Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie is a must read if you love mystery. She set the cliches. And she was always innovating. I was watching the 1974 movie version of Murder on the Orient Express as research for the next Eva Thorne novel. I wanted to remind myself of a few of those trendsetting and memorable ideas later immortalized in cliche, so I could turn a few on their head for the funny. It’s obviously been a long time since I read the book, because I didn’t see the ending coming. I won’t give it away, but simply say Agatha had a tremendous sense of humor. I think this one must have turned a few mystery tropes on their head in her day. If you haven’t read the book, read it. Whether or not you’ve read it, watch this movie again (or for the first time). There are some very recognizable actors in there like Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Jacqueline Bisset (who at a young age was a double for Elizabeth Hurley), and Vanessa Redgrave that are a delight to watch. I think Gary Oldman’s Dracula must have taken hairstyle and fashion tips from the Princess in this film, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Psycho whenever Anthony Perkins was onscreen, which made him a fantastic suspect. I went into it as research but came out with the satisfaction of having watched a thoroughly entertaining movie!

Thanks for reading! More posts on books, film, and writing can be found on my website at Lorel Clayton Author.