The time is here to celebrate 48 years of an iconic adaptation. The original 1974 British mystery film Murder on the Orient Express celebrates its 48 year anniversary. Directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin, the film is a perfect example of a stunning Agatha Christie adaptation. We went and found some fun facts to help celebrate.
Keep reading to find out our fun facts about the movie!
Re-imagining the novel
Many re-imagined the 1934 novel a variety of times including a 2001 TV film version, a 2010 episode of the television series Agatha Christie’s Poirot, followed by the 2017 production directed by Kenneth Branaugh.
Both films involved impressive casts making them all notable productions. The 1974 film featured an incredible lineup including Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, and Vanessa Redgrave. The 2017 adaptation starred an award-winning cast including Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, Judi Dench, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Do you have a favorite between the two? It honestly is so hard to pick– we know.
Did you know…
Did you know Agatha Christie died fourteen months after the release of the film? Let it be known the 1974 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express and the 1957 adaption of Witness for the Prosecution are the only book-to-screen adaptations of her work that she enjoyed.
The original 1934 novel is inspired by her trip aboard the luxury train in 1928. While the Murder on the Orient Express novel published in 1934, soon after, Christie’s novel, Death on the Nile, published in 1937 and adapted to the big screen in 2022.
Awards & nominations
With 25 award nominations and 9 winning awards, including actress Ingrid Berman’s Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 1975, the film holds a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also earned $36 million in North America making it the eleventh highest-grossing film of 1974. Yes! You read that right!
Although the 2017 production received 17 nominations, including Critics’ Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and nominations such as Best Thriller Film and Best Original Score, they sadly did not win any. But hey, still amazing to be nominated 17 times, right? We certainly think so.
What’s the movie really about?
The film features Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney). He is a Belgian detective who is asked to investigate the murder of a passenger aboard the Orient Express. When the train’s travel is delayed due to an unexpected snowstorm, the murderer has no way to escape his crimes now that Poirot is on the case. Did we grab your attention yet?
Where can you watch?
Interested in watching for yourself? You can find the original 1947 film Murder on The Orient Express on fuboTV, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and Apple TV, and the 2017 adaptation is on YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and Apple TV.
Looking for more killer reads from the murder mystery queen herself? Click here!