Murder on the Orient Express (1974) (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Oct 28, 2024
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Sidney Lumet

Release Date(s)

1974 (September 24, 2024)

Studio(s)

EMI Film Distributors/GW Films Limited/Paramount (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

Film/Program Grade: A
Video Grade: A-
Audio Grade: B+
Extras Grade: B+

Review

One of the crown jewels of the theatrically-released Agatha Christie adaptations, Sidney Lumet’s Murder on the Orient Express became a trend-setter for adapting her work. Although films before it had featured large casts, this seemed to be the first time that such a lavish production with impeccable art direction and cinematography, and a cast of highly regarded actors, would set the template for what would come later on, particularly in the Peter Ustinov era.

Hercule Poirot (Finney), a world-famous detective with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, is due to travel to London. Aiding him is his close friend Signor Bianchi (Martin Balsam), director and owner of the train line and luxury service, the Orient Express. Among the passengers traveling with them are Mrs. Hubbard (Lauren Bacall), Colonel Arbuthnott (Sean Connery), Mary Debenham (Vanessa Redgrave), Greta Ohlsson (Ingrid Bergman), Hector McQueen (Anthony Perkins), Count Rudolf Andrenyi (Michael York), Countess Helena Andrenyi (Jacqueline Bisset), Princess Dragomiroff (Wendy Hiller), Hildegarde Schmidt (Rachel Roberts), Cyrus B. Hardman (Colin Blakely), Pierre Paul Michel (Jean-Pierre Cassel), Antonio Foscarelli (Denis Quilley), Edward Beddors (John Gielgud), Samuel Ratchett (Richard Widmark), and Dr. Constantine (George Coulouris). They seem curious and perhaps even annoyed by Poirot’s presence, but when one of them is suddenly murdered, Bianchi charges Poirot with solving the crime before reaching Yugoslavia during a snow drift, which halts the train’s progress temporarily.

The film was a success and was nominated for several Academy Awards, winning one for Ingrid Bergman as Best Supporting Actress. Agatha Christie herself was also pleased with the results, even attending the film’s premiere, which was not her usual style. Some have criticized Albert Finney’s portrayal of Poirot as being inauthentic, but despite any missteps, Murder on the Orient Express continues to age beautifully. This is in part due to how beautiful it looks and sounds, as well as its ongoing procession of amazing performances, Finney among them (in this reviewer’s opinion).

Murder on the Orient Express was shot by director of photography Geoffrey Unsworth on 35mm film using Panavision cameras and lenses, finished photochemically, and presented theatrically in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered 100GB disc. Murder on the Orient Express is one of those highly stylized films that doesn’t lend itself to ultra high definition easily. As I stated in my review of Paramount’s Blu-ray release in 2022, Geoffrey Unsworth’s heavy use of diffusion filters means that it’s never going to appear one hundred percent crisp or sharp, and nor should it. It was always meant to look the way it does, and Kino’s UHD presentation marvelously adheres to that aesthetic. It also provides the film in 1.85:1 instead of 1.78:1, with a slightly different opening Paramount logo (which is the more accurate I cannot say). It features a tepid bitrate that primarily sits between 50 and 75Mbps with heavy grain that’s handled well enough. The new HDR passes are more beneficial to contrast than to color, as the boost in the latter isn’t as dramatic as one might expect, at least in direct comparison to the Paramount Blu-ray. It seems that a lot of the work had already been done. Blacks are quite deep, with perhaps a mild bit of crush, and flesh tones are only slightly uneven at times, but less overtly pink overall than their BD predecessor. Everything appears stable, clean, and organic to the original source, and if the bitrate had been pushed into a more stable and ideal 80 to 100Mbps range, this would likely have been a more definitive presentation. Yet, I will emphasize that the minor flaws are nowhere near enough of an issue. It’s quite excellent, and the best that the film has ever looked on home video.

Audio is included in English 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. The biggest flaw of this release by far is the lack of the film’s original theatrical mono soundtrack, which was included on the previous Paramount Blu-ray, albeit in a dual-channel lossy container. The 5.1 track is a very similar mix to what was included on the Paramount Blu-ray, but is much more robust with deeper bass. The stereo track sounds like a fold-down of sorts, mixed in a similar manner, but with a minor dropout at 45:33. Both tracks mostly space out and give additional support to Richard Rodney Bennett’s wonderful score. To nobody’s surprise, dialogue is given the most attention, anchored primarily in the center, coming through clearly. The 5.1 track is the obvious way to go, but the lack of the original mono is a definite bummer.

Murder on the Orient Express on 4K Ultra HD sits in a black Amaray case alongside a 1080p copy of the film with an insert and slipcover featuring a version of the original US theatrical poster artwork for the film, which is more akin to the UK quad poster artwork in design. The following extras are included:

DISC ONE (UHD)

NEW Audio Commentary by Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson

DISC TWO (BD)

NEW Audio Commentary by Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson
The Making of Murder on the Orient Express (48:32):
- All Aboard! (SD – 13:48)
- The Ride (SD – 12:05)
- The Passengers (SD – 9:15)
- The End of the Line (SD – 13:23)
Richard Goodwin on Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (HD – 18:15)
Agatha Christie: A Portrait by Her Grandson, Mathew Prichard (SD – 9:36)
Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:38)
Death on the Nile Trailer (SD – 2:51)
Evil Under the Sun Trailer (HD – 3:13)
Witness for the Prosecution Trailer (SD – 3:08)
Endless Night Trailer (SD – 3:15)
The Mirror Crack’d Trailer (HD – 2:48)
Ordeal by Innocence Trailer (HD – 2:06)
Ten Little Indians (1989) Trailer (HD – 1:28)
And Soon the Darkness Trailer (SD – 2:45)
Murder by Decree Trailer (SD – 3:33)

New to this release is an audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson. The three examine the film from all angles, discussing the time in which it was made and why it holds up so well today, the politics and classism in play in the film, the careers and qualities of the cast and crew, and the film’s eventual success. Making Murder on the Orient Express is a four-part documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with various cast and crew members, including Sidney Lumet, Jacqueline Bissett, Michael York, and Sean Connery, among others. In All Aboard!, they speak about the genesis of the project; in The Ride, they talk about the production; in The Passengers, they discuss the cast; and in The End of the Line, they talk about the release and impact of the film. Carried over from the StudioCanal Region B Blu-ray release is an interview with producer Richard Goodwin. It’s more of a Q&A session, but its inclusion is nonetheless invaluable. Agatha Christie: A Portrait is a short featurette in which Agatha’s grandson, Mathew Prichard, touchingly speaks about his grandmother, as well as the character of Hercule Poirot. Last is the film’s trailer, plus trailers for other Kino Lorber releases. Not carried over from the StudioCanal Blu-ray is a Stills Gallery. Also missing in action is the longer trailer for the film, which hasn’t been included with any home video release.

It’s astonishing that Murder on the Orient Express took such an enormously long time to come to Blu-ray, and almost two and a half years later, it comes to 4K Ultra HD. It’s an embarrassment of riches, really. It’s a wonderful film, as well as one of my personal favorites as, like many Agatha Christie adaptations, it’s a feast of compelling dialogue and great characters. As for Kino’s UHD release, it’s most highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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