Murder on the Orient Express 1974, UK
Murder on the Orient Express 2017, U.S.
The 2017 trailer of the Murder on the Orient Express. I saw the trailer early when I returned to the United States in May of this year. At that time, I was expecting about 12 points to wait for the movie to arrive. And there is Johny Depp, which I like very much in the casting. But after watching the premiere on Friday, I was really full of complaints. Especially after I took the time to watch the 1974 edition of "Orient Express" today, I feel that the level of the new edition is not worth mentioning.
The following remarks involve plot content, please move forward if you mind:
1. The new version of individualism is too strong and overwhelming:
The old version of Detective Poirot is a short tall, except for the iconic beard, his appearance cannot be said to be a very attractive appearance. There was a small detail in it. When Poirot appeared, he was ridiculed as a short Frenchman. In the new film, Poirot is upright and personable. At the beginning, he spent a lot of pen and ink to create his "tall" detective image. Use an insignificant case in Istanbul to try to deify Poirot's detective image. He even gave a detail describing that Poirot made things difficult for the kitchen during breakfast. Breakfast required two eggs, fresh eggs, and the size must be accurate to every minute and every inch. I haven't read the original book yet, and I don't know if Poirot in the book is such a grotesque quirky detective. But in my understanding, in fact, the real gods should be like the 1974 edition. They look simple, unremarkable, and foolish, but they have amazing energy and wisdom hidden inside. In terms of shaping the protagonist, it can be said that the new version really failed.
2. The plot is fragmented, disorganized, and greedy than chewing:
The director’s story is really bad, and I’m not sure if the script is bad? Still bad editing? It's just that the shots are not good.
The positioning of the 1974 version of the old film is very clear and firm. It is a very pure "suspense" direction, but due to the advantages of the play itself, the plot itself tends to explore sincere humanity, empathy and other emotional expressions. Therefore, the old version can control both suspense and humanity in a special place. The 1974 film also bears the shadow of Hitchcock, the master of mystery film. Whether it is from the soundtrack or the language of the lens, even to the color and graininess of the screen filters, it is similar to the master Hitchcock’s work "Northwest by Northwest". Kind of like it. When it comes to plot development, the old version quickly enters the plot development at the beginning, without a trace of extra individualism and image deification. It just gives the audience some hints through the dialogue of some small characters around "oh he is a big detective". And what is really exciting is precisely here, because the audiences nowadays are actually very strong in terms of understanding and vision. Most of the time, the director does not need to tell the audience so bluntly, "This detective is very powerful. How powerful." What? Give an example. "No, we don't need it. The 74 version starts directly from Poirot's getting on the car and the appearance of the perpetrators, which is simple and clear. Not superfluous, not pretentious. The 74th edition spends a lot of pen and ink on how Poirot disassembled the case, how to demonstrate and counter-argument the murderers' modus operandi. In addition to the act of deification at the beginning of the new version, it also spent a large part of the time in the chase shots of "you chase me" to create a sense of visual and auditory tension, which was also a failure. What we want is the tension in the plot that truly shocks the soul. The last point of failure in the plot, the new version also took great care to "moving" the audience. At the beginning, Poirot is described as a black and white, very sensible detective, but at the end of the case, he was moved by the light of human nature of these "murderers" and made the so-called "character growth." To be honest, in addition to being redundant, this move also made the audience have to question the director. What exactly are you trying to say? Suspense, you have no suspense to the end, and you are not touched and touching enough to leave your heart. Then the movie ended up with a few beautiful long shots and lighting settings, which were very empty. Therefore, telling a good story is the most basic thing a director has to do. Obviously, the new version of the Orient Express has failed completely in this matter. This is the feeling I felt before I read the old version, and I felt even more so after I read it. But I don’t know if there is over-editing in this version or other reasons. In short, when I watch it, I feel that the plot and rhythm are very jumpy.
At the end of the article, I suddenly understand why Yang Dechang dropped out of the usc film department that year, and his over-industrial works can hardly be regarded as "art", and Mr. Yang is also a filmmaker with strong artistic pursuits and demands. I'm really disappointed. I'll give you a booster. If you go to see it, don't expect too much. But you can look at the old version! The script is really good, it's very enjoyable to watch!
11/13/2017
View more about Murder on the Orient Express reviews
