Dear railway friends,
Winter is coming not only in Westeros, but gradually throughout Europe and the entire Northern hemisphere. So the team at RAILMARKET newsroom has decided to provide you with some suggestions for enjoyable long winter evenings. From this week onwards, we will be bringing you a film tip every Saturday that has something to do with railways. And which movie should we start with? The decision is straightforward - the snow-coated countryside, Hercule Poirot and Murder on the Orient Express. Enjoy it!
However, which one should we choose? The popular film from 1974 features the talented actors Albert Finney, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, and the renowned Sean Connery. Or the new one from 2017 with Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penélope Cruz and Willem Dafoe?
It doesn't matter. Both are perfect. The tale proceeds through a standard detective storyline, with an unforeseen turn of events that leaves the reader or watcher surprised. The answer to the puzzle isn't immediately obvious. Clearly, old good Agatha Christie.
On a December night in 1930, the Orient Express, a luxury train travelling across Europe from Istanbul to Calais, becomes the scene of a mystery that Hercule Poirot, who happens to be one of its passengers, must use all his wit and genius to solve. He has plenty of time to do so, as the train, trapped by a snow disaster somewhere in the Yugoslav interior, has no choice but to wait patiently for its release from the snowdrifts.
So, please, sit down in your chair and immerse yourself in the train, the snow and the mysterious murder...
Behind-the-scenes facts
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some fragments of the cars were borrowed from European collections and museums, with Belgium contributing the most (1974)
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in 1929, the westward-bound Orient Express got stuck in the snow in Tcherkesskeuy (130 km from Istanbul) for 5 days. This extraordinary event inspired the author of the detective story
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in addition to the great costumes and cinematography, a touch of authenticity was added by borrowing real carriages from the famous Orient Express at the International Sleeping Car Museum (1974)
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Marlene Dietrich was originally considered for the role of Princess Dragomiroff (1974)
- The original journey of the Orient Express (as of 4 October 1883) was from Paris (France) to Giurgiu (Romania)
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At the end of the film, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) approaches the suspects, who are seated at a table resembling the figures in Leonardo da Vinci's fresco "The Last Supper" (2017)
