Later this week there will be the release of the second remake of the film Murder on the Orient Express with a star-studded cast. The first version was in 1974 and also had an even more stellar cast with the biggest names of that era, and there was a made-for-TV version in 2001. All these films are based on an Agatha Christie novel with the same title.
I was an avid reader of Christie’s novels and think I read pretty much all of them in my youth. This particular novel was, in my opinion, one of her worst with a plot that was utterly preposterous. I remember being really annoyed when I got to the end of the book. I did see the 1974 version and was not impressed and am baffled as to why it is being done again and how it has managed to obtain the financing to attract such talent. Kenneth Branagh directs it and plays the role of Hercule Poirot.
There is no accounting for tastes, as they say. I definitely won’t go to the theaters for it but may watch a streaming version later if I am really bored.
Here’s the trailer, with Branagh sporting an outrageous mustache in the role of Poirot.
Just for fun, here is the trailer of the 1974 film, which had a slightly campy feel to it though Poirot, played by Albert Finney, had a much more subdued mustache.
Seeing the stills of two trailers next to each other also demonstrates how films nowadays in post-production tend to reduce the richness of the color palette and replace it with a bluish tint, the reasons for which I discussed in a post six years ago and in comparing new and old film trailers, one sees this color transition clearly.
I wonder how much bigger the mustache will be when they remake it again 40 years from now. It might even have its own speaking part. Thanks for the info on blue/orange I hadn’t been aware of that reason for the change.
You might enjoy the David Suchet version from 2010. The writers changed the focus a bit and it was a much more powerful story. While the plot was the same, the message was condemning vigilante justice. All the other versions I’ve seen, and the novel, tend to condone the murder. With this one, I at least, was left with a sense of grief.
OTOH, it is also far more overtly religious than other adaptations. Which might reduce the pleasure for some viewers.
Can’t see the appeal, modern whizz bang cinematography does nothing for me. David Suchet’s version is good enough.
Mano,
My understanding from many, many years ago was the Christie decided to write a spoof of her own style by having a murder where everyone did it.
The remake, I suppose, is intended to be a bit like the Titanic.
Spoiler alert! The boat sinks.
Cheers,
Jeff
Why make Murder on the Orient Express again?
Much of Hollywood has no creative vision?
Why make it again? Because filmmaking is a business, and:
1) Crime stories are hot in recent years, across a variety of media. E.g., Serial, Making of a Murderer, Gone Girl, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, various CSI and NCIS programs.
2) “Murder on the Orient Express,” Hercule Poirot, and Agatha Christie have enough brand recognition that many people go “oh yeah, I’ve heard of that,” but the book and prior versions are old enough that an entire new generation of filmgoers may not have experienced it.
3) If it succeeds, it has franchise potential, with literally dozens of additional Poirot stories available for (re-)adaptation.
Is it some tragic sign of creative decay? I don’t see why the film industry shouldn’t re-tell the same stories from time to time, updated with modern filmmaking techniques and actors the audience knows and likes. Nobody seems to complain when Broadway shows run for literally decades.
Now, it could be that Orient Express simply isn’t a good enough story to merit re-telling. It’s been a long time since I’ve read it, and I don’t think I ever saw the film versions
Let’s hope Hercule Poirot’s steampunk spider-strider is functioning. Gah, I don’t think after Wild Wild West I can stomach a movie with Branagh in it.
Nobody seems to complain when Broadway shows run for literally decades.
They are easy to ignore, that’s why.
I can see lodging the “now creative vision” complaint at Hollywood’s sequelitis issues, but remakes are nothing new. Even a lot of classics (Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula”, “The Maltese Falcon” and “His Girl Friday” come to mind) are actually remakes of earlier films.
I don’t think I’ve seen any version of “Murder on the Orient Express”, though the ending is pretty much as spoiled as Luke Skywalker’s father, so I can’t say I’d be caught up in the mystery.
I’ve actually always thought Hollywood should stop remaking good films and focus on remaking films that were almost good, but fell short. My go-to example is “Ladyhawke”, a fantasy romance that could have been a classic, but was marred by inconsistent direction, an utterly inappropriate soundtrack, and some miscasting. So, give it another try! It’s better than letting Tim Burton remake “Dumbo”. Seriously, why do we need another “Dumbo”?
Why oh why do they insist on having an American (or less commonly English) actor give an audibly fake accent? Bring in appropriate talent would increase the authenticity of the character, and also probably save a pretty penny by bringing in someone less expensive. But no, they need need need the star power of Big Name Actor for some reason.
Dunkirk was good. Possibly because there was so little dialogue.
Branagh was excellent in Much Ado About Nothing but that was some 25 years ago and his wordiness is right for Shakespeare.
I admit I want to see this. There are some actors in it I enjoy and I want to see their performances, and there are some actors I think are alright but I want to see if they can expand on what we’ve seen of them in the past.
But then there is Johnny Depp, an actor I once admired but lost me with crap like his Willy Wonka and Tonto, and more importantly his domestic violence. If the movie was all about him I’d stay away even when it makes its way to Netflix.
Am I the only one who vaguely remembers the books stating something to the effect that the mustache is magnificent and bushy and long etc and that David Suchet’s mustache didn’t quite cut it ? (though his performance was magnificent!)
Surely that honor belongs to “And then there were none? (or ten little indians )”
deep shetty,
In my mind, And then there were none, while pretty awful, did not quite reach the level of absurdity of Orient Express.