Murder on the Orient Express (1974) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Considering my colleague and fellow mega-fan David Krauss already did a remarkable review for Paramount’s Blu-ray, of Murder on the Orient Express normally he would be the one to follow up with this 4K disc. Unfortunately, he’s quite busy shuffling around the country at the moment, so that task falls to me. While I have lots to say about this film, what I would say couldn’t possibly equal the poise and class of his review, so I’ll be reprinting that here momentarily. 

For what it’s worth, Murder on the Orient Express is one of my absolute favorite films, full stop. When I’m forced to figure out what my Top Ten films of all time are, this one is always a contender. Sidney Lumet’s brilliant adaptation of Christie’s iconic novel is what got me hooked on Whodunit murder mysteries. The conditions of my first viewing of this film were eerily similar to those trapped on the titular train. Stuck in a snowstorm with barely any power to run anything but our fridge and a small portable TV, my watched this amazing film huddled under blankets next to a roaring fireplace. From then on I was a fan devouring Christie novels and films and digging into any whodunit mysteries worthy of my time. It also gave me a greater appreciation of Clue: The Movie. While Finney might not be my favorite Poirot, this is my favorite screen version of Christie’s classic story. David Suchet is a very close second, Alfred Molina tried his best with the production he was given, and truthfully, the less said of the over-produced Branagh version the better.  

And now here’s David Krauss’ thoughts from his 2021 Blu-ray Review:  

Dozens of Agatha Christie whodunits have been adapted for the screen, but few, if any, rival Murder on the Orient Express. The first one. The one directed by the late, great Sidney Lumet. The one that received six well-deserved Oscar nominations and earned Ingrid Bergman her third gold statuette. The one with an all-star - make that all-icon - cast led by Best Actor nominee Albert Finney and including Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Perkins, Martin Balsam, John Gielgud, Richard Widmark, Wendy Hiller, Rachel Roberts, Jacqueline Bisset, and Michael York. The one that's the most faithful to Christie's 1934 novel. The one that's, quite simply, the best of all the film and TV adaptations of this classic, timeless tale.

With impeccable production values, a snappy, literate script that mixes humor with intrigue, and top-notch, colorful performances, Lumet's film captures the distinctive flavor of Christie's book while taking viewers on an unforgettable ride aboard the world's most luxurious train. Even without the titular murder that propels the narrative while the train itself is stalled, the movie stands on its own as an elegantly crafted piece of entertainment and reverent homage to a bygone era.

Murder on the Orient Express transports viewers back in time to the mid-1930s, when railway travel was sophisticated and dignified, when people dressed for dinner, feasted on gourmet delicacies in an opulent dining car, drank the finest wines, and then retired to their well-appointed compartments. The Orient Express was swanky with a capital $, and only the most wealthy travelers could afford the trip.

On this particular journey, though, the passengers in the Calais coach seem anxious and preoccupied, exchanging significant glances and laboring to mask their true feelings. Especially concerned is Ratchett (Widmark), an American "businessman" and recipient of several anonymous threatening notes. He endeavors to hire one of the passengers, master detective Hercule Poirot (Finney), as his bodyguard, but the fastidious Belgian with a curled handlebar mustache and hyper-suspicious nature doesn't care for Ratchett's crass manners and tough attitude and turns him down.

Nobody likes Ratchett - not even his sycophantic personal secretary (Perkins) or doting manservant (Gielgud), and neither of them weeps when he's found dead in his bed the next morning. A loquacious widow (Bacall) claims a strange man disturbed her sleep and might be the culprit, but Poirot remains skeptical. He soon learns Ratchett masterminded the sensational kidnapping and ultimate murder of Daisy Armstrong, the young daughter of a Long Island tycoon, five years before. (The direct link between this fictional incident and the real-life abduction and subsequent killing of aviator Charles Lindbergh's son, which occurred during the same time period, is intentional.)

Poirot wonders whether any of the passengers share a connection with the Armstrongs, and with the help of a railroad executive (Balsam) on board, he conducts a private inquisition in an attempt to solve the crime before the train arrives at its next stop. In addition to those mentioned above, he questions a shy Swedish missionary (Bergman), a glowering Russian princess (Hiller) and her protective maid (Roberts), a Hungarian count (York) and his ravishing wife (Bisset), and a British colonel (Connery) who hopes to keep his relationship with a comely stenographer (Redgrave) a secret.

In addition to its atmosphere and intrigue, Murder on the Orient Express salutes the all-star dramas of Hollywood's Golden Age, films like Grand Hotel and Dinner at Eight, where the interactions of the lofty, on-screen personalities are almost as entertaining as the plot. Although the ego quotient on the Orient Express must have been astronomical, the stars nevertheless align to create a tight, comfortable ensemble. Sure, they often jockey about to grab our attention, but the inherent competition that surely existed drives them all to craft finely detailed performances that never cease to delight. First and foremost is Finney, who files the definitive interpretation of Poirot. Unrecognizable under layers of makeup and hair so oily it almost drips, the 38-year-old actor takes the idiosyncratic detective to new levels, expertly balancing his quick temper, sly wit, and gruff demeanor. Finney walks a fine line, dominating the film without overshadowing his fellow performers, and his work is a joy to behold.

Bergman also delights as the "backward" missionary who teaches "little brown babies," Bacall shines as a mouthy society broad who goes on and on about her second husband when she's not locking horns with Poirot, and Hiller nearly steals the show with her ultra-mannered but endlessly appealing turn as the sourpuss Princess Dragomiroff. Connery brings his typical machismo and stiff-upper-lip to Colonel Arbuthnot, while Perkins brings his patented Norman Bates stuttering and neuroses to Ratchitt's twitchy secretary, albeit with a Chicago accent. Redgrave, Bisset, York, and especially Gielgud, who previews his future Oscar-winning turn as the droll, disdainful manservant in Arthur, also impress.

So do the sets and costumes, which beautifully evoke the period's glamor and sophistication. Tony Walton had a hand in both, doing double duty as production designer and costume designer. (The latter job nabbed him an Oscar nod.) Geoffrey Unsworth's lush cinematography also earned an Academy Award nomination, as did Richard Rodney Bennett's glorious, memorable music score and Paul Dehn's superior screenplay. Credit Christie, though, for the brilliant premise and ingenious resolution. Like a virtuoso seamstress, Dame Agatha stitches together the intriguing crime and motley group of characters, producing an airtight mystery that holds up under microscopic review.

The movie's blockbuster success spawned a series of all-star Christie whodunits over the next several years, including Death on the Nile, Ten Little Indians, and The Mirror Crack'd, but none possess the style, substance, and complexity of Murder on the Orient Express. Nor does Kenneth Branagh's well-intentioned 2017 remake, which begins with an event alluded to but not depicted in the 1974 film. Though Branagh's adaptation follows the novel more closely than its predecessor in a couple of instances, it strays way off the track - literally and figuratively - in a brazen attempt to open up the story and infuse it with more physical action. Lumet made his film in a far different era, but astutely recognizes the cerebral nature of whodunits and how effectively a sense of claustrophobia and entrapment heightens tension. He makes us feel as cramped as the passengers in the train's narrow corridors and stifling compartments, and his penchant for extreme close-ups and cramming three or more actors into a tight frame thickens the uneasy, confrontational, and stuffy air swirling about the proceedings.

It's a shame Paramount didn't deem Murder on the Orient Express worthy of inclusion in its upscale, high-profile Paramount Presents series. With its flurry of Oscar nominations, elegant style, a riveting plot, expert direction, and an all-star cast of fascinating characters, Lumet's film certainly deserves admittance to the exclusive club, but whether packaged in a slick fold-out sleeve or flimsy, standard Blu-ray case, Murder on the Orient Express remains as fresh and fun today as when I first saw it as a wide-eyed 12-year-old upon its release in 1974. Like the legendary train that takes us on a thrilling adventure with all the luxurious trimmings, this film is in a class by itself.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Murder on the Orient Express pulls into the station for a new two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The 4K is pressed on a BD-100 disc with a BD-50 offering up the 1080p. The discs are housed in a standard case with identical slipcover artwork. The discs load to a static image main menu with standard navigation options.

Going into this 4K release, I was a little worried about how this one would turn out. Shot by legendary cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, Lumet's film carries a lot of hazy interiors, diffusion, and a unique lighting scheme to give the illusion of blinding snow through the windows. Basically, if you’ve seen Superman: The Movie, Cabaret, or The Return of the Pink Panther you have an idea of what I’m talking about. It’s a style that doesn’t always lend itself for crystal clarity with the cleanest lines, but when handled well, it can be quite beautiful. Thankfully it’s the later case here. This 2160p Dolby Vision transfer looks a fitting upgrade to Paramount’s 2021 Blu-ray. The image certainly looks a bit sharper, and a little cleaner, but the film grain hasn’t been scrubbed away so there is still a grittiness to the beauty. I felt like I was seeing more ornate textures in the production design and clothing than I’d ever noticed before. Perhaps not a night and day upgrade, but appreciable. The Dolby Vision grade lends itself nicely to the proceedings without changing the color scheme or tamping down those bright whites. Specular highlights offer a little more pop and pizzazz. Shadows and black levels are well managed, image depth was already strong, but given the limited confines of the set, that feel only goes so far. All around a very good-looking disc for a very stylized production.

On the audio front, we have what sounds like the same and very good DTS-HD MA 5.1 track from the Paramound Blu-ray along with a new DTS-HD MA 2.0 mix. I’ll stand by the 5.1 mix as a very good option for fans. It plays well with the soundscape, even with such tight quarters locations. There’s plenty of audio effects through the Front/Center channels with plenty of drift into the surround channels for a nice immersive and atmospheric track. Listening to the 2.0 track for several key sequences it doesn’t sound like a mix-down, or if it is, it was handled with some care. It pops in a tad louder than the 5.1, so that’s something to keep an ear out for. I didn’t notice any serious missing audio effects or dropouts, but it also doesn’t sound like an upgraded version of the mono track that was previously presented in Dolby Digital. Dialog is clean for this track without issues. Both a solid listening options. 

For this trip on the classic locomotive whodunit, KLSC delivers a great mix of archival extras from Paramount’s 2021 disc along with a new interview with producer Richard Goodwin. The best of the extras is the new audio commentary track with Howard. S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson. In true form, the three contributors are a fountain of knowledge about the production and its place as a retro throwback compared to the other 1970s films of the era. Lots of good stuff here. 

4K UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary featuring Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson

Blu-ray Disc

• Audio Commentary featuring Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson
• The Making of Murder on the Orient Express (SD 48:32)
• All Aboard
• The Ride
• The Passengers
• The End of the Line
• Interview with Producer Richard Goodwin (HD 18:15)
• Agatha Christie: A Portrait (SD 9:36)
• Trailer
• Trailer Gallery:
• Death on the Nile
• Evil Under the Sun
• Witness for the Prosecution 
• Endless Night
• The Mirror Crack’d
• Ordeal by Innocence
• Ten Little Indians (1989)
• And Soont eh Darkness
• Murder by Decree

The who’s who of the whodunit, 1974’s Murder on the Orient Express is one of the finest murder mysteries ever committed to celluloid. Not the first attempt to bring one of Agatha Christie’s stories to the screen, but it remains among the best. Albert Finney in an Oscar-nominated performance leads an all-star cast (with an Oscar-winning turn from Ingrid Bergman) in this crackling production from director Sidney Lumet. One of my true favorites, I love revisiting it as often as I can and this 4K disc from Kino Lorber Studio Classics is a good reason. Three years after a great Blu-ray from Paramount, the 4K upgrade is a worthy visual enhancement. A little sharper, a little cleaner, the colors are magnificent and the elaborate production values absolutely shine. With two very good audio options and an inviting selection of new and archival extras makes for a Highly Recommended release.