that a "Casual Nerd" would be well ready on the classics. Not only hadn't you read this novel, you seemed to not know who Hercule Poirot is. Have you read ANY Agatha Christie? (This isn't meant to be insulting-I assumed every English speaker knew)
Thanks so much for watching! Let me know your thoughts on the film below and be sure to subscribe for upcoming reactions like: Apollo 13, The Polar Express, Scrooged, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Krampus, and Mrs Doubtfire!
Can't wait for Scrooged!!! Don't forget about Lucky Number Slevin
The modern version of Murder On The Orient Express is visually stunning and very well acted. I would say watch the new one and compare.
They also made the next book in the series into a film just as well done. Death On The Nile.
I have both saved on my limited space DVR.
한국영화 7번방의선물 리액션해주세요!!
@@douglascampbell9809 I have seen the modern version with Kenneth Brannagh, so by all means, it would be interesting to see how the comparissons are looked upon.
As to Death on The Nile, I have seen both versions, and yes they do play out somewhat "similar" as to to the novella, but Nothing beats Peter Ustinov as Poirot.
That been said, Peter was also in "Murder In Three Acts" I believe it was called, as well as Something Folly. All are great, and not to forget "Evil Under The Sun", another Agatha Cristie novel with Poirot.
Scrooged is terrific so think you will enjoy that one!
Apollo 13 is my favourite film of all time so cannot WAIT for that one! I also love Hercule Poirot so had to see your reaction to this one!
The events are centered on the real life kidnapping and murder of the child of Charles Lindbergh. Of course it's wrong to get away with murder but the murder of a child is far more devastating than the murder of the man who planned a murder on a child. Great film and reaction
So sad it's based on a real kidnapping. Certainly no one should feel too broken up about the murderer of a child murderer! Thanks for watching :)
"You never smile, madame la princesse?"
"My doctor has advised against it."
Fun Fact: Virtually all of Ingrid Bergman's Oscar-winning performance is contained in one scene: her interrogation by Poirot (Albert Finney), captured in a single continuous take, nearly five minutes long.
Author Approval Fact: 84-year-old Agatha Christie attended the movie premiere in November 1974. It was the only movie adaptation in her lifetime with which she was completely satisfied. In particular, she felt that Albert Finney's performance came closest to her idea of Poirot (though she was reportedly unimpressed with his too-subtle mustache). The premiere was her final public appearance. She died fourteen months later, on January 12, 1976.
Sleep Acting Fact: Since Albert Finney required many hours of make-up procedures before shooting each day, and because he was performing in a stage play at the same time, he didn't have much time for his badly needed sleep. A daily routine was developed where an ambulance arrived to pick up the sleeping actor at his house, in his pajamas, carefully, trying not to wake him up. During the half hour commute to the studio, the make-up artists would begin the rough work on his face. The rest of the fine detail work was completed at the studio on a still sleeping Finney.
"Nej, is jaeger."
And I read that she was offered the role of the Countess, as Ingrid usually played the roles of beautiful women since she herself was so incredibly gorgeous, but she said she wanted to play someone plain for once, and asked for the role of the nurse/missionary.
I believe it was the Princess Dragomiroff, not the Countess Andrenyi, that was offered to Ingrid Bergman. Nonetheless, she was terrific as Greta Ohlsson.
Yay finally someone’s reacting to this movie, Agatha Christie really was a genius. I love everyone in this movie, Lauren Bacall is especially hilarious as mrs. Hubbard. Every time I read the book and get to the mrs. Hubbard parts I hear her screaming in my head.😅😂 Also Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her part as Greta Ohlsson.
Recently, there was a stage production of this in Chicago, and the tv/online ads featured various individual characters speaking straight at the camera. The commercial with Mrs. Hubbard, it was immediately identifiable who she was if you knew the story, her speaking style is so distinctive.
Interestingly, if you read the book with no awareness of the movie (as I did, before it was made), Mrs. Hubbard is a silly, dithery, chattery, motherly character, not a loud, abrasive one. They had originally cast Helen Hayes, who was good at that sort of person (and was, in real life, the First Lady of the American Stage that the character turns out to be), but when she had to drop out they turned to Lauren Bacall, whose persona delivered the lines in a whole different way.
@@DelGuy03 Interesting--but I love Becall in this role. And Wendy Hiller deserves all the attention as the "Grande Dame" in the cast.
It's a special thing to be able to read or watch this story for the first time without knowing the ending, since as you can imagine, it's reached a level of pop culture awareness similar to Planet of the Apes or The Sixth Sense. My first experience was with the original book, and I was completely floored by it.
This obviously would have been an incredible read!
@@CasualNerdReactions The last chapter is called "Poirot Proposes Two Solutions," so if you're like me and look over the whole table of contents first, you spend the whole book wondering what the deal with that is.
You should give Evil Under the Sun a watch. My first introduction to Agatha Christie as a child. The cast is great and the mystery is 👌
Mine was this production of Murder on the Orient Express :-)
Another great one is (the old!) Death on the Nile, which I personally would recommended watching before Evil Under the Sun
What I didn't realize, is that this film and the following Poirot films starring Peter Ustinov were produced by same people, practically a franchise by today's definition. Apparently, Albert Finney was so frustrated with the makeup, he refused to play in the sequels. So we got us Peter Ustinov instead. Death on the Nile is considered best of the sequels. Oddly enough, I believe some actors played different roles in them.
Maggie Smiths character in Evil Under the Sun is my favorite!! She's hilarious 😂😂😂
What a movie and what a cast! This remains my absolute favorite version of Murder on the Orient Express, in no small part to Albert Finney and his brilliant portrayal of Hercule Poirot!
My favorite portrayal of Poirot is Ustinov
It is claimed that this was the only adaptation of her work that Agatha Christie herself liked. She was screened a rough cut privately, at a point when she was wheelchair ridden. She praised Albert Finney's portrayal, saying that he perfectly captured her own vision of just how annoying and full of himself Hercule Poirot is. And the moustache was perfect too.
@@CEngelbrecht the mustache was actually one of the few things she complained about
@@antonyshannon2276
That turns out to be true, looking it up now. I remembered something about the moustache.
David Suchet’s portrayal is better.
Great reacton. :) There are, in fact, *two* later versions of this film, one starring David Suchet (2010) and one starring Kenneth Branagh (2017). In both cases the solution is the same, but what is fascinating is that Poirot's *reaction* to it is entirely different. It presented a terrific opportunity for the three lead actors to give their own interpretations of the character. Like this version, the later ones all have world-class, famous actors in the various roles, even minor ones. So Mrs. Hubbard, played here by the legendary Lauren Bacall, is played in 2010 by Barbara Hershey, and in 2017 by Michelle Pfeiffer. Mary Debenham, played here by Vanessa Redgrave, is played in 2010 by Jessica Chastain, and in 2017 by Daisy Ridley. Princess Dragamirov, played here by Dame Wendy Hiller, is played in 2010 by Dame Eileen Atkins, and in 2017 by Dame Judi Dench. And so forth.
David Suchet is considered by many to be the gold standard in depiction of Poirot as Christie wrote about him, a funny little man that most people don't take seriously - often to their detriment. Suchet has starred in most of Christie's stories put to film and devote so much effort to it there is even a full episode where he discusses it, available on UA-cam.
"David Suchet: Being Poirot (2013) - Agatha Christie's Poirot"
He met with members of the Christie estate to get their imput, along with many other things.
Albert Finney is wonderful in everything. Please, Chris, treat yourself to his SCROOGE, a musical version, and my favorite.
Also: Poirot was excellently played by Peter Ustinov in other all-star Christies.
I came to recommend Chris watch those exact two later portrayals. They were great and I thoroughly enjoyed their take on the story.
There was another starring Alfred Molina.
There is a Japanese version also.
The kidnapping and murder of Daisy Armstrong was based on the Lindbergh kidnapping case. Ya, I say they should have gotten away with it!
BBC's Poirot "Murder on the Orient Express" moved me to tears. You said you were conflicted at the end, and, in BBC's version, there is a tension between the forces of law and the forces of justice that doesn't rest. There is no peace in the end for anyone and it truly captures the horror of the crime and the burden of the vengeance.
I personally think Suchet's version of this story is the best and closet to the book AND among my least favorite of the David Suchet adaptions - meaning his other episodes, I like much better.
There are a few other Agatha Christie Murder Mystery’s I would recommend. I like two of the Peter Ustinov portrayals of Hercule Poirot. The first is Death on the Nile, great cast, great story, and exotic locale. I also love Evil Under the Sun, it has great humor and a wonderful score made up of Cole Porter songs.
Yes, they are both so much fun. My favorite Christie movies alongside Joan Hickson's Marple ones.
Totally second the recommendation of those 2 films. Both are great fun with terrific casts. And as much as I loved Finney as Poirot, my favorite is Ustinov.
Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors (have read everything by her), but I have a *very* difficult time watching anyone play Poirot other than David Suchet. He *is* Poirot. But, I enjoyed watching the reaction!
She was still alive when this film was made, and said Finney was about as good a Poirot as she could imagine, even though his moustache was wrong. Of course, she didn't see Suchet.
Suchet is the best, but Finney is best of the rest. I like the Ustinov movies in toto, but his Poirot plays as buffoonish (which does fool his targets into complacency) rather than eccentric.
Yes, yes, yes. I think Suchet is so good, I could just watch him puttering around his office with Miss Lemon, Hastings, and Japp - no need for a murder.
@@johnnehrich9601 Though unfortunately they also let him have more influence on the scripts, where his strict religious views are often very noticeable like when Poirot has absolutely no sympathy for the killers in Orient Express.
@@Rmlohner I noticed that, too in regards to this story. I understand, however, that Suchet's views became stronger as time went on and this story was one of the later ones. There are other stories in that series where he does have sympathy and is able to look away.
This is a great movie, with an all-star cast. Loved your reactions and review!
I really hope you react to 1978's "Death on the Nile," starring Peter Ustinov. NOT the newer version -- I cannot emphasize that enough.
Second that--may have happened by now, but I'll have to look.
Your pick of movies is right up my alley
Glad to hear it!
The way Gielgud drops the tray almost deliberately as they all enter Ratchetts cabin, was simple but superb!
Great reaction to one of the all-time classic who-dunnits. If it wasn’t already clear, this was an absolutely stacked cast, with some of the very best acting talent of its era.
The only Poirot that works for me is David Suchet. Watch the version with him. This one has a stellar cast but it still doesn't measure up (because of the above mentioned issue). Suchet IS Poirot.
thats a TV movie
I'm soooo glad you picked the original. The cast..!!! the WHO is WHO at that time. I think this is actually THE best crime story ever! I don't know how familiar you are with the Agatha Christie's novels. She is really popular in Europe. The Miss Marple stories (even more the movie adaptions like "Murder, She said (1961)") are well-known classics in Germany.
The ultimate watchlist: with the big revelation at the end, are "Death on the Nile" (1978) and "Evil under the Sun" (1982) both with Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot; "And then there were None" (1945), "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957) with Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich; "The Mirror crack'd" (1980) with E. Taylor and Rock Hudson; "The Spider's Web" (1960)..
I fully second all of these. For me and Miss Marple, as you stated, There is only ONE Miss Marple, even though Agatha Cristie apparently hated the idea, is Margeret Rutherford. She made 4 Marple films all very good and fun, so they be great idea too.
@@jaquesshugossen9398 I know the she disliked her. Nevertheless, the fan community spoke :-) And M. Rutherford is our queen in this role. No doubt about that. I can't stand seeing A. Lansbury as Miss Marple in "The Mirror crack'd" for example. She serves more the US fan base, I would say. But the cast is one thing, it is the well written story that's actually key. Therefore, we can be grateful for A. Christie's legacy. Almost all of her stories/novels are masterpieces ,IMO.
@@007sMoneyPenny The fans certainly spoke on that one! She certainly IS the Queen in the role! I do agree with you on A. Lansbury in "The Mirror Crack'd". The script is GREAT which at the end of the day, is one of the major key things. Delivery is also another and you have T. Curtis to support as well. A: Christie left a great amount of great stories and Masterpieces, most true!
For me, Joan Hickson is THE Miss Marple, but I can't deny that Margaret Rutherford is a ton of fun.
By the way, I think Angela Lansbury was very enjoyable as the drunk romance writer in Death on the Nile.
@@ThreadBomb yes, she was. That’s was exactly the kind of role I’ll always remember her for.
This was quite an unusual movie for Sidney Lumet, who typically did dark and heavy dramas with important social themes like 12 Angry Men, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon. His specific request that got him this script was "I want to do something gay" (in the original sense of the word).
The Juror #1 from 12 Angry Men is Poirot's friend in this (the actor I mean)
Well as it was said in the movie, it was a jury of 12 people, they all enacted his demise. An interesting fictional story, practically impossible as someone would talk eventually.
To me david suchet is Poirot as he embody character for longer then any actor has.
I was brought up on David Suchet's Poirot and I've always loved his portrayal of the character. Rewatched Curtain : Poirot's Final Case again recently and David just captures all the emotions superbly.
Yippy!! I was hoping you react to this movie. I love the cast and the movie, I've watched it a few times. Another murder mystery to check out is 1945's "And Then There Were None".
Actually, there was a recent tv adaptation of And Then There Were None that I think is the best one yet. Very true to the book, but it also really expands on the characters’ backstories.
@@kathyastrom1315 Oh really, I did want to know the back stories on the characters in the film. Thank you for letting me know, I'm going to have to search for tv adaptation.
#Evil under the sun, #Death on the Nile, starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot are entertaining movie to watch
Hi Chris This is a favorite of mine ....I Love movies based on Agatha Christie novels . Evil Under The Sun is another great one . The remake of this has Johnny Depp as the Investigator . I will be watching Murder on The Orient Express here again . Thank you for this treat
Johnny Depp is not Hercule but the murdered Ratchet.
Excellent choice! This was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid-my whole family went to see it in the theater (I was 8). A few years after that, I got into reading the Agatha Christie books and then was in a high school production of Appointment with Death, where I played the evil stepmother who gets killed halfway through (loads of fun!).
I like the recent film, but the cast here is just so great that the newer film doesn’t really compare. So many wonderful performances, but my personal favorite is Wendy Hiller as the Princess Dragomiroff. As a young woman, she was in two of my favorite films of all time: Pygmalion with Lesley Howard and I Know Where I’m Going, which I first saw because the TV guide called it “the most romantic film ever,” and it really was. It was delightful seeing her in this film, even in a smaller role.
My other favorite was Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Hubbard. She was an icon of 1970s tv talk shows, but I didn’t see her classic films with Bogart until a few decades later. “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together, and…blow.”
Thank you for mentioning those two fabulous films with Wendy Hiller. My admiration for both films is practically limitless! I particularly loved the idea that, in IKWIG, everyone in the film knew all about the dreaded "curse" at Moy Castle, except the audience!
And, as long as we're talking Wendy Hiller we certainly should mention "Separate Tables" for which she won a long overdue Oscar.
Twelve people, straight and true. You could defend it.
HEY CHRIS!!
I love Agatha Christie's mysteries and I LOVE Hercule Poirot. But my very favorite Poirot is played by Peter Ustinov...he's just amazing as the great detective Poirot. Peter Ustinov played the detective 6 times, my favorite of the 6 is "Evil Under The Sun" (1982).
Have a good day!!
~Dawne
That definitely sounds like a good one!
@@CasualNerdReactions including the hottest woman on earth at that time (Mrs "Emma Peel" from the Avengers or from Game of Thrones "Lady Olenna") --> DIANA RIGG _you'll enjoy to hate her ;-)
It’s on my calendar to do. Not until July, but hopefully it’ll win a poll 🤣😅
@@CasualNerdReactions _Evil under the Sun_ and _Death on the Nile._ I think the other Ustinov Poirots were made for TV and not as good.
"How can I catch the murder if I can't take notes?"
Reminds me instantly of the notepad scene from Hot Fuzz.
🤣
ingrid bergman, the 'backwards' woman, won an oscar for her performance here. just as an additional note on her, she was the drop dead gorgeous love interest of humphrey bogard in 'casablanca', while lauren bacall, daisy armstrong's grandmother and the princess's mother, was the real life wife of bogard. this was a true all-star cast. ratchet's secretary starred in alfred hitchcock's 'psyco', sir john geilgood (butler) and albert finney (poirot) starred in more things than i can name and got all types of awards (and a knighthood from queen elizabeth), sean connery was not only 007 but many other fantastic roles as well, and every other person was a star in either movies, theater, or both. i read somewhere that the producer wrote out a list of every a list star he wanted in it, chose the one who he thought was the biggest draw att the time (connery), asked/signed him on, and pretty much just went down the line saying connery's in it, then connery +, and +, and +, and by the end people were jumping at it almost before they'd even been asked. finally, this was of course written by the most well known mystery writer of all time, agatha christie. during her lifetime the baby of charles lindberg, the first person ever to fly across the atlantic from the u.s. to europe, was kidnapped and murdered much as portrayed at the beginning of the movie. lindberg was wealthy, and the household was similar to what's portrayed here. that murder was never solved, but there was deep shock and horror felt around the world, with lots of feelings somewhat as shown in her book/this movie about what should happen to that person. [an individual was arrested, tried, convicted, and electrocuted; however, he maintained his innocence right up to the time of death, and a very large number of people always believed that law enforcement just felt they had to arrest 'somebody', and the person they latched onto was a poor guy who couldn't defend himself.]
As a fellow nerd, just discovered you. Thank you for sharing this🇬🇧👵🤔
What strikes me about the conclusion of this film is that the detective figures out that everyone involved conspired to murder, then, because he sympathized with their reasons, made himself an accomplice to the murder as well. He might as well have taken a turn with the knife.
Essentially correct.
I don't remember the specifics from this film, but in the book, Poirot leaves the decision as to which theory was the correct one to his friend (the RR owner) and the doctor, and said he would go along with whatever they decided. They opted for the first theory.
One little mathematical point: As Poirot says, there were 12 passengers excluding himself and Ratchett in the Calais coach, the number required for a jury. But the conductor was also one of the murderers, making 13. In the book, it is made clear that Countess Andrenyi, though she must have realized that something was going on, was not personally involved in the murder plan or its execution, so we're down to 12 again - but no doubt the filmmakers didn't want to prolong an already lengthy explanation scene with this detail, so they left it out, and figured we wouldn't actually count to make sure that the number of murderers was in fact 12.
Correct, I was definitely not counting! haha
But they stabbed together so it would still be 12 wounds
@@egala005 That's true (and didn't happen in the novel), but it's still 13 murderers - not the number for a jury.
@@richardzinns5676 let's say the extra person was the prosecutor and Poirot the judge
@@egala005 The extra person could be what in the US is called an "alternate juror".
This is a good version, but I'm sorry, David Suchet plays Poirot like no one else.
Loved every minute of this movie and the book too, which had some changes. The most recent remake, IMHO, tried to make it less of a who dunit and more of a thriller. The final scene in the new movie outside the train in the snow is just ridiculous.
Agatha Christie is so so so good. I really recommend reading her books (or watching adaptations of her work). Ryan Johnson said that she was his great inspiration when writing Glass Onion and I have to say that when I was watching GO for the first time, with some scenes I had a feeling that it was very Christie-like.
Anyway, basic rules of watching any Christie adaption is NOT to watch Kenneth Branaugh's atrocities.
I have to say that granted the newer versions of Murder and Death on the Nile are not up to AC standards, it was still fun to watch because Kenneth made everything different. When you've seen the originals so many times, I found it fun to watch it differently.❤❤
Thanks for reacting to this delicious classic soufflé of a film!
Highly recommend the 2015 make of And Then There Were None; not Poirot, but also written by Agatha Christie. It's pretty close to the original book, and just as complex.
I love the Poirot series starring David Suchet, and it's fun to see other adaptations such as this one. While I agree that legally, the killing of Ratchet was wrong, I am ultimately satisfied with him being dead and those responsible being at peace.
Agatha Christie’s murder-mysteries ALWAYS involve some bit of magician’s misdirection, where she gets you to take the deceptive red herring (one killer?) so sensibly for granted, you don’t even notice the key clue that slipped by in casual conversation. There’s other good Christie on film, including the old version of “Death on the Nile” with Peter Ustinov as Poirot, and “The Mirror Crack’d”, with Angela Lansbury as detective grandma Miss Marple, years before Murder, She Wrote.
The BBC produced all of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot mystery novels, with David Suchet in the lead role. He is great.
This is great but I prefer Peter Ustinov as Poirot
Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile from this era are also fun to watch. If you're looking for another murder mystery, The Last of Sheila is a cult classic, co-written by Anthony Perkins who played Mr. McQueen in this movie.
To respond to your comment about being in two minds, and a legal standpoint, here's a quote from the book.
"Ratchett had escaped justice in America. There was no question as to his guilt. I visualized a self-appointed jury of twelve people who condemned him to death, and were forced by exigencies of the case to be their own executioners. And immediately, on that assumption, the whole case fell into beautiful shining order."
BTW Other adaptations had MacQueen's father, the D.A. in the Armstrong kidnapping more involved. He was pressured to go after Suzanne/Paulette, the innocent French maid. When it was discovered she was innocent after committing suicide, MacQueen Sr.'s reputation was ruined. In the BBC version with David Suchet, MacQueen was held by Ratchett's gang and the ransom was MacQueen Sr. had to let Ratchett go.
So Hector MacQueen stabbed Ratchett out of justice for his own father's sake.
Agatha Christie stories are always a worthy read, The movies based on her stories are so great!
Director Sidney Lumet said he wanted the film to be a soufflé, and added the toasting to Mrs. Hubbard & her daughter at the end to create a kind of curtain call, because it was such a theatrical film. The DVD extras are full of great trivia, like when Tony Walton, the costume designer, created the first outfit we see Lauren Bacall in, he hadn't checked with Lumet to see which side he'd be filming, and was horrified he might have created a look that hid her face (he guessed correctly, however). Jacqueline Bisset also talked about how excruciating it was to film the final exposition, because Albert Finney (who was one of several cast members also appearing on the West End, & had his makeup done in an ambulance they sent to fetch him each morning, so he could get more sleep on the way to the studio) had pages of dialogue he had to do over and over for the various shots, while everyone else had to pretend they were hearing it for the first time.
It's a really grey and depressing souffle.
"You never smile, madame la princesse?"
In the Mad Magazine parody, her response was, "My makeup man has advised against it."
I read the novel in 1975 while on a family vacation. My Dad objected to me reading it because he didn't think a 13-yar-old should be reading about gruesome murder, but he didn't prevent it. The book inspired me to take French in high school because I didn't know how to pronounce Hercule Poirot's vocabulary. French in my part of the country is totally useless. I should have taken Spanish.
Mais pourquoi?
Christie wrote so many stories and one of the things she did is go through the gamut of completely unexpected murders - the policeman, the entire train, the narrative, and so on. She is still considered the queen of mysteries.
One of her stories was made in a Hitchcock film, Witness for the Prosecution, another one of my favorites combing the joint work of two masters.
Ooh that one isn't on my Hitchcock shortlist, and perhaps it needs to be!
@@CasualNerdReactions Yes - it also stars Marlene Dietrich who is spoofed in Blazing Saddles.
this version has a great cast, great soundtrack and no CGI. The Branagh version has horrendous CGI which makes it look like a video game. Also did I mention this cast is full of Hollywood legends. Yes I did!
The remake is quite good too. I'm enjoying Branagh's Christie fascination much more than his Shakespeare 😅
I feel the other way round. For me he has a clear talent for staging Shakespeare plays but no empathy for Christie's work at all.
I used to enjoy his Shakespeare, but I now feel that Shakespeare only really works with a live audience. The dialogue is very rhetorical, and you need that interaction to make it work.
I love this film, I definitely prefer it to the modern remake starring Kenneth Brannagh. You should also watch Death on the Nile (1978) starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot, which again i think is better than the recent remake.
Completely agree with you - the quality of this film and it's sequels with Peter Ustinov are incomparable.
Every actor was well known, and each was a major actor in films at the time.
Albert Finney
Ingrid Bergman
Lauren Bacall
Sean Connery
Martin Balsam
Vanessa Redgrave
Anthony Perkins
Jacqueline Bissett
Michael York
Wendy Hiller
Richard Widmark
John Gielgud
Unbelievable.
If this case had actually gone to court, there would be 12 witnesses who jointly could tell any story, like they saw the murdered get away, and basically only Poirot saying otherwise. They could even threaten to pin it on him if he didn't look the other way.
An excellent movie, there were 4 versions of this story made. The last one starred Kenneth Branagh, and all star cast. This Poirot was much more vigorous, and physical, worth watching. My moral compass would say they wee justified, as there was no real physical evidence that the courts would accept, I agree with this verdict.
You might like another 'Train' film The Lady Vanishes', an early Hitchcock film in black and white, which is set in a similar time and place as 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
Great reaction! Maybe you mention it in the full-length reaction, but several of the actors are old-timers you might have seen in older movies you may have reacted to: Anthony Perkins (the victim's secretary) from Psycho, for instance, and Ingrid Bergman (the Swedish nurse) from Casablanca and Notorious. Ms Bergman won an Academy Award for this role -- they had wanted her to play the princess, but she insisted that she could do something distinctive and funny as the nurse.
This is one of the greatest of all all-star casts ever. They're not just popping up for cameos, but all interacting together all the time. I especially enjoy Vanessa Redgrave (Mary Debenham), because she almost never got a chance to be flirty and funny onscreen like this. Isn't it great the way that, at the end, when all the characters walk by one by one to toast Lauren Bacall, they seem to be taking their bows at the end of a play?
This is just about the only time Agatha Christie allowed murderers to get away with it. Later in life she regretted having done so, feeling that taking the law into one's own hands like this is not right. In real life, I agree, but in this story I prefer the outcome we have.
This also has one of my favorite film soundtracks. I think that Richard Rodney Bennett's music is superb -- the jazzy opening theme, and the grand waltz for the train itself.
Indeed! I commented on it during the credits as name by name felt familiar. The cast was stacked! It was originally in my edit, but I had to trim it down a bit to clear copyright.
Lauren Becall was in Misery that was reviewed on this channel, also How To Marry a Millionaire. Martin Balsam also from 12 Angry Men. So many more movie to view with this cast.
Julia
James Bond with Sean Connery
Big Fish. Is a must to see with Albert Finney
Arthur with John Gielgud
Michael York in Romeo and Juliette
Pygmalion and Major Barbara with Wendy Heller..
It’s funny how you mention the Count and Countess seemed the most disconnected, when in the book the husband took his wife’s place in the killing because if the Countess was identified as who she was, her connection to the Armstrongs was the strongest and she would be the most suspected, so everyone was working to protect her the most.
Oh interesting! I'm gonna take that as they did a good job. 😅
Hey, if you loved Knives Out, I highly recommend the underseen 1973 gem, The Last of Sheila. It's an 1970s all-star ensemble cast with a witty, caustic and clever script. Rian Johnson, director of the Knives Out films, has publicly cited as inspiration for both.
oh yes! I would love to see that one, especially after seeing glass onion!
You have a big fan down unda m8 here in Oz, Personally I loved Rachel Roberts as Hildegard Schmidt , but also Lauren Bacall, Jackie Bisset , John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins and of course Wendy Hiller (and of course Martin Balsam and Albert Finney)...SIDNEY Lumet famously added the champagne glass clinking ending himself for that extra classy touch ! Please do Death on the Nile, The Mirror Crack'd and Evil under the Sun
Watch 1971's 'What's the Matter with Helen?", with Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters. It had the same type of opening. I think you'd get a kick out of that film.
Great reaction to a great classic who done it movie with a great cast and a great twist at the end.
This is my 2nd favorite book adaptation from Agatha Christie.
My favorite is And then there were none (1945).
If you ever get around to watch that movie. You can write down who you think the murderer is after every kill.
Yep multiple murders in that movie.
Brilliant entertainment. Excellent acting from all the fab cast. Top notch script and directing (and giving the trauma that must spread out from the murder of a child it’s proper weight)
The lady Vanishes is another great film set on a train 🤔.
Love Poirot!! Been watching him on BritBox! This is my favorite version of this movie!! Excellent reaction!❤
Very good reaction, you should also react to its sequels: Death on the Nike (1978), and Evil under the Sun. Also, the remakes that are directed, and starred by Kenneth Branagh, please.
That Death on the Nike was a fascinating story! Those shoes had a lot to answer for! Hehe!
The remake is not bad, but not nearly as good as the original. I feel the same about the original version of Death on the Nile vs Kenneth Branagh’s remake. Branagh changes too much of Agatha Christie’s original depiction of the side characters. He gives them too much back story that wasn’t in the story. This version you just watched was excellent and I enjoyed your reaction. I suggest watching the 1978 Death on the Nile with Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot as well as his reprisal of the Poirot role in the 1982 Evil Under The Sun!
I use to say that Branagh is great at staging Shakespeare plays but it seems he never considered that Christie's style isn't Shakespearian.
@@tubekulose my beef with Branagh and other remakes is, “why do you think your vision is better than the original writer?” I hated the Hobbit movies for the same reason.
@@AnthonyLaMastra Oh yes, I totally agree.
Awesome flick!
This is my favorite Murder on the Orient Express. For a more conflicted Hercule see 2001's with Alfred Molina. If you watch the most recent with Kenneth Branagh 2017, I hope that you have Blu Ray or similiar quality, as it is beautifully filmed.
Oh yes! I try watch most of my movies on my tv at the highest quality possible.
Great job !
I watched this a few months ago..which reminds me I have Death on the Nile PVR'd..
I'm a fan of 1970's cinema and loved those films that had stark endings that often dealt with the push and pull of moral ambiguity and sometimes where evil triumphed outright. The Kenneth Brannaugh(sp) version had an ending where the characters wrestled more with their guilt after getting away with it. The '74 version had them toasting their deed which suggests no remorse and in retrospect is much more cynical.
Albert Finny was MUCH more Poirot like than Kenneth Branaugh. You picked the superior film.
This fictional story reminds me of the real-life Lindbergh kidnapping.
That was definitely Christie's inspiration, yeah.
@Casual Nerd Reactions Saw it in the theater, and Glass Onion is plenty fun. Safest rental for you of all people, Chris
I saw Glass Onion twice in theaters, I absolutely loved it. I hope it is eventually available to purchase and not just on Netflix.
As always, your reaction is captivating.
This version is great. However, I do highly recommend you watch the remake. It has a very stylised feel I think you would like and a wonderful cast. It also unfolds the telling of the Armstrong story in a slightly different way/pacing that I think I prefer.
No matter which version of the story, you can never go wrong with an Agatha Christie mystery. I also recommend you watch " And then there were none" (1945) or "Ten Little Indians" (1965), which are both adaptations of another one of Agatha Christie's novels " And then there were none."
THIS!! My favorite version of the book, soooo much better than the disappointing Branaugh version
I saw this movie in a theater when it came out. It was a packed house and we weren't exactly early. We weren't seated until about 10 min in and stck in the back corner the sound was pretty bad and I missed half the dialogue with those fake accents so I was totally lost in what was going on, lol. Anyway, I did see it again many years later and speciation it although by then I knew the ending.
oh no! dialogue always needs to be clear!
When the missionary character says she was interested from five years, she means she was interested in religion since the age of five, btw. It is kind of awkward wording so I get the confusion.
Saw this at 9 years old was a bit confused! Remember the stabbing scene with the blue lighting 😇🙏
Why did I watch at age 9 too?
I remember being quite terrified, when that group of very polite folks suddenly steps in one by one with murder in their eyes.
One of my top 5 all time films.
What a wonderful movie. I saw it when it came out, and several times since.
Too bad you had to mute a lot of the music for UA-cam -- it's sublime.
It just struck me that when Poirot left the final decision to Mr. Bianchi at the end he was probably pretty confident about what option Bianchi would choose. After all, Bianchi would not want Wagon-Lits, the company he worked for, to be associated with a sensational crime which would be international news.
The music was wonderful! This company that holds the rights to this one is challenging on copyright, I'm honestly shocked this was able to post at all with the last half hour being so tightly written with every moment feeling essential.
The UK Poirot series did a good version of this as well.
You should do the old death on the Nike and evil under the sun.
Watch the 1978 Death on the Nile.
Yes!!!
Ok which should be next?
Death on the Nile (1978)?
The Mirror Crack'd (1980)?
Evil Under the Sun (1981)?
Crooked House (2017)?
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)? (I still prefer this version but I enjoyed the 2017 version a lot more than I thought I would0
Death on the Nile (2022)? (A LOT of changes from the original story but the 70s movie made several changes as well - it's rare that you come across an Agatha Christie adaptation that doesn't include at least two changes)
The David Suchet Point series - as in the whole thing, shorts as well as the full 90 minutes?
The Geraldine McEwan/Julie McKenzie Marple series?
The Joan Hickson Miss Marple series?
Evil Under the Sun is my pick! lol
@@CasualNerdReactions
Crooked House. Oh my God, that was out of the park too.
This is the best version.
I was was watching this with my Wife and Daughter and asked why this did not get an Oscar, my Daughter did a quick search and this movie was released the same year as The Godfather.
Check out the original Death on the Nile next. Peter Ustinov plays Hercule Porout in it and kills it.
I saw the recent adaptation of death on the nile, so I'm gonna skip it for now. I plan to do Evil Under the Sun next, although unless it wins a poll it'll be several months.
@@CasualNerdReactions
Do that one anyway.
It only recently dawned on me that Colin Blakely (Hardman) and Denis Quilley (Foscarelli) plays in that one as well, both being completely unrecognizeable from this one. And Maggie Smith is in it too, she plays with Ustinov in Death on the Nile.
The more modern version is good. But in the PBS series the inspector really struggled with the murder even however justified. Which makes the finale even more profound. I love Agatha Christie's movies however the books are so confusing.
Love Agatha Christie movies of all kinds (I was raised on the books so I usually know who did it) But the stories are so good you just want to watch it unfold!
My money is on Norman Bates.
Looks like Detective Arbogast is a passenger too.
Always put your money on Norman!
Perfect Agatha Christie adaptation! The producers went all out with casting and production values and succeeded wildly. They continued with two more glittering, all star theatrical Poirot films: "Death On The Nile" and "Evil Under The Sun", both excellent with "Death On The Nile" being my favorite of the trilogy. Peter Ustinov replaced Albert Finney as Poirot for these two and ,though Finney was brilliant, I prefer Ustinov who completely embodies my particular idea of the character. I highly encourage you to check out both especially "Death On The Nile".
Ustinov's Poirot would certainly be more pleasant company.
Albert Finney was the best Poirot! And so glad you enjoyed this classic!!!
Great reaction, Chris. I'm glad you enjoyed this version. But,speaking as a retired movie critic, avoid at all cost the remake with Kenneth Brannagh as Peirot. It has great cinematography and some very good acting, but Brannagh's Peirot cannot match the great performance of his fellow English man Albert Finney. Brannagh made his version to satisfy his own ego and it shows in his overwhelming performance. But, I suppose, you have to please your Patreon members if they want you to see that version. Personally, it was a waste of my time. Will be looking forward to your reactions to Apollo 13, The Polar Express, and Krampus.
I would love you reacting to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Where can we watch this old movie??
It looks like it’s available on Hoopla and Kanopy which I believe you can access for free with a public library card. You can also rent it for 3.99 on Amazon, UA-cam, or Vudu (this is the one I usually do).
forget the 2017 movie.
if you wanna compare this...do it to the Murder on the Orient Express TV movie version with David Suchet as Poirot.
The Branagh remake is a disaster. The David Suchet BBC version is masterful. Suchet is the greatest Poirot. He became the character by doing the entire Agatha Christie Poirot series. He is the only actor to fully represent Christie's intentions, especially her religious themes.
22:55 Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?
I am frankly shocked that you never read this. I guess I assumed that a "Casual Nerd" would be well ready on the classics. Not only hadn't you read this novel, you seemed to not know who Hercule Poirot is. Have you read ANY Agatha Christie? (This isn't meant to be insulting-I assumed every English speaker knew)
The remake is a very different movie. You may like it or not. I found the remake trying to hard to be exciting.
What was so interesting is...
SPOILER
The reason everyone looked suspicious was... EVERYONE did it. No red herrings.