ith the exception
of William
Shakespeare (who,
to be fair, has a
few hundred years on his
challenger), Agatha Christie
is the bestselling fiction
author of all time. Her books,
which encompass 66 detective
novels, 150 short stories and
many plays, are estimated to
have sold between two and
four billion copies around
the world. (In comparison,
J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter
series has sold 500 million.)
Christie’s most famous work
very much depends on who you
ask, but Murder on the Orient
Express always polls highly.
First published on 1 January
1934, with a retail price of
seven shillings and sixpence,
this cunningly plotted mystery
sees Christie’s much-loved
Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot
putting his little grey cells to
the test when a murder is
committed aboard the long-
distance passenger train, the
Orient Express. Climaxing
with one of the greatest twists
in any medium, the novel
has been adapted for the big
screen several times, most
notably in 1974 when Albert
Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid
Bergman, Sean Connery
and Vanessa Redgrave
boarded this fateful train to
Hell. Goodness, what a cast!
First-class line-up
This winter, another glittering
gaggle of A-list stars clamber
aboard the Orient Express
for Kenneth Branagh’s much-
anticipated take on the
Christie classic. (And when we
say A-list we mean it. The cast
includes two Oscar winners
and four Oscar nominees!)
British thesp Branagh is
on acting as well as directing
duties as the magnificently
moustached Poirot, while
Johnny Depp is Ratchett,
a slimy American who falls
“Maybe I did [it]... or
maybe I didn’t. You’ll have
to find out” – Josh Gad
Pilar
(Penélope Cruz)
A meek
missionary and
nurse whose
faith is absolute.
Masterman
(Derek Jacobi)
Ratchett’s
personal
and (seemingly
loyal) butler.
Princess
Dragomiroff
(Judi Dench)
Russian royal who
doesn’t suffer
fools gladly.
Is Judi Dench
the guilty party?
Well, they look
pretty happy about
Johnny’s demise!
victim to foul play after the
train becomes trapped in
a snow drift. So whodunnit?
Well, that’s very much the
question, isn’t it? Let’s just
say, that with 13 possible
suspects to choose from,
our brooding detective has
his work cut out for him.
Perhaps it was Michelle
Pfeiffer’s outspoken widow
Hildegarde
(Olivia Colman)
Maid to the
princess and
as devoted
as they come.
Pierre Michel
(Marwan Kenzari)
The train’s tireless
conductor.
Nothing is ever
too much trouble.