Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Murder on the Orient Express Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 20, 2017

Sidney Lumet's "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new video interview with producer Richard Goodwin; large archival featurette with interviews; and a collection of production stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Interesting... Very, very interesting, indeed.

Sidney Lumet’s Murder on the Orient Express is a prime example that a great cast isn’t enough to deliver a great film. A good one is a possibility, but the stars would have to be ego-free and willing to remain silent for a long period of time.

The film opens up with a couple of flashbacks that highlight important facts about a famous case: the kidnapping and killing of Daisy Armstrong, the daughter of a wealthy American couple. The facts are delivered in the form of quick newspaper headlines. The action then moves to Istanbul, where the famous Orient Express is prepped for a long journey. While final deliveries are made, various colorful characters board the train. Amongst them is the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney).

Soon after the Orient Express leaves Istanbul, the wealthy businessman Ratchett (Richard Widmark) is found dead in his berth. Detective Poirot immediately steps up and quickly discovers that Ratchett is in fact an alias and that the dead man was responsible for the kidnapping of Daisy Armstrong. Encouraged by his close friend Bianchi (Martin Balsam), director of the Orient Express, who wants the murderer identified before the train reaches the next stop in Yugoslavia so that he can avoid embarrassment, Detective Poirot begins questioning the wealthy passengers.

Director Lumet’s take on Agatha Christie’s famous novel has an appropriate exotic flavor, but the film’s big stars quickly create the impression that they are having a rather difficult time coexisting in front of the camera. One reason why is the fact that there are so many of them that managing their time in a way that allows the viewer to remain interested in everything they do is virtually impossible. As a result, it often feels quite awkward to see the likes of Sean Connery and Jacqueline Bisset simply passing by or quietly observing the rest of the stars as they share important information with the Belgian detective. Another reason is the uneven characterizations. There are various sequences throughout the film where the humor is a lot more important than the suspense, but not all of the stars seem to agree. One of these stars is the great Ingrid Bergman, who won an Oscar for her performance, whose body language and facial expressions consistently demand a much more serious atmosphere.

Finney’s Poirot is a rather unusual character as well. At times, he has a commanding presence, but elsewhere he looks like an irritable old man who simply wants to be alone with his thoughts. Also, the man has a fake accent and frequently mumbles while he reveals to the viewer what his supposedly brilliant mind is telling him. He can be very entertaining at times, but it isn’t easy to fully embrace him as Christie’s famous character.

Arguably the most convincing characterizations belong to Lauren Bacall's Mrs. Hubbard, Anthony Perkins' McQueen (played with a very familiar intensity), and Vanessa Redgrave' Mary Debenham.

Murder on the Orient Express was lensed by the great cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, who won Oscar Awards for his contributions to Bob Fosse’s Cabaret and Roman Polanski’s Tess. The use of warm colors and soft lighting is most appropriate for the sense of nostalgia that permeates the film.

The excellent orchestral score was created by British composer Richard Rodney Bennett (John Schlesinger’s Billy Liar, Ken Russell’s Billion Dollar Brain).

Murder on the Orient Express Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.70:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sidney Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release is sourced from a brand new remaster that is vastly superior to the master that StudioCanal used for the first release of the film in 2014. Indeed, the entire film now has an overall much better balanced appearance and as a result depth and a clarity are a lot more convincing. Grain is also much better exposed and resolved, and that light noise that was sneaking in on the previous release is nowhere to be seen here. There are major improvements in terms of color balance -- there is a batter range of proper primaries and a much more convincing spectrum of nuances. This being said, while viewing the film I felt that occasionally light black crush obstructs existing detail, but the film's overall appearance is still convincing. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, the encoding could have been optimized better. The cinematography is such that it actually helps hide some minor issues, but the entire film could have had a 'tighter' appearance. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Murder on the Orient Express Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent. My guess is that it was remastered with the entire film because the audio seems to be better rounded. More importantly, however, it is great to see that optional subtitles are provided. There are a few very exotic accents in the film and I believe that folks will definitely find them helpful.

Murder on the Orient Express Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Stills Gallery - a collection of original behind-the-scenes production stills.

• Making of - this archival featurette takes a closer look at the production history of Murder on the Orient Express. Included in it are clips from archival interviews with dierctor Sidney Lumet, producer Richard Goodwin, and cast and crew members. In In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. All Aboard! (14 min).
  2. The Ride (13 min).
  3. The Passengers (10 min).
  4. The End of the Line (14 min).

• Interview with Producer Richard Goodwin - in this exclusive new video interview, producer Richard Goodwin recalls how he became involved with Murder on the Orient Express, and discusses his interactions with director Sidney Lumet and impressions of his working methods. There are also some very interesting comments about the payments that were promised to the various big stars that are seen in the film. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

Murder on the Orient Express Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This recent release of Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express is sourced from a brand new remaster that was prepared by StudioCanal and offers some very meaningful improvements over the studio's initial release from 2014. I like how the film looks now a lot. Also included on the disc is an exclusive new video interview with producer Richard Goodwin. Consider an upgrade, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.