And speaking of dvds, last night I finally got around to Sidney Lumet's 1974 film of Agatha Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS; a perfect way to spend a late Saturday night. The dvd has a nifty four part documentary which features Lumet, Sean Connery, Michael York and Jaqueline Bisset from the film as well as Dame Agatha's grandson. Not to mention BK's personal friend Tony Walton.
The film itself is a glorious, glamorous, old-fashioned entertainment, done with style and panache from the acting and directing on down to the believable process shots behind each of the train's windows.
And what a brilliant cast Lumet assembled! First there's Mr. Connery (who was indeed the first one cast) at that sexy moment when he was just starting to show his age, whilst Dame Wendy Hiller's make-up allows her to look quite aged. Lauren Bacall's gum-popping gal is close to her work for Howard Hawks, on closer examination, Ingrid Bergman's Swedish missionary is NOT a caricature, but a full-blooded character. Albert Finney is barely recognizable as Poirot, and the entire all-star cast is quite good. (On a lesser note, newish actors York and Bisset almost get lost amidst all the veterans).
Reminded me of the old Ethel Merman line:
"Be careful of the scenery, you never know who's been chewing it before you."