A movie with a cast that includes Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi. Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer. and Daisy Ridley possesses plenty of acting chops. I’ve seen the 1974 movie version of Murder on the Orient Express with even more Star Power: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Roberts, Richard Widmark, and Michael York.
My problem with Agatha Christie movies is that once I’ve read the book and know Whodunit, the suspense vanishes when I watch the movie. This latest version of Murder On the Orient Express looks great on the screen. Kenneth Branagh plays Hercule Poirot with more physicality than Finny or David Suchet: Branagh chases Bad Guys and gets shot. And, this 2017 version of Murder On the Orient Express has done so well at the box office that a sequel, Death on the Nile, has been announced. But I’m hoping the producers cut away some of Kenneth Branagh’s ridiculous mustache! Do you have a favorite Agatha Christie movie? GRADE: B
My favorite Christie adaptation is probably the 1970s version of DEATH ON THE NILE. Although Peter Ustinov is no David Suchet, I think Mia Farrow does a great job as Jackie—the poor relation who loses the man she loves to her richer, more glamorous cousin. There’s an undercurrent of almost supernatural melancholy running through the book and I think Farrow does a superb job of bringing that element to the fore. I also like the early-1970s adaptation of ENDLESS NIGHT which is fairly faithful to the very atypical original and features George Sanders in one of his last roles.
Deb, you tastes parallel mine. I enjoyed Peter Ustinov as a jolly Poirot (although you’re right about Ustinov not being in David Suchet’s class) and Mia Farrow’s long underrated performance. ENDLESS NIGHT is one of Christie’s most unconventional mysteries and the George Sanders version stands out.
Death on the Nile or the original Orient Express were both good. And I remember a good version of THEN THERE WERE NONE. But in the last case, I had forgotten the twist.
Patti, don’t worry about forgetting the twist in AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. I’m sure it will be remade in the next five years or so.
Hard to choose a favorite, but I don’t think I’ve seen Endless Night, so hope it’s on Netflix. I enjoyed both Death on the Nile and Orient Express, life happened, so haven’t seen this new one in the theater as planned last week.
I have cox contour and have had nothing but trouble with it since I got it. However, they’ve now added a link to Netflix, so I can finally stream. Will get this soon.
Maggie, we have SPECTRUM which is really Comcast in disguise. Since they took over from Time-Warner Cable, our DVR crashes every few days so we have to reset it. Annoying!
I wish we could have what jeff and Jackie have, but we can only get cox where I live, which is better than the other half of the county that can only get time warner
Maggie, Western NY has FIOS here and there. The rollout is slow.
I agree on DEATH ON THE NILE and the Finney ORIENT EXPRESS, as well as ENDLESS NIGHT (with Hayley Mills) and the 1945 AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. But I’d probably go with the adaptation of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION with Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich. The later versions of AND THEN (as TEN LITTLE INDIANS) got progressively worse – 1965 (Hugh O’Brian – the judge was Wilfrid Hyde White), 1974 (Oliver Reed! – with Richard Attenborough as The Judge), and then 1989 (starring the super talent Frank Stallone! The judge was Donald Pleasence.)
Jeff, I agree with you on WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. The later versions are inferior. It seems like late 20th Century and early 21st Century directors don’t know what to do with Agatha Christie’s brand of mystery.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE… Serial Murder as Comedy of Manners.
Dan, you are so right! The bodies pile up in AND THEN THERE WERE NONE!
Witness For the Prosecution. The Billy Wilder one.
Steve, we saw a play version of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION that was very well done.
The black & white 1945 AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. Then EVIL UNDER THE SUN (Ustinov?) and DEATH ON THE NILE. I like the Finney ORIENT EXPRESS well enough, but as you say, once you know the ending…
Rick, your wonderful Christmas card arrived today! We’re still working on getting our Christmas cards out. Lots of snow slows us down!
Witness for the Prosecution with YOHS as the Queen’s Counsel as performed at the Bremerton Community Theater! Actually, the production was mediocre owing to the worst director since Ed Wood, Jr. But I ended up with a very pretty girlfriend so all was not lost!
Bob, you always were a charmer with women! Your BOUCHERCON record sets the Gold Standard.
A bit OT re “and then there were none”:
I once read a book by a quite well known female US author based on the same idea (she acknowledged it of course). There the scene is the upper floor of a high rise, cut off by a malfunctioning elevator and a lock on the stairs.
An unknown announces the next steps by prerecorded message on a tape reorder/cassette recorder.
It was well done – I didn’t realise who was the bad guy/guys …
Anyone remember this too?
That was the 1945 version.