Set in the 1930's on one of the worlds most famous trains, the screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is a beautiful example of art decoration and craftsmanship, and the perfect place to gather a gaggle of film stars old and new.
Director Sidney Lumet handpicked the perfect motley ensemble of characters to fill the famed Orient Express, on its way from Istanbul to Paris.
Albert Finney plays perfectly the lead role of Hercule Poirot ("Pwa row! Pwa-row!"), Christie's famous Belgian detective. While returning home from Istanbul, Poirot happens upon a murder aboard the luxury train. But who committed the dastardly deed? Greta Ohlsson (Ingrid Bergman), the Bible-quoting missionary? Colonel Arbuthnot (Sean Connery, the Indian army officer?
Albert Finney is sensational as the fictional gumshoe, putting the lid on a brilliant and extremely Oscar worthy performance. By giving his penultimate monologue, summing up the facts of the case and fingering the culprit, Finney's nomination was in the bag.
He could not have played the part any better; not only did he fit the part as per Agatha Christie's own characteristics, but he even spoke in a Belgian accent that never once broke. It will be up to Finney's Poirot to figure out the answer to the case... and he'd better hurry... he only has until the next station to put the pieces together.
Ingrid Bergman, on the other hand, did not deserve to win the Oscar. Her performance was all of ten minutes on screen, and she had maybe five minutes of speaking time. Her win came from a four-minute span when Poirot is interrogating her. She gives the time she has on screen her best, and while that is good, it certainly isn't Oscar worthy.
The rest of the film, however, was very well done. Each character plays an integral part in story, which is accentuated by the wonderful art/set direction and recreation of the famed iron horse.
Even though the film is slow to get going, it picks up in the middle with all the strong, top-notch, performances and terrific, witty script writing. The best Adaptation of Agatha Christie’s work you’ll ever see. Christie herself thought so, too.
Is the movie worth your time to watch?
7/10 27-01-07
Age at win: 59
Nominated for: Best Actress in a supporting Role, Greta Ohlsson, Murder on the Orient Express
Nomination: 6/7 (acting), 6/7 (total); Win: 3rd
While Ingrid Bergman gives a good performance during the time she is on screen, admittedly, her performance isn’t Oscar worthy at all. But what choice did the Academy have?
Quoting 70733-2115, from the IMDB’s message board on this film:
“You really have to look at the rest of the field:
“Talia Shire (Godfather II) [director's sister, nepotism is gauche]
“Dianne Ladd (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) [still considered a soap opera and small movie actress at the time]
“Madeline Kahn (Blazing Saddles) [then as now, comedy Oscars are rare, and the more slapstick and in bad taste, the rarer they get.]
“Valentina Cortese (La Nuit Americaine) [comedy that isn't even in English. Foreign language Oscars for 'acting' were very rare in 1974]
“Bergman was the safest way for the Academy to go.” Now most of what they say is true; The Academy RARELY hands out Oscars for comedy, and as for the nepotism thing, even if she’s the director’s sister, if she gave the best performance of the year, why not give it to Talia Shire? Maybe Ingrid Bergman was the safest choice, but she wasn’t the best.
There just isn’t enough of a performance to warrant an Oscar. Sure, Anthony Hopkins got one for The Silence of the Lambs, and Judi Dench got one for Shakespeare in Love, and both of their performances were each less than twenty minutes, but they actually did something to warrant an Oscar. (How can anyone say Hopkins’ Hannibal Lechter wasn’t anything but amazing?)
Bergman’s performance was good, but not Oscar worthy.
27-01-07
