Our film for February is MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, a 1974 British mystery film directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, and based on the 1934 novel, Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.
In his review, Roger Ebert wrote, “The movie provides a good time, high style, a loving salute to an earlier period of filmmaking, and an unexpected bonus: It ends with a very long scene in which Poirot asks everyone to be silent, please, while he explains his various theories of the case. He does so in great detail, and it’s fun of a rather malicious sort watching a dozen high-priced stars keep their mouths shut and just listen while Finney masterfully dominates the scene.”
Personally, I’ve always loved train stories. The difficulty of filming in such tight spaces is a challenge for directors and its fun to watch how they approach the task. Having said that, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is not one of my favorite films… but it seems to be a hugely popular one with film-goers. Yes, the cast is stellar… but the problem for me lies in the story-telling itself. Nonetheless, I yield to popular demand in this instance.
In addition to the main feature, there will be an introduction to the feature film planned for March. It is, perhaps, the most important film in our lineup… speaking in an historical context. The film is AMERICAN MADNESS, and it is a remarkable recreation of the run on the banks after the 1929 crash. The film is an early Frank Capra film and one that I guarantee will surprise you for its timeliness… EVEN TODAY! We will be asking for reservations on this event in order to insure adequate seating.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS will screen at Old City Hall on Friday, February 17, at 7 PM. Doors will open at 6:30 PM at which time a portion of a BBC musical telecast will run until the main feature is introduced.
See you at the movies…
Paul Becker