Murder on the Orient Express film (the Branagh remake)

[zwilnik]

Went to see this at the cinema today (my other half got me an unlimited cinema ticket for christmas last year, so I get to see a lot more films than usual now ).

As a film in its own right, it's mostly competent, has pretty good acting and the production (apart from what I think is a major railway flaw) is good. Problem is, the original film was just as good in terms of acting, had better music and better production. Also, as it's exactly the same story, there's no actual murder mystery going on unless you're under 30 and have somehow never seen the original or read the book.

The railway flaw I mentioned may be related to the budget for the film, but I'm sure the Orient Express never ran with only 4 carriages? They have a Parlour/Dining car, Kitchen car, single sleeper car and baggage car. Somehow managing to fit the staff for the train and a luxury private compartment (1/2 a carriage length) in somewhere too.

[Skyline2uk]

We saw it recently as well, and I rather enjoyed it.

I know the story well (Mrs Skyline is a Christie fan), and I preferred it over the David Suchet version. Although I regard Mr Suchet as the seminal Poirot (IMHO), his Orient Express was not.

I also spotted the four coach issue straight away and Mrs Skyline was duly informed   

Skyline2uk

[zwilnik]

I just watched the trailer for the original and it looks like they only had 4 coaches in that one too (or at least they did in the scene where it's stuck in a snowdrift).

(by the original I mean the Albert Finney version with the waltz as the train starts)

[Portpatrick]

I just watched the trailer for the original and it looks like they only had 4 coaches in that one too (or at least they did in the scene where it's stuck in a snowdrift).

(by the original I mean the Albert Finney version with the waltz as the train starts)

I watched the Finney version recently and the train length seemed to have continuity issues, even if coaches were removed/added en route.

No idea which is closer to the book but I generally preferred the Finney Version to Suchet's and I too am a great fan of Suchet.  It seemed to hand together better.  My only doubt was that I felt Finney came over as a more angry man prone to excess shouting than a brain in a weak body!  I also wondered about the final clearance of snow on a single line.  Would have taken so long to break through it as the length of line affected seemed so short.  Would it have taken the time it took to complete the denouement on the train.  And then where did the plough disappear to soon the single line  such that the express so immediately gets on its way at normal operating speed.

Must see the new one sometime and pick holes in that!!!

I have similar fun comparing Ustinov and Suchet in Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile.  Never read any of the 3 relevant books by the way.

[MJKERR]

I worked on this film from August 2016, filming in November 2016 to March this year
I have some wonderful behind the scenes photos and memories
My name appears in the credits as part of the Splinter Unit (Malta), even though I also worked at Longcross!

I have to agree the effects are basic, when compared to other films
However, it is more about engaging the audience with the story

The main issues were space, hence why the train is a locomotive and four coaches
Even the elevated set was only large enough for the locomotive and two coaches (which had to be swapped depending on the scene being filmed)

Whilst the film may be nominated for the Academy (Oscars) it is not expected to win
However, it will most likely pick up at least one BAFTA
The film was completed in time for the screenplay to be submitted

With respect to the filming of the train, I suggest you watch the Behind The Scenes video (available on YouTube)
The running wheels can also be seen in the film!
They were NOT digitially removed post-production, which would have happened on a film with a bigger budget...
There are other filming errors as well, but that's another story

[zwilnik]

Nice one!

Set space etc. makes a lot of sense and I'm glad it didn't go the CGI route to tack on more coaches. I certainly didn't miss special effects (Actually I was nearly put off the film by the trailer focusing a lot on the chase under the bridge scene which made it look like they'd turned it into an action movie).

Next time you get a railway project though, I suggest you film it in N gauge so you can fit a lot more on the set

[zwilnik]

and best of luck with the BAFTAs. I suspect it's got a good chance there.

[Newportnobby]

Also, as it's exactly the same story, there's no actual murder mystery going on unless you're under 30 and have somehow never seen the original or read the book.

I have to admit to being gutted when someone told me how the film 'Titanic' ended

[tutenkhamunsleeping]

I have to admit to being gutted when someone told me how the film 'Titanic' ended

And now the sequel's been put on ice

[daffy]

I saw the Albert Finney version when it first came out when I was a student in Birmingham. I was surprised they saw the need to remake it  - again if you include the Suchet TV version - and I watched it again recently when it was broadcast on TV.
I have no desire to see the Branagh version, and wonder again why TV and movie producers persist in redoing things that have already been done well when there is so much good literature out there that they can draw on that never gets the movie/TV series treatment.
Probably loads of good reasons in the producers minds, but I for one would like to see a broader scope.

[NTrain]

I found it to be generally a competent film. However, I thought the portrayal of Poirot was one of the worst I have seen.

He came across as fussy and not very clever.

Of course, if you have seen an earlier version, there is no possibility of mystery........................... or read the book.

We had been to see the Thor film, the week before, so I had to agree to go to this one as well.

It was an experiment for us, as my previous experience was a disaster, as I could not hear any more than about a dozen words in the whole film. The Light cinema, in Wisbech, does showings with subtitles. To make it better, there were only a few people in, so very little background noise.

[silly moo]

I'm looking forward to seeing it. I assuming that they've got the loco right (I know very little about Continental Railways) at least they haven't used a Black Five or a pannier tank so it looks a lot better than some of the films I've seen.

[MJKERR]

wonder again why TV and movie producers persist in redoing things that have already been done well when there is so much good literature out there

I put this question to a studio executive (in Los Angeles) a few years ago
It's all about risk and benefits
Sadly the studios now like to play safe
Equally, there are quite tight criteria for awards

As a result what you end up with are an initial film
If successful sequels or reboots
If unsuccessful then you end up with just a single film, and quite often left open-ended

You then have the issue where time passes and subsequent films no longer fit
As an example, how many Spiderman films do we need!
At the other end, Planet Of The Apes has been successfully rebooted, and is almost complete to the original films

This should not be confused with a B-movie, which is intended as a one-off film
Quite often, and occurs more recently, they are adverts for actors to show off their skills
MOTOE is borderline on this, as it has allowed (certain) actors and directors to show off their skills and their interpretation of the previous performance

[guest311]

sorry, but I'm a grumpy old git !

I don't watch remakes [which I find are usually worse than the originals which had ACTORS in them]

I don't watch films where I have read the book, they are usually so different you can't recognise them, such as the yanks [as usual] being in 'the enemy below', the book of which was enthralling, at least I thought so, and the film errr [family forum] not so good.

then of course there was the one about the enigma machine recovered from a U-boat, again totally changed.

and don't even start me on the idea of Tom Cruise [ all 4 ft sod all of him] as 6ft + and built like a brick err barrack block Jack Reacher from the [IMHO] great Lee Child books.

so I am afraid I shan't bother with it, but I do hope that others do enjoy it if they spend good money on seeing it.

[Newportnobby]

and don't even start me on the idea of Tom Cruise [ all 4 ft sod all of him] as 6ft + and built like a brick err barrack block Jack Reacher from the [IMHO] great Lee Child books.

Having read all the Reacher books when they announced Tom Cruise was to play him I fell off my chair laughing. However, I recently purchased the twin pack DVD and, if you can forget how big Jack Reacher is, they are actually good films IMO and true to Reacher's ethics.