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Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:00I
00:00:30I
00:01:01A
00:01:06Beautiful belly dancer receives a fax
00:01:09Live not on evil madam. It says live not on evil the next day
00:01:14She's found on the floor of this very nightclub a bullet through her heart
00:01:18Who would possess the motive for such a cruel act?
00:01:22The beautiful dancers protege now her rival
00:01:26It's possible, of course
00:01:29The victim's father whose political fortunes would be destroyed if his daughter made good on her threats to reveal his past equally possible
00:01:36but there is something about the message in this fax, which
00:01:41Vexes the mind of a cupola
00:01:44Live not on evil madam
00:01:46Live not on evil
00:01:48Is it about this?
00:01:50Sentence is so interesting
00:01:52I'll tell you
00:01:54It is spelled the same backwards as forwards
00:01:57We have here my friends what is known as a palindrome now who would know of such a thing this palindrome who would
00:02:04delight in such a thing
00:02:06None other than the murdered woman's spurned lover
00:02:09None other than the man. She threatened to expose to the police as the arms dealer. He is none other than the world-renowned
00:02:17linguistic scholar dr. Tor good buzzer
00:02:27Thank
00:02:37My dear Vera, you are most welcome
00:02:39But you must try keep better company. Oh, I couldn't possibly air quotes
00:02:44Not to be boring. It's a long way from London to Istanbul
00:02:48You insist on filling your nightclub with persons such as these you can't expect me to fly down to solve every crime that takes place
00:02:54No, of course not not all of them
00:02:57Just the interesting ones
00:03:00Will you come to anything tonight? Of course and afterwards we will be together
00:03:08Should we marry her cool
00:03:10Mary why not?
00:03:12We've always been fascinating to each other the world famous detective and they're never quite reformed jewel thief
00:03:19Think how much fun you'd have trying to catch me. You're serious. Of course I am
00:03:23And you'll love Istanbul the palaces the mosque the exquisite
00:03:28It's not what you propose. I move to Istanbul. I can't leave my business is your business. It's not a business
00:03:32I've been a thieves. You can help me to clean it down
00:03:35you're asking a cure borrow to be your
00:03:38your security guard
00:03:41That would be a fatal error in judgment my dear you're arrogant
00:03:45I only met American press said I was the greatest crime, so
00:03:50You're right
00:03:52Would be a disaster for such a rare being as yourself to leave such a common life
00:03:59I'm sorry to suggest it
00:04:19Oh
00:04:26Lovely spices today, sir
00:04:41Into this from now, we're not gonna feel the same way. I don't want to talk about it now when it's over and behind us
00:04:49Oh
00:05:02Wolfgang book one of me you were in Istanbul and didn't tell you old friend shame on you
00:05:07You must have come on a case. You've solved it. No doubt. Of course. I'm tomorrow. I must fly back to London fly
00:05:13What are you talking about? You happen to be talking to the director of the Orient Express. I'm going to learn tomorrow myself
00:05:19So you can travel with me by train. That's a very kind offer. It's not an offer. It's a demand. I
00:05:25Must confess. I'm not fond of air travel these days
00:05:29Stale air vile food that much prefer a civilized trip on the world's most luxurious
00:05:34It's barbaric to travel any other way. Let's call for you
00:05:40Yeah, what
00:05:45Who is this you frightening me
00:05:50It's him again, I don't want any more calls you understand me no more calls, you know that man
00:05:58No
00:05:59Better know his type rich obnoxious belligerent
00:06:19Oh
00:06:21Mischief oh
00:06:25Then you made it oh
00:06:28This is truly a splendid train. The Orient Express as you know was created by my fellow Belgian, of course, mr. Nagelmann
00:06:37This is the age I belong to my friend a
00:06:40Vanished age of elegance and refinement. No one in a hurry. I'll secure to a first-class compartment
00:06:46It was reserved in the name of mr. Harris, but he canceled at the last moment
00:07:01Here's your compartment with you
00:07:06See all the comforts it's excellent. Thank you
00:07:16I
00:07:47You
00:07:55It was a disgrace more than a disgrace a tragedy the Orient Express the most magnificent train the world had ever seen completely forgot
00:08:03It's cars lying in scrap heaps all over Europe rotting and rusting like old washing machines
00:08:07But now the Orient Express is resurrected young man. I cannot eat this salad
00:08:13Madam
00:08:15They are pine nuts on it. I am allergic to nuts of every kind
00:08:19Take it away. Please take it away
00:08:26She's the widow of generalissimo Alvarado South American dictator
00:08:33For who oh
00:08:35Forgive me. My mind was temporarily elsewhere. It's a woman, isn't it? No regrettably. Yes
00:08:42We are such opposites Vera and I
00:08:47She's flamboyant and beautiful. I'm reserved and homely
00:08:51She's a thief. I'm a detective
00:08:53The only thing we have in common is our refusal to let the other rule our life, but I can't stop her ruling my thoughts
00:08:58I must confess. I never expected to see the great to keep her. Oh suffering such a common malady as love
00:09:12Thank you pleasure madam friends, they're not sitting together
00:09:16Who the young woman and the American road warrior back there? I
00:09:23Overheard them talking in the market. They seem very intimate the mind of Peru never rests
00:09:28But my friend there is no crime. Oh never think that but for the moment the mind of a cure Poirot turns to dinner
00:09:42Today
00:10:00Excuse me, I must attend to this crisis. Please. Don't we're doing to order. Should I call a doctor?
00:10:12You're supposed to come on
00:10:18I'm so sorry. I mean yes, and I'm done. Oh
00:10:23Ancora lay
00:10:28I spoke to the doctor. He has no idea
00:10:32It's quite an adventure, isn't it the Orient Express my daughter were here it's the kind of things you just love
00:10:42Never get sick. Hello. Can you hear me? Hello?
00:10:56Yes, but to start I'll have the pillow I don't want stuff being sent to me for no reason
00:11:01Oh
00:11:09Hey in the problem, sir, let's take a bluff
00:11:31Thanks and I
00:12:02I
00:12:12Mr. Perot Perot
00:12:15Like the American presidential candidate certainly not the name is Poirot. I killed Poirot Sam ratchet
00:12:21my device it down
00:12:23please I
00:12:26Recognized you from that TV show
00:12:28They call you
00:12:30Don't tell me
00:12:33Super detective sleuth supreme. Oh, yeah sleuth supreme
00:12:37And what do you do? Mr. Rajan? I do whatever pleases me
00:12:41Actually, I'm in antiquities. What sort of antiquities ancient urns?
00:12:47Fresco statues are connoisseur of classical art
00:12:51No, I am a connoisseur of money I
00:12:55Really like the old stuff thought holds its value and
00:12:58They ain't making any more of it, you know what I mean
00:13:05Listen Hercules, I
00:13:09Want to hire you
00:13:11No, I'm afraid I have a very limited clientele
00:13:14No, I can understand that. I'm like that myself. You got to be selective
00:13:19There's a lot of money a lot
00:13:22What would you want me to do for you?
00:13:25Somebody has threatened my life
00:13:28It would do such a thing if I knew that I'd have taken care of it myself
00:13:35But unlike you I am NOT a sleuth supreme
00:13:39So what I want you to do is find the bad guys for me and I'll take it from there
00:13:44I'm afraid I cannot oblige you
00:13:47I
00:13:50$200,000 tax-free. Thank you. Mr. Ratched, but I have made up my mind
00:13:57That's a lot of money to turn down
00:14:01I've been very fortunate in my career. Mr. Ratched as you have in yours
00:14:06I've managed to pay for my needs as well as my caprices and now I only take on cases that appeal to me
00:14:13really
00:14:15And what's wrong with this one?
00:14:21May I speak personally?
00:14:24Sure
00:14:27I find you intolerable
00:14:37Goodbye
00:14:46I find you intolerable
00:14:51French frog
00:14:54Think he's Belgian
00:15:04Night
00:15:08Good evening. Good evening. It's a strange dark night, isn't it?
00:15:13Yeah, yeah, it is
00:15:18Relax your neck. What do you mean? Like this? Yes, much better. Come in. Come in. Join us
00:15:26My new friend Bob and I are having a tension reduction workshop. Really? Si. Thanks
00:15:42You
00:15:55Americans never give yourself credit for all the things you have that are new now if you would only excuse me
00:16:00But I'm in the next door compartment and your conversation is going to make it difficult for me to sleep. Sorry, please come in
00:16:07Have a drink
00:16:09Join us
00:16:12Vera you would look ravishing in this
00:16:16But then you look ravishing in anything
00:16:42Oh
00:16:55You are gonna miss you very much you
00:17:12I
00:17:42I
00:18:09Don't want a free lecture
00:18:13I
00:18:15Know what I'm dreaming and what I'm not I saw someone so you gotta do something about good madam. I'll search the train immediately
00:18:30You're a Nobel mr. Poe yes the train I stopped with there is no station here regrettably a rock slide has obstructed attacks
00:18:37It is a hazard of this country, I'm sure we'll be on the way as soon as possible
00:18:45Excuse me, mr. Poirot
00:18:47Have you seen anyone suspicious tonight? No, why?
00:18:52The American woman mrs. Hubbard. She insists there was a man hiding in her compartment
00:18:58the man
00:19:00What they look like? I do not know. She did not get a good look. It was dark as soon as she spotted him
00:19:07Flew out the door
00:19:09Myself I think she was dreaming. I think she likes the idea of a man hiding in her compartment
00:19:38Mr. Ratchet
00:19:44Mr. Ratchet, are they gonna stop serving breakfast in another half-hour?
00:19:48We're stranded in the middle of nowhere because of a landslide. I guess don't sit here
00:19:52I am expected in Milan on Tuesday
00:19:57Plus there was a man in my room last night and nobody's everybody calm down
00:20:04We have
00:20:08You don't seem terribly upset about a little crisis, mr. Poirot, isn't it?
00:20:12Assuredly, and you are married Ebenham. I'm mr. Ebenham
00:20:16I am never in a hurry and when the world slows down to my pace, I find it very agreeable
00:20:21Mr. Book
00:20:24Mr. Book, what is it here? You'd better come at once
00:20:30Will you excuse me miss Debenham I have a fatal curiosity
00:20:37You
00:20:47What's happened book something disagreeable
00:20:58Yes, very disagreeable indeed
00:21:08Keep the passengers occupying the dining car. Don't allow anyone near this compartment. Very good. Monsieur
00:21:16The window is open. It's unusual no doubt. That's how the killer made his escape
00:21:25Who's that appears to be a stylus it's used for entering data into handheld computers
00:21:31This
00:21:33Man has been stabbed many times
00:21:36Who would do such a thing? I don't know. Well, you have to find out. Oh, no. I have no authority here book
00:21:42No, we must get to Belgrade and then the police will be delighted to discover that the crime has already been solved
00:21:48Besides the longer we wait the father the killer will have gotten I doubt the killer has gone far
00:21:52You think you're still on the train, but the window there is loose soil outside the window a fleeing man
00:21:57Footprints, but there are none now this window has been left open me to confuse us. I
00:22:03Urge you to help me out of this for the sake of the passengers
00:22:12Very well, I accept the case
00:22:15You
00:22:26Five six
00:22:28seven eight nine wounds at all
00:22:31It's curious
00:22:32Some are so slight as to be mere scratches, but on the other hand at least three could be capable of causing death
00:22:44It's as if he were killed by two people one strong one feeble a woman was involved in
00:22:50we shouldn't assume that the feeble blows were inflicted by a woman a strong woman in a
00:22:56In a grip of emotion makes an excellent assailant
00:23:09Well, we can't complain that there are no clues in this case
00:23:13He seems unusually peaceful for a man who's met such violence don't you think a
00:23:18Man of mr. Ratchet's ferocious nature would have fought back. We would have seen it in the contortions of his body
00:23:33Here's his pistol
00:23:35fully loaded
00:23:37But he never fired it
00:23:39odd
00:23:41Perhaps he was struck. You may be right. How else to explain this unnatural repose
00:23:53It seems only his watch put up a fight
00:23:56Look, the hands are stopped at a quarter past one the moment of the crime another very interesting clue book. I
00:24:05Would like to retrieve something from the trash a videotape, of course
00:24:11I
00:24:26Still a queen. Are you all right? Yeah. Yeah, it's a star. It's just a little freaked out, you know
00:24:30I've never seen anything like that before. Yes, it must be a shock
00:24:33You are under no obligation to answer any of my questions, but it doesn't matter to you who killed. Mr. Ratchet. No, no
00:24:39I'd be interested. No finally God's look finally. Did he have enemies? I seem to be getting these threatening phone calls threatening in what way?
00:24:47well as in you're gonna die ratchet or
00:24:51Your time's up ratchet with stuff like that
00:24:54There's a man's voice
00:24:56They all came to the hotel in Istanbul in the last week or so
00:24:58In fact, the last one came just the other night yesterday. I saw mr. Ratchet smash up a videotape. What was on it?
00:25:04Don't know someone left it for him at the door of his room. I guess he watched about five minutes of it and
00:25:10remember listic
00:25:13Remember listic a lot
00:25:16I'm sorry, he's dead. But you know if I were to be honest, I'd have to say was a total bastard
00:25:24Looks like I just made myself a suspect, right?
00:25:29What did you do for mr. Ratchet
00:25:32Uh, well, I guess he hired me as a kind of consultant I got a degree in ancient Mesopotamian art from Yale
00:25:39That was good for his image, you know Ivy League assistant
00:25:42Smooth things over interpret for him a ratchet wasn't the sort of guy can be bothered to learn a single word
00:25:48another language, so I
00:25:51Thought it was a legitimate dealer at first
00:25:53but then I started putting two and two together and I realized that he was in the business of
00:25:57looting archaeological sites trying to get away from him, but
00:26:01It's not easy getting away from a guy like Ratchet. You own a handheld computer. Me. I know no
00:26:07Not old-fashioned like that. I like pen and paper. Oh, just one more question. When was the last time you saw? Mr. Ratchet alive? I
00:26:16Guess it was around time
00:26:19It's more to do when I go get a miss pill and bill
00:26:22Yeah, melatonin. He was always flying from one time zone to another. He thought it helped him from getting jet lag. So
00:26:28Anyway, uh, I got a miss pill and
00:26:33Was the last I saw
00:26:36He rang his bell about 20 minutes to one I knocked on his door
00:26:40But he called out to say he had made a mistake in French
00:26:44Yes, monsieur in French
00:26:46Where will you appear at quarter past one?
00:26:49Quarter past one. I believe I was sitting in my little seat at the end of the corridor
00:26:55But it was about this time that the plane came to a stop and I
00:26:59Recalled getting up from my station to go outside to see what the trouble was
00:27:09Other than that you were in the corridor all night except for perhaps 45 minutes later when
00:27:15Mr. Book called me to discuss what to tell the passengers about the stoppage. This is true
00:27:20Did you see anyone in the corridor in the early hours of the morning?
00:27:23Well, there was a kind of a party going on in mr. Foscarelli's room until quite late
00:27:28The young English lady was there and the two American gentlemen
00:27:32It ended about 2.30. I think
00:27:35And where did they go?
00:27:37To their own compartments. I didn't see anyone else in the corridor after that. Thank you Pierre. It'll be all for now
00:27:44May I get you something? No, thank you
00:27:48Well, my friend in our quest for the truth we will test the limits of technology
00:27:54Oh
00:28:02The only daughter of software tycoon Steve Armstrong little Daisy was a vivacious and enchanting child
00:28:08In fact, that means a tragic death, all the more unbelievable.
00:28:23You guys are just like the airline.
00:28:25Never tell anybody what's going on.
00:28:28There was a murder here last night.
00:28:30Everyone on board knows it.
00:28:32But do you guys admit it? No?
00:28:34It's like your lawyer said you can't even make a passing reference to it.
00:28:36Mrs. Hubbard, please calm yourself.
00:28:38Would you please not speak to me in that condescending French manner?
00:28:41Well, I'm not French, madame. I'm Belgian.
00:28:43My name is Hercule Poirot.
00:28:45Yes, I know who you are.
00:28:47And don't think just because you're a celebrity,
00:28:49because you've been on television,
00:28:50don't think I'm intimidated by you.
00:28:52I'm a celebrity myself, you know.
00:28:54Indeed.
00:28:55Phil and Phyllis, the sitcom.
00:28:57I played Carlotta, the aerobics instructor.
00:28:59I wasn't in every show, but I was a recurring character.
00:29:03Mrs. Hubbard, may I ask you
00:29:05why you're traveling on the Orient Express?
00:29:07Well, I'd come to Turkey to do a miniseries,
00:29:10Samson and Delilah.
00:29:12But you know how these things go.
00:29:13The director got kidney stones,
00:29:15and then he was replaced by some hack
00:29:17who decides that the evil high priestess
00:29:18should instead be the evil high priest.
00:29:21And who did they decide to play the new evil high priest?
00:29:24The producer's boyfriend, no less.
00:29:26Never mind that he's never set foot in front of a camera before.
00:29:29So who gets off the plane to find that a part's been cut?
00:29:32Anyway, I thought I'd go home on the Orient Express.
00:29:35I thought I'd at least travel like a movie star.
00:29:40Do you think the man in the compartment was the murderer?
00:29:42This man in your compartment, what did he look like?
00:29:45I don't know.
00:29:46I mean, I was so scared,
00:29:47I just lay in my bed with my eyes squeezed shut.
00:29:49I could hear him moving around, though.
00:29:51Your compartment adjoins that of Mr. Ratched's.
00:29:53Do you think that's where he came from?
00:29:55Obviously.
00:29:56I think he killed him,
00:29:57and then he escaped through the connecting door into my compartment.
00:30:00The door wasn't locked?
00:30:02I thought it was.
00:30:03That was before I learned my lesson about the security on this train.
00:30:06The conductor found no intruder in your compartment when you called.
00:30:09How do you suppose he got out?
00:30:13I'm not a world-famous detective, Mr. Perrault.
00:30:15I'll leave that to you.
00:30:19Is that all?
00:30:20Oh, yes, madame, thank you.
00:30:21OK.
00:30:22Oh, by the way,
00:30:23I'll be expecting a refund for everything I've gone through.
00:30:26I mean, a whole refund, you know,
00:30:27not one of those $5 vouchers that the airline gives you.
00:30:30That'll hardly get you a frozen yogurt.
00:30:32Oh, madame.
00:30:33You dropped your handkerchief.
00:30:34It's not my handkerchief.
00:30:36Well, it has the letter H embroidered on it.
00:30:38Your name is Hubbard, I naturally assumed.
00:30:40It's 2001, Mr. Perrault.
00:30:41Who carries around embroidered handkerchiefs anymore?
00:30:44Oh, I almost forgot.
00:30:46I have a piece of evidence for you.
00:30:48I found this in my room.
00:30:51I assure you, it was not there when I went to sleep last night.
00:30:53Do you think this is the button the killer left behind?
00:30:56It's possible.
00:30:57But it's from the jacket of an Orient Express conductor.
00:31:06See?
00:31:07I have lost no button.
00:31:09None of my buttons are missing.
00:31:11Neither are the buttons of the other conductors.
00:31:13But you were the only one
00:31:14who was in Mrs. Hubbard's compartment last night.
00:31:17Are you accusing me of this crime?
00:31:20I am innocent.
00:31:21Absolutely innocent.
00:31:23Do not imagine that I killed this man.
00:31:26Why would I kill a man I've never even seen before?
00:31:30Please, monsieur.
00:31:31Console yourself, Pierre.
00:31:32No one is accusing you.
00:31:35Now, please, go back to the coach and ask Mr. Hubbard not
00:31:37if he would be so kind as to meet me in the bar.
00:31:40Very good, monsieur.
00:31:43Pierre is a good man, but nervous.
00:31:45This job is all he has.
00:31:47No family?
00:31:48His wife died some years ago.
00:31:50He had a daughter, but she is dead as well.
00:31:53Suicide, they say.
00:31:55How unfortunate.
00:31:57Why did I take the Orient Express?
00:31:59It's the most famous train in the world.
00:32:01I can afford it, so why shouldn't I?
00:32:04You are in Istanbul.
00:32:06May I ask why?
00:32:07You may.
00:32:08Don't know why I should answer.
00:32:10I mean, what's the controlling legal authority here exactly?
00:32:13Well, there is none.
00:32:14Until we reach Belgrade, or if the police
00:32:16miraculously appear out of nowhere,
00:32:18we're in a state of cheerful anarchy.
00:32:20And so you've elected yourself sheriff.
00:32:23Well, I still don't see any reason why I should cooperate.
00:32:26I'll give you two reasons.
00:32:29The first, moral, to make sure that justice is served.
00:32:32The second, recreational, so we don't get bored
00:32:35while we're stranded here.
00:32:37OK, sheriff.
00:32:39I was in Istanbul on business.
00:32:41What is your business, Mr. Hubbard?
00:32:43Well, I'm the founder and CEO of Digisaurus.
00:32:47Ah, Digisaurus, the software company.
00:32:50Didn't you just send up your own communication satellite?
00:32:53Yeah, it's been up for over a year.
00:32:55There's no place in the world I can't dial up from.
00:32:57Do you use a handheld computer?
00:32:59Well, sure I do. I'm a gadget guy.
00:33:01Are you missing a stylus?
00:33:06Yeah, I am. Why?
00:33:08A stylus was found in the murdered man's compartment last night.
00:33:11Well, guess you got me then.
00:33:14The crime we have reason to believe
00:33:16took place at a quarter past one.
00:33:18Where were you at that time?
00:33:20I was hanging out in Foscarelli's compartment.
00:33:22Mr. McQueen was there, as was Miss Debenham.
00:33:25Excuse me.
00:33:26Well, she seemed reserved, cool.
00:33:30Did you detect in your brief acquaintance with her
00:33:32any hidden reserves of passion?
00:33:34Hidden reserves of passion?
00:33:36The dead man was stabbed a multitude of times.
00:33:40Strength was required, and ferocity.
00:33:43I wondered if beneath Miss Debenham's contains...
00:33:46Wait a second, wait a second.
00:33:48It's one thing to sit around speculating in your little parlor game,
00:33:51but when you start dragging innocent people into this...
00:33:54How do you know she's innocent?
00:33:55Well, for one thing, she has an alibi.
00:33:57She was with me when you say the crime occurred.
00:33:59And for another thing, she wouldn't just kill someone in cold blood.
00:34:02So why don't you just quit this little pseudo-investigation of yours
00:34:05before you destroy somebody's life?
00:34:07One last question, sir.
00:34:08No, you've had your last question. Goodbye.
00:34:14He did it.
00:34:15What makes you so sure, my friend?
00:34:17Well, he has the temper.
00:34:19He has the required strength.
00:34:21And he admits to losing his stylus.
00:34:23Oh, don't forget, he also has an alibi.
00:34:26Or at least he does if Miss Debenham, Mr. Foscarelli, and Mr. McQueen
00:34:30confirm that he was with them at the time of the murder.
00:34:34Arbathnot.
00:34:37The name is familiar.
00:34:39Who do you want to see next?
00:34:41There's the Italian, the young German.
00:34:44Would you excuse me for a moment?
00:34:56Come in.
00:34:59Mr. Arbathnot.
00:35:01Didn't you hear what I just said?
00:35:04I'm not going to participate in your little interrogation fantasy.
00:35:07Yes, you made yourself very clear.
00:35:09What do you want?
00:35:10I was wondering if I could borrow your laptop.
00:35:14Why?
00:35:15To use in my investigation.
00:35:16Well, use your own.
00:35:17I'm afraid I don't possess one.
00:35:18And that's supposed to be my fault?
00:35:26Knock yourself out.
00:35:28Just do me a favor, okay? Don't drop it.
00:35:39I thought you despised computers.
00:35:42I do.
00:35:44They are a poor substitute for the little gray cells,
00:35:46but sometimes they are surprisingly useful.
00:35:55Of course.
00:35:56How could I have forgotten?
00:35:59Welcome.
00:36:00Steve Armstrong and Arbathnot were roommates in college together
00:36:03where they created Cheetah, the famous operating system.
00:36:06They remained friends after that, even when their careers diverged.
00:36:09Arbathnot founded Digisaurus and Steve Armstrong created Whizbang.
00:36:18A very well-known man.
00:36:20Steve Armstrong was a genius at designing and marketing software.
00:36:24At one time, Whizbang was so powerful it was considered a threat to Microsoft.
00:36:29He and his wife were a brilliant couple.
00:36:32The billionaire software tycoon and Sonia Armstrong,
00:36:35the most desirable socialite in New York.
00:36:37She was the daughter of an actress and a real estate developer.
00:36:41And her own daughter, little Daisy.
00:36:44Even more beautiful.
00:36:47And this beautiful child.
00:36:49How did she die?
00:36:51Kidnapped.
00:36:52And when the ransom was paid, she was murdered.
00:36:55But she was not the only victim.
00:36:57At the time, her mother was pregnant,
00:36:59and she gave birth prematurely and the baby died.
00:37:02So did she.
00:37:04And her heartbroken husband shot himself.
00:37:08What a far-reaching tragedy.
00:37:12But there was someone else.
00:37:15A nursemaid.
00:37:17A French nursemaid.
00:37:19You see, the police were desperate to arrest someone,
00:37:22and they believed she had knowledge of the crime.
00:37:24No one listened to her hysterical denials.
00:37:28A week before she was due to go on trial,
00:37:30she managed to hang herself in her jail cell.
00:37:33Later on, of course, it was proved she was completely innocent.
00:37:36Eventually, the real criminal was caught.
00:37:38But with his sudden new wealth,
00:37:40he was able to hire the best defense lawyers in America.
00:37:43They got him off on a technicality.
00:37:45He left the country, came to Europe, and was never seen again.
00:37:48His name was Cassetti.
00:37:50The American press nicknamed him the Rattler
00:37:52because of a tattoo on his chest.
00:37:55But what does this notorious crime have to do with our murder?
00:37:59I don't know.
00:38:00Perhaps nothing.
00:38:04Come with me.
00:38:14Let us examine Mr. Ratchett's eyes.
00:38:20Hmm. Just as I suspected.
00:38:22There is scarring on both corneas, very symmetrical.
00:38:26Traces of laser surgery to correct nearsightedness.
00:38:31This man Cassetti had a tattoo of a snake on his chest.
00:38:34Mr. Ratchett has no such tattoo.
00:38:37But he has a scar in the same place.
00:38:42Such a scar as you might find when a tattoo has been surgically removed.
00:38:49This is not Samuel Ratchett.
00:38:52This is the murderer Cassetti.
00:38:56This, my friend, is the very face of him.
00:38:59This, my friend, is the very face of evil.
00:39:15Ratchett was Cassetti?
00:39:17Yes, but of course you knew that.
00:39:19What are you talking about?
00:39:21Are you saying, Mr. McQueen, that in all the time you worked for Mr. Ratchett,
00:39:24you never once suspected...
00:39:26No, I never suspected anything of the sort.
00:39:28I mean, I knew he was a bad guy, but not that bad.
00:39:30You followed the Armstrong case?
00:39:32Of course I followed it. The whole country followed it.
00:39:34It was the biggest case since O.J.
00:39:36You can't believe this.
00:39:38You feel strongly about this crime?
00:39:40Who wouldn't? Cassetti just waltzed off like that,
00:39:42some stupid technicality, and he was a free man.
00:39:45Meanwhile, poor Sonia's left...
00:39:47Sonia? What, you mean Mrs. Armstrong?
00:39:51Did you know her well?
00:39:53Uh, yeah. No, no, not well.
00:39:58She was on the museum board when I was working there.
00:40:00We were trying to raise some money for this Etruscan funerary exhibit.
00:40:04She had some ideas of people to approach.
00:40:07Of course, she ended up practically funding the whole thing herself.
00:40:11She was great, you know.
00:40:13She was funny and beautiful and...
00:40:17I was so proud of that little girl.
00:40:21I can't believe I ended up working for this guy who killed her.
00:40:25Did you find out?
00:40:27Oh, the videotape was the first hint.
00:40:29Videotape? You mean... No, no, I thought that it...
00:40:40I understand you were among a group of people
00:40:43in Mr. Foscarelli's compartment last night.
00:40:46Yeah, uh, yeah, that's right.
00:40:48We were up late drinking scotch,
00:40:50arguing about whether or not American culture had corrupted the world.
00:40:53And what time did this gathering come to an end?
00:40:56Uh, about 2.30.
00:40:58Did you leave the compartment at any time before then?
00:41:01Yeah, well, sometime in there I got up to go to my own compartment
00:41:04and use the facilities.
00:41:06About what time? This is very important.
00:41:08Well, I don't know exactly.
00:41:10Um, I guess it was a little after 1.00.
00:41:13The train had already stopped.
00:41:15Did you see anybody in the corridor at that time?
00:41:17I don't think so.
00:41:19Did you see Pierre Michel in his station at the end of the corridor?
00:41:22Um, not sure.
00:41:24But, you know, come to think of it,
00:41:26there was this other conductor guy who passed me in the corridor.
00:41:29He was kind of short, balding, small beady eyes.
00:41:35Beady eyes?
00:41:37Yeah.
00:41:41Look, just for the record,
00:41:43I didn't kill him.
00:41:46Maybe I wish I had, though.
00:42:02Who is this mysterious beady-eyed conductor you speak of?
00:42:05There's no one on the train who looks like that.
00:42:07I don't know, but we can safely assume he's missing a button on his jacket.
00:42:11Mr. Foscarelli!
00:42:14Please!
00:42:16This is no responsibility of yours.
00:42:18Nevertheless, I'm delighted to help out.
00:42:20You are very kind.
00:42:22May I present Mr. Piperot.
00:42:24I know Mr. Piperot, of course.
00:42:26The whole world knows Mr. Piperot.
00:42:28I saw your interview on television.
00:42:30The one where you explained how you solved the killing of Roger Ackroyd.
00:42:33Brilliant. Thank you.
00:42:35I've always wanted to ask you.
00:42:37Well, that first case of yours,
00:42:39how did you know Mrs. Inglethorpe died of strychnine poisoning
00:42:42when the DNA and all the lab reports...
00:42:44Mr. Foscarelli, it is I who would like to ask you a few questions.
00:42:48You ask me a few questions?
00:42:50Of course!
00:42:52Ask me a hundred questions. I'm honored to answer.
00:42:54Very well.
00:42:56Did you see anyone in the corridor in the carriage late last night, after midnight?
00:43:00Specifically, a short man wearing a conductor's uniform with a beady eye?
00:43:05No.
00:43:07No.
00:43:09I am sorry to disappoint such a famous detective,
00:43:12but I saw no one such as that.
00:43:15I saw no one at all last night.
00:43:17I was in my chamber having a very stimulating argument with Miss Debenack.
00:43:22What are you talking about?
00:43:24American culture.
00:43:26She says it is shallow, corrupt.
00:43:29I respond to her.
00:43:31How can you diss...
00:43:33Diss the word, yes, diss?
00:43:35How can you diss a country that gave us Ron Popey?
00:43:39Ron Popey?
00:43:41He mentored Regimatic.
00:43:43A pocket fisherman.
00:43:45Anyway, he's a giant of culture.
00:43:48And you, Mr. Foscarelli, what is your profession?
00:43:51I am in sales.
00:43:54That is my product.
00:43:57The Abliminator.
00:44:00Fifteen minutes a day for two months,
00:44:02and you, Mr. Poirot, could have a stomach like Brad Pitt in Fight Club.
00:44:08Are you aware of the Armstrong family kidnapping case?
00:44:11Yes, of course.
00:44:13Very tragic.
00:44:16I was in America at the time.
00:44:19Corporate sales hit in Disney World when it happened.
00:44:22Did you know any of the members of the family?
00:44:24Me, no.
00:44:26I am not in such a league.
00:44:28I watched on television like everybody else.
00:44:30Unfortunate people.
00:44:32They were both in good shape, though.
00:44:34They knew how to take care of themselves.
00:44:37Thank you very much.
00:44:39That's all.
00:44:40You may ask me more questions. Just ask.
00:44:42It would be my honor.
00:44:48You'll be all right.
00:44:50Please comfort yourself.
00:44:52What is the trouble, Mrs. Hubbard?
00:44:54You're so horrible.
00:44:56Pierre, please, fetch this poor woman some cognac.
00:44:58Oh, yes, monsieur.
00:45:00What is distressing you, Mrs. Hubbard?
00:45:02It's the sight of blood. I've never been able to stand it.
00:45:04I remember when I was a little girl and the doctor decided you had to...
00:45:06Blood? Where did you see blood?
00:45:10In my toiletries bag.
00:45:13I reached in there to get my moisturizer, and I felt something strange.
00:45:16And when I pulled it out, it was...
00:45:18What about fingerprints?
00:45:19Oh, there's no need to be careful, Brooke.
00:45:21I'm certain the only fingerprints to be found here are those of Mrs. Hubbard.
00:45:25The size and shape of the blade makes me suspect
00:45:27that this could be responsible for the wounds on Mr. Ratched.
00:45:32Where was your toiletries bag, Mrs. Hubbard?
00:45:34In my closet.
00:45:36I'll tell you one thing.
00:45:38I will not stay in that room one more night.
00:45:40That door was locked.
00:45:42But then locked doors don't seem to mean much on this train.
00:45:44So the killer could just slip the murder weapon into my toiletries bag
00:45:47with my moisturizer.
00:45:49And then he could mysteriously disappear, and I'm left an emotional wreck.
00:45:52Is there any more of this?
00:45:54You've been through a terrible shock, Mrs. Hubbard.
00:45:56Perhaps you should go back to your compartment and rest.
00:45:58Perhaps I should.
00:46:00It's about time someone showed me some consideration for what I've gone through.
00:46:03You're a valiant woman, Mrs. Hubbard.
00:46:07May I ask you one more favor?
00:46:09Perhaps.
00:46:10I would very much like to conduct a search of all the passenger's luggage.
00:46:13May we start with yours?
00:46:15Why mine?
00:46:16To save you from any further unpleasant discoveries.
00:46:19Ah, I see your point.
00:46:21Would you please get this train moving?
00:46:23We're doing everything we can, Mrs. Hubbard.
00:46:25I hope so.
00:46:27You have no idea how dissatisfied a customer I can be.
00:46:30I can be your worst nightmare.
00:46:38Senor Poirot.
00:46:40I understand you wish to see me.
00:46:42Senor Alvarado.
00:46:44I am devastated to have to disturb you.
00:46:46Please, please, don't apologize.
00:46:49A crime has been committed and the criminal must be discovered and dealt with.
00:46:55I learned from my husband one cannot let such matters linger.
00:47:00Yes, I recall your husband was known for his swift and certain justice.
00:47:05No, he was not a dictator, you know.
00:47:09He was a patriot who understood that a country such as ours needed a strong hand.
00:47:15He was right.
00:47:17Ever since his assassination the place is in chaos
00:47:21with all those pathetic rebel leaders calling each other El Tigre and Comandante so-and-so
00:47:29and killing each other left and right.
00:47:33I am sorry to hear of your country's misfortunes.
00:47:38I am glad to see you are a man of sensitivity and refinement.
00:47:42This is outrageous. Please do something, Philip.
00:47:44You won't find anything, you know.
00:47:46I'm sure I won't, monsieur.
00:47:47It's fragile.
00:47:48Don't worry, madame.
00:47:49I'm tired of this train. Shall we get some fresh air?
00:47:51I am too. Let's go.
00:47:53Perhaps we could start with what is your current city of residence?
00:47:58Paris, during the season, and New York.
00:48:01And what was the reason for you being in Istanbul?
00:48:03Carpets.
00:48:05I am furnishing a small house on the Amalfi Coast and I'm in desperate need of floor coverings.
00:48:11Do you know anything about Turkish carpets, senor Perrault?
00:48:15I don't consider myself an authority.
00:48:18One could study a lifetime and not be an authority.
00:48:21The patterns, the dyes, the threads.
00:48:24And are you traveling all the way home on the Orient Express?
00:48:27Only as far as Venice. Then I am to travel to Milan for my good friend Donatella Versace's spring collection.
00:48:35But with these delays, looks like I will miss it.
00:48:39So many of my good friends will be there.
00:48:41Not just Donatella, but Elton John as well, who is flying in from London just to see me.
00:48:47And Evgeny Dragomirov.
00:48:49The Russian ballet dancer.
00:48:51Yes, oh, Evgeny is my very good friend.
00:48:55Oh, we both know what it's like to live in exile.
00:48:59Senora Alvarado, could you, if you would be so kind, give me a brief account of your movements last night from dinner onwards.
00:49:08I moved not at all.
00:49:10I went straight to bed and stayed in my compartment.
00:49:15Forgive my indelicacy, but is there anyone who can confirm this fact?
00:49:21You want to know if I have an alibi to convince you that I was not the killer?
00:49:27No.
00:49:28I would never...
00:49:30Wait a minute. There was somebody.
00:49:32Now I remember.
00:49:34I wake up in the middle of the night.
00:49:36My throat was dry.
00:49:38I rang the bell in my room to ask the conductor for a bottle of mineral water.
00:49:43What time was this?
00:49:45Around 1.20.
00:49:47And the conductor answered the bell?
00:49:49Yes, but he never brought me the water.
00:49:52He just walked right by.
00:49:55I had to drink ordinary water from the tap.
00:49:58And what did this man look like?
00:50:01I recall him as small and dark-haired.
00:50:06Indeed.
00:50:14Are you investigating everyone's luggage or just mine?
00:50:17Everyone's.
00:50:19Even the luggage of the world-renowned crime-solver?
00:50:24Senora Alvarado, you say that you sometimes live in New York.
00:50:29Yes.
00:50:30I never make the acquaintance of a family named Armstrong.
00:50:33A family to whom a momentous tragedy occurred.
00:50:36Why do you ask me that?
00:50:38Is there a reason why I should not?
00:50:41Senor Poirot, you are speaking of very dear friends of mine.
00:50:46You knew Steve Armstrong?
00:50:48Him, only a little.
00:50:50But his wife, Sonia, was my goddaughter.
00:50:55Sonia's mother, Linda Arden,
00:50:58oh, she was a gifted stage actress.
00:51:02You must have heard of her.
00:51:04Oh, she was a dear friend of mine.
00:51:07This Linda Arden, is she dead?
00:51:11No, but her health is very delicate.
00:51:16She lives in complete retirement.
00:51:19She lives in complete retirement.
00:51:22Sonia is the only daughter?
00:51:25I believe there was another daughter, much younger.
00:51:29Her name was, uh, Helen, or Helena,
00:51:33something like that.
00:51:35I believe she live in England.
00:51:38But you have not answered my questions, Senor Poirot.
00:51:42What do the poor Armstrongs have to do with anything that happened on this train?
00:51:47Senor, the man who was murdered on the train last night
00:51:49was also responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Daisy Armstrong.
00:51:53Oh, madre mia.
00:51:56I can't believe it.
00:51:58Is it true?
00:52:00Yes, it's true.
00:52:04Well, I'm glad somebody killed him.
00:52:08I'm only sorry for one thing.
00:52:10What is that one thing?
00:52:11That it was not me who did it.
00:52:18What could be more evident?
00:52:20She knew the Armstrongs.
00:52:22She was Sonia's godmother.
00:52:24She's the widow of a despot famous for killing his enemies.
00:52:27She killed Ratched.
00:52:29Uh, but she has the wrong initials, Nina Alvarado, N or A, not H,
00:52:34so it could not have been she dropping the handkerchief.
00:52:37Nor she who dealt the killing blow.
00:52:39She's an elderly lady. She has more strength in her will than in her heart.
00:52:43Philip and Helena von Strauss.
00:52:46They seem to have some connection with Monogask royalty.
00:52:51There's a Greece spot at the beginning of her name.
00:52:56What is the significance of a spot of Greece?
00:52:59Oh, probably nothing.
00:53:01I just can't help observing such things.
00:53:04Come with me, book.
00:53:07Just thought you'd mind to know you may go through Mr Poirot's luggage,
00:53:11but I won't allow you or anyone else to rummage through my personal belongings.
00:53:15This has all gone quite far enough.
00:53:17Please, we all must cooperate.
00:53:20Must we? Why?
00:53:22Because...
00:53:24Monsieur Poirot requests it, and he is in charge of the case.
00:53:29Hey, von Strauss.
00:53:37Hey, von Strauss, good afternoon. I'm Hercule Poirot.
00:53:40Yeah, I know.
00:53:41I'm glad to see your wife is feeling better.
00:53:43Yeah, she's almost back to her old self.
00:53:45Helena's very young.
00:53:47I don't want her to be.
00:53:49I don't want her to be.
00:53:51I don't want her to be.
00:53:53I don't want her to be.
00:53:55And I think you're almost back to your old self.
00:53:57Helena's very young.
00:53:59The horrible murder on the train last night greatly affected her.
00:54:02I don't want her to be further upset by your questions.
00:54:05But as for me, I'm happy to help you in any way possible.
00:54:07Very well.
00:54:09What were you and your wife doing in Turkey?
00:54:11Sightseeing, of course.
00:54:12Helena and I travel a great deal, adventure travel.
00:54:16We live in Monaco, which, as you know,
00:54:18is a very small country in which one can become easily bored.
00:54:22Every month we're going rafting in Borneo and in spring we begin training for an Everest expedition.
00:54:27That's very impressive.
00:54:29Have you by any chance ever heard of the Armstrong kidnapping case?
00:54:33I've heard about it, yeah.
00:54:34The man who was killed on the train last night was responsible for that very crime.
00:54:39Incredible.
00:54:41I would very much like to know the activities of you and your wife last night.
00:54:45Activities? There were none.
00:54:47We went to bed early and slept through the night.
00:54:50What was it that upset your wife so much after dinner?
00:54:53Who knows? Women can be inexplicably frail.
00:54:56That's true enough.
00:54:58But one doesn't expect such frailty from someone who is planning to climb to the top of Mount Everest.
00:55:03Perhaps it was merely the excitement of travel.
00:55:07But you said she travels a great deal.
00:55:11As I said, you really don't need to talk to her. I've told you everything.
00:55:15Oh, it's merely a formality.
00:55:20Please.
00:55:30Madame von Strauss, you are French, I understand.
00:55:33Yes.
00:55:34You speak English?
00:55:35Well, of course I do.
00:55:37You heard of the terrible tragedy on the train last night?
00:55:40Yes, it was shocking. Awful.
00:55:44You saw or heard nothing?
00:55:46Oh, no. I was asleep in my compartment all night with my husband.
00:55:51May I ask you, do you know anything of the Armstrong kidnapping case?
00:55:57Yes, I think it was a famous crime in America, no?
00:56:02I think the whole family was destroyed by it.
00:56:05It was indeed.
00:56:14Excuse me.
00:56:22What does he want?
00:56:33In whose compartment did you find this, Pierre?
00:56:36In... in Monsieur Poirot's.
00:56:45The case is solved.
00:56:47The mysterious conductor, whose jacket was missing a button,
00:56:51whom Signora Alvarado and Mr. McQueen saw after he murdered Ratched in cold blood,
00:56:58it was I.
00:57:02Someone is playing with my mind, with my little grey cells.
00:57:09You wanted to see me, Mr. Poirot?
00:57:11Ah, yes indeed, Miss Debra.
00:57:13I've been looking forward to the pleasure of interviewing you all day.
00:57:16Please, sit down.
00:57:20Let us begin, mademoiselle, with what brought you to Istanbul.
00:57:23I work for a relief organization that's concerned with the welfare of children in Baghdad.
00:57:28The sanctions, as you may know, have made life difficult there.
00:57:31I was traveling back to London on vacation.
00:57:42The Orient Express is an expensive way for a young relief worker to travel.
00:57:46You disapprove?
00:57:48Not at all.
00:57:49I save the money myself over the course of two hard years in Baghdad.
00:57:53It's luxury, of course, but I have a fear of flying.
00:57:57Such a shame that the experience was ruined by the crime last night.
00:58:01No doubt you are in much distress.
00:58:04No, I'm not distressed, Mr. Poirot.
00:58:07To judge by the gossip I've heard today,
00:58:09the world is a rather better place without this Mr. Ratched in it.
00:58:13I congratulate you on your practical attitude to the emotional subject of murder.
00:58:21I have feelings, Mr. Poirot.
00:58:24Pardon me if I do not find it necessary to demonstrate them for your convenience.
00:58:29You are contemptuous of me.
00:58:31Not at all.
00:58:36Have you ever lived in the United States?
00:58:39No.
00:58:40Visited there?
00:58:42No, I never cared to.
00:58:44I find it to be a coarse and shallow place.
00:58:50No doubt you've heard of the Armstrong kidnapping affair.
00:58:54What did you think of that?
00:58:56It was abominable, of course.
00:58:58Was it?
00:59:00Should I throw myself weeping onto the floor about it?
00:59:06I feel sorry for the Armstrongs, of course, but I didn't know them.
00:59:10Dreadful things happen every day.
00:59:12One can't grieve for every single unfortunate occurrence in the world.
00:59:17Did you see anyone in the corridor last night after midnight?
00:59:23I don't recall.
00:59:25Perhaps a small man with dark hair, wearing a conductor's uniform?
00:59:29No. Are we quite through?
00:59:32Are you in a hurry?
00:59:34I just don't like my time to be wasted.
00:59:37If there's something that you need to ask, why don't you?
00:59:40Why don't you just ask, for instance, did I kill Mr. Ratched?
00:59:44Did you kill Mr. Ratched?
00:59:48No.
00:59:51But you obviously think I did.
00:59:54So perhaps I should contact my attorney at the first possible opportunity.
00:59:59Very well, Miss Debenham.
01:00:01We will no longer practice the mincing of words. We will be direct.
01:00:04How well do you know Mr. Arbuthnot?
01:00:06Not well at all.
01:00:07I think you are lying. I think you know Mr. Arbuthnot quite well indeed.
01:00:10What did you mean when you said to him in Istanbul,
01:00:12I don't want to talk about it now, when it is all over.
01:00:16Put it all behind us.
01:00:19Do you think I meant murder?
01:00:20Did you?
01:00:23Have you noticed you have lost a handkerchief?
01:00:25One with the letter H embroidered on it?
01:00:28I cannot have escaped your powers of detection, Mr. Poirot,
01:00:31that neither Mary nor Debenham begin with an H.
01:00:33Yes, but your middle name, Hermione, does.
01:00:37Tell me, what were you and Mr. Arbuthnot doing in Mr. Ratched's compartment
01:00:42when he happened to drop his stylus and you happened to drop your handkerchief?
01:00:45It is not my handkerchief.
01:00:47I ask you again, what is it that needs to be all over, that needs to be put behind you? What?
01:00:53I have nothing more to say.
01:00:55It doesn't matter, Miss Debenham.
01:00:58I will find out the truth.
01:01:01You were very angry with her.
01:01:04Anger? No, I feel no anger, Book.
01:01:06It is merely that to break through a hard surface sometimes requires a strong blow.
01:01:11So you believe that she's the murderer?
01:01:13That she and Arbuthnot conspired to murder Ratched?
01:01:16No, that's too easy.
01:01:17Remember, they both have alibis for the night of the crime.
01:01:20They were in the compartment with Mr. Foscarelli.
01:01:24But somewhere behind this business I am convinced there is a cool and resourceful brain
01:01:30and Miss Debenham answers to that description.
01:01:37It is vexing, extremely vexing.
01:01:41Everybody on the train has an alibi except for Signora Alvarado.
01:01:46These treacherous blows are obviously not the work of such a refined lady.
01:01:49However, she is connected to Ratched's victims.
01:01:53As is young Mr. McQueen who slightly knew Mrs. Armstrong as well.
01:01:58I find that to be a great coincidence.
01:02:01And of course we have the mysterious conductor who left behind his button.
01:02:05Excuse me, Monsieur Book.
01:02:06Yes, Pierre.
01:02:07The debris is almost cleared.
01:02:08We shall be on the way in only a few minutes more.
01:02:11Excellent, Pierre.
01:02:13Well, that's a relief.
01:02:14We'll be in Belgrade before morning.
01:02:23Let's go.
01:02:41Welcome to Digisaurus.
01:02:53Digisaurus.
01:03:42Yes?
01:03:43I must speak to your wife.
01:03:45Eleanor is asleep at the moment, perhaps later.
01:03:47I don't want to speak to Eleanor.
01:03:49Herr von Strauss, I want to speak to Eleanor.
01:03:52I want to speak to her about her sister.
01:03:55The late Mrs. Sonia Armstrong.
01:03:57It's okay, Philip.
01:03:59Let him in.
01:04:10So you're right, Mr. Poirot.
01:04:12I am Sonia's sister.
01:04:15How did you guess?
01:04:16Signor Alvarado mentioned that Mrs. Armstrong had a younger sister named Helen or Helena.
01:04:22I noticed a grease spot covering the letter H of your name in your passport.
01:04:27It wasn't until now that I recognized its significance.
01:04:30Why did you alter the passport?
01:04:31Oh, I never touched it.
01:04:32She didn't do that, I did.
01:04:34We heard there was a handkerchief found in Ratched's room with an H on it.
01:04:37Yes.
01:04:39I have it here.
01:04:42It's not mine.
01:04:43It's not?
01:04:44Oh, no.
01:04:45It's the passport.
01:04:47Even though it's not Helena's, we thought if you saw the H, you would jump to conclusions and decide she was the killer.
01:04:52I've never jumped to a conclusion in my life, Herr von Strauss.
01:04:56Surely you can understand the way we felt, Mr. Poirot.
01:05:00The man who died last night,
01:05:04Cassetti,
01:05:06was the man who murdered my little niece,
01:05:08caused the death of my sister,
01:05:10my brother-in-law.
01:05:12All the people who made up my home, my family,
01:05:16were just taken away from me.
01:05:23So, of course you suspect me of killing him.
01:05:25You didn't?
01:05:27No, I did not.
01:05:28I never touched him.
01:05:30It's true, I swear it.
01:05:34All right.
01:05:35I believe you.
01:05:37One thing, mademoiselle.
01:05:39As part of the Armstrong family,
01:05:41who were the other members of the household?
01:05:44Well, the usual, a cook, a gardener.
01:05:46Steve had a personal trainer.
01:05:48He was really into fitness.
01:05:49Was there a tutor?
01:05:50Someone to supervise little Daisy?
01:05:53Yeah.
01:05:54There was this big red-haired woman.
01:05:58Scottish, I think, no?
01:06:00Young or old?
01:06:02Old, very old.
01:06:03At least it seemed that way to me.
01:06:05Her name?
01:06:07Miss Lassiter.
01:06:10Miss Lassiter?
01:06:11Yes.
01:06:13Thank you for your candour, madame von Strauss.
01:06:17Sure, any time.
01:06:21Hey, Poirot!
01:06:23How dare you speak to Mary that way?
01:06:25Accusing her of murder?
01:06:26I'll tell you one thing, Poirot.
01:06:28You may not have any authority on this train,
01:06:30but you've got a hell of a lot of nerve!
01:06:31Monsieur, control your emotions.
01:06:33Gentlemen, gentlemen, there's no cause for violence, please.
01:06:35Yeah, there is no cause for this guy wandering around,
01:06:37making wild accusations.
01:06:38I will not put up with you ruining Mary's good name.
01:06:41You got a crime on your hands? Fine!
01:06:43Good for you.
01:06:44Either solve it or shut up about it,
01:06:46because I, for one, I'm tired of your little game!
01:06:48Very well, monsieur.
01:06:50I will solve this case.
01:06:52Bouk, be so kind as to ask all the passengers
01:06:55to gather in the bar car.
01:07:04Excuse me.
01:07:06Excuse me.
01:07:17Samuel Ratched.
01:07:19A man whose death seemingly fills no one with remorse,
01:07:22but whose murder last night on the train
01:07:24inspires the greatest puzzlement.
01:07:28Who killed this disagreeable man?
01:07:31I will propose to you a plausible solution to the crime.
01:07:35We may presume that Samuel Ratched
01:07:37was a man of many dark secrets and of many enemies.
01:07:40Not long ago, as Mr. McQueen attested,
01:07:43one of these enemies makes threatening phone calls.
01:07:47What?
01:07:48Who is this?
01:07:49Just thought you'd like to know.
01:07:51You threatening me?
01:07:52Later, he dons the jacket of a conductor
01:07:55and equips himself with the passkey to the station.
01:07:58Equips himself with the passkey to the sleeping car.
01:08:02Where does he acquire these objects?
01:08:04We do not know.
01:08:05Perhaps it is not important.
01:08:07Suffice it to say that such things are available
01:08:09to a criminal with sufficient cleverness and determination.
01:08:13And when the moment is right, he strikes.
01:08:15Ratched wakes.
01:08:16He attempts to fight off his assailant.
01:08:18In the struggle, his watch face is damaged
01:08:20and some of the blows strike in a shallow manner
01:08:22and Ratched soon lies dead.
01:08:26But now, the murderer finds himself trapped.
01:08:31What to do?
01:08:33Should he escape through the window?
01:08:35No, the train is moving much too fast.
01:08:39Not wanting to risk being discovered
01:08:41in the murder band's compartment,
01:08:43he enters the compartment of Mrs. Hubbard next door
01:08:46until he can find an opportunity to escape.
01:08:49An opportunity that presents itself
01:08:51when the train stops suddenly
01:08:53and the assassin hears the footsteps of Pierre,
01:08:56but in his haste, he loses a button
01:08:58and wakes Mrs. Hubbard.
01:09:00Urgently, he makes his escape,
01:09:02but not before encountering our eyewitness,
01:09:05Mr. McQueen and Signora Alvarado.
01:09:08Where did the assailant go?
01:09:10Did he leave the train?
01:09:12Did he stay on?
01:09:14These are questions we are at present unable to answer,
01:09:17but the sequence of events is plausible.
01:09:21And in a crime such as this, there are always untidy endings.
01:09:36Amazing. Excellent work, Mr. Poirot.
01:09:39Listen, I'm sorry I got so hot back there.
01:09:42Not at all.
01:09:43Look, I think I speak for all of us when I say that,
01:09:46well, we're just in awe of your abilities.
01:09:48Incredible.
01:09:50Thanks a lot.
01:09:54Mr. Abatnot, there is one other scenario.
01:09:58Perhaps not as believable at first glance,
01:10:01perhaps too fanciful to be accepted.
01:10:03Would you like to hear it?
01:10:05Well, uh, sure.
01:10:07I guess.
01:10:08Good.
01:10:09Please, resume your seat.
01:10:20This new scenario rests on the assumption
01:10:23that everything I have just said was a lie,
01:10:26that this phantom conductor never really existed at all,
01:10:29that he was created solely to provide
01:10:32a reasonable solution to the crime.
01:10:34But what other solution makes as much sense?
01:10:37I will now tell you, my friend, and you and the others will judge.
01:10:40As I said, certain questions have yet to be answered,
01:10:43but I am struck by the fact that several passengers on this train
01:10:47seemingly had close relationships with the Armstrong family.
01:10:50Not just Mr. Abatnot,
01:10:52who was Mr. Armstrong's college friend and business partner.
01:10:56Not just Mr. McQueen, who knew the late Mrs. Armstrong
01:11:00and thought highly of her.
01:11:02Not just Helena von Strauss,
01:11:04who was the sister of the late Mrs. Armstrong,
01:11:08but also Signora Alvarado,
01:11:11who was her godmother.
01:11:13Signora, perhaps now would be a convenient time
01:11:16for me to return to you your handkerchief.
01:11:21But her name doesn't begin with an H.
01:11:23Seemingly you are right, my friend.
01:11:25But Signora Alvarado's lovely first name is Nina.
01:11:29If she were given this handkerchief by a devoted Russian friend,
01:11:33say the famous dancer Yevgeny Dragomirov,
01:11:36he might, for sentimental reasons,
01:11:39render the N of her name in the Cyrillic alphabet,
01:11:43which, as we all know, is identical to our letter H.
01:11:46Signora?
01:11:52The handkerchief was, of course, a clue,
01:11:54deliberately designed to cast suspicion on Signora Alvarado,
01:11:58the least likely of all the passengers to inflict a killing blow.
01:12:02Likewise, the stylus of Mr. Abatnot's handheld computer
01:12:07invited us to suspect a man whose alibi
01:12:10was confirmed by three other passengers on the train.
01:12:15Let us now turn to the threatening phone calls mentioned by Mr. McQueen.
01:12:19They suggest that someone indeed was stalking Richard,
01:12:22and Mr. McQueen's testimony in this regard
01:12:25will prove very useful in persuading the police
01:12:27of the existence of this nonexistent conductor.
01:12:31But why would one give one's victim advance warning of such an act?
01:12:37Why not pounce upon him as the lion pounces on the gazelle?
01:12:43On the other hand, there is another sort of threat that makes profound sense,
01:12:48a threat that alerts the victim as to why he will die,
01:12:54that announces to him that justice will prevail.
01:13:01I propose to you that the phone calls were simply a ruse,
01:13:05but that a videotape describing the abduction and the death of Daisy Armstrong
01:13:11was sent to Mr. Ratched in deadly earnest.
01:13:15When I first said I had seen the contents of the tape to Mr. McQueen,
01:13:19his response was this unfinished sentence.
01:13:23But I thought that...
01:13:26May I finish the sentence for you, Mr. McQueen?
01:13:29But I thought that it had been destroyed.
01:13:35This videotape was meant for Ratched's eyes only, always.
01:13:39And it was to be discarded.
01:13:41But in the event, Mr. Ratched unexpectedly completed the task himself,
01:13:45breaking the tape into pieces and sending it to the trash.
01:13:48But in the mind of Mr. McQueen, this videotape had been safely disposed of.
01:13:55Miss Debenham, why did you say you had never been to the United States?
01:13:59Because I never had.
01:14:00Oh, but I think you have.
01:14:02And for so long a duration as to have acquired an unconscious familiarity with American English.
01:14:08Why else would you say, I am on vacation instead of I am on holiday?
01:14:13Why else use the word attorney instead of solicitor?
01:14:16And why, Miss Debenham, would you say I am on vacation?
01:14:20Why else use the word attorney instead of solicitor?
01:14:23And why, Miss Debenham, are you so determined to hide the fact that you were little Daisy Armstrong's tutor?
01:14:29That's a lie.
01:14:30Is it?
01:14:33That's not the impression I received from Madame von Strauss.
01:14:36No, I only said our tutor was an old red-haired woman.
01:14:40Strikingly opposite from the young, dark-haired Miss Debenham.
01:14:44And the name Lassiter.
01:14:46How interesting.
01:14:49Lassiter and Debenham.
01:14:51A well-known American department store.
01:14:54Your brain was searching for a name to stand in for Debenham, and naturally Lassiter is what occurred to you.
01:15:02So what, Mr. Poirot? What does any of this prove?
01:15:05Yes, you are right, Miss Debenham, in your coldly logical way.
01:15:08None of these details prove anything by themselves.
01:15:12They are small pieces of tile in a mosaic.
01:15:16Threads of thread in a beautiful Turkish rug.
01:15:20Now I will reveal to you the design.
01:15:24I recall my excellent friend Buch telling me...
01:15:26I've secured you a first-class compartment.
01:15:29It was reserved in the name of a Mr. Harris, but he cancelled at the last moment.
01:15:33So instead of getting an unsuspecting businessman, they got a world-famous detective.
01:15:38Here's your compartment, monsieur.
01:15:39When I was given his compartment, the entire ingenious plan had to be rearranged for my benefit.
01:15:45And what was that plan?
01:15:47Go to bed.
01:15:48Just get your melatonin.
01:15:50I find you to be intolerable.
01:15:54It fell to young Mr. McQueen to make sure that the victim was suitably compliant.
01:16:01I think he's Belgian.
01:16:03What?
01:16:04Poirot, he's not from France, he's from Belgium.
01:16:06Here's your pill.
01:16:10How the hell they call themselves a country?
01:16:13Since much trouble had been undertaken to arrange an alibi for the conspirators at 1.15,
01:16:18it was to the benefit of the plan for me to believe that Mr. Ratched, at 12.10,
01:16:24was not dead, but alive and conscious.
01:16:43Hello.
01:16:53How are you, monsieur?
01:16:54I'm fine. I made a mistake.
01:16:57Very well, monsieur.
01:16:58Unfortunately, Mr. McQueen failed to remember in this instance
01:17:02that his employer spoke no languages other than English.
01:17:07There were mistakes, assuredly, for they had to hatch their new plan quickly.
01:17:12But the conspirators had waited for this chance for a long time.
01:17:16They had worked up their courage and hardened their hearts.
01:17:28Armstrong's best friend, the man he had grown up with,
01:17:33Armstrong's best friend, the man he had grown up with,
01:17:37and grown rich and powerful with.
01:17:42The young man who had fallen under the spell, as so many had,
01:17:46of Armstrong's beautiful and kind-hearted wife.
01:17:53Sonia Armstrong's sister, whose world Ratched had snatched away.
01:18:03Sonia's godmother, the believer in swift and certain justice.
01:18:09Sonia's godmother, the believer in swift and certain justice.
01:18:14Steve Armstrong's personal trainer made his client strong,
01:18:18but not strong enough to survive the cruel ordeal that Ratched inflicted upon his family.
01:18:24The young tutor who loved young Daisy Armstrong with a maternal warmth
01:18:28that belied her cool English demeanor.
01:18:31The indispensable man who cooperated gladly because the young French maid
01:18:36in the Armstrong household, who killed herself in the face of false accusations,
01:18:41was his daughter.
01:18:47And finally, the consummate actress, Linda Arden,
01:18:52a woman so skilled she could almost mask her own shattered life,
01:18:56the mother of Sonia Armstrong.
01:19:02THE CRIME
01:19:08But there was still housekeeping to do.
01:19:12It was convenient, as I have pointed out,
01:19:14to make me believe that the crime took place at 1.15.
01:19:24No doubt the original plan called for the murder to be discovered
01:19:27after the train had arrived in Belgrade,
01:19:29where it could be assumed that the murderer had got off,
01:19:32but the sudden interruption of our journey eliminated that option.
01:19:39And so an alternate escape venue was hastily improvised,
01:19:43another of the fantasy clues that distinguishes this case.
01:20:00It's unusual, even in my line of work,
01:20:04to encounter so many murderers in one room.
01:20:23Well, I suppose we'd better get our things together.
01:20:26We'll be in Belgrade soon.
01:20:28Mr Poirot will be explaining these matters to the police.
01:20:32Yes, you are right, Miss Debenhams.
01:20:34But...
01:20:39I don't know which story to tell them.
01:20:44The sequence of events I have laid before you
01:20:46seem to me so unlikely as to be unbelievable.
01:20:56What do you think, Book?
01:20:58Which would you believe?
01:20:59That Ratched's death was the work of an international conspiracy,
01:21:02of software designers, refined ladies and fitness instructors?
01:21:09Or the work of a single mysterious assassin?
01:21:15I think that justice has already been served, my friend.
01:21:22I think so too.
01:21:27BELL RINGS
01:21:43How are you?
01:21:49Mr Poirot?
01:21:50Miss Debenhams, you're not going on to London?
01:21:52No, Mr Arbuthnot and I thought we'd fly home together.
01:21:55We feel a change of scene is warranted.
01:21:58Mr Poirot, when I first met you,
01:22:00I thought you to be an inconsequential man.
01:22:03I'd like you to know that I've reversed that opinion.
01:22:13Yeah.
01:22:15Bye-bye.
01:22:16Goodbye.
01:22:18Well, there will be a hearing, of course,
01:22:20but the mysterious assassin theory sounds reasonable to them.
01:22:24Oh, it is eminently reasonable.
01:22:25It suffers only from the defect that it is not factual.
01:22:46Hello, Hercule.
01:22:49Vera, what are you doing here?
01:22:50I have always had a desire to ride the Orient Express.
01:22:53It is beautiful and exotic.
01:22:56The same you said about me, as you well know.
01:22:59Yes, I know that very well.
01:23:01I thought it would be a fatal error in judgment
01:23:03to leave one's life without experiencing it.
01:23:13As it happens,
01:23:15a compartment has just become available next to mine.
01:23:19With a connected door.
01:23:23Tony Foscarelli was recently named by Wall Street
01:23:25as the king of infomercials.
01:23:28His latest product is a device that is said to reduce cellulite
01:23:31by the delivery of a mild electrical shock.
01:23:35Pierre Michel is still happily employed by the Orient Express.
01:23:40William McQueen is curator of antiquities
01:23:42at the Arbuthnot wing of the Seattle Museum of Art.
01:23:45Philippe and Helena von Strauss
01:23:47almost successfully climbed Mount Everest.
01:23:50Philippe, unfortunately, lost two toes to frostbite in the attempt.
01:23:54Signora Alvarado is the honorary chairperson of Fashion vs. Famine,
01:23:59a charitable organization that aids hungry children
01:24:02through the sale of couture clothing.
01:24:05My friend Wolfgang Buch
01:24:07took early retirement from the Orient Express
01:24:09and opened up a detective agency in Istanbul.
01:24:12Mary Debenham and Bob Arbuthnot
01:24:14were married in a discreet ceremony in Seattle.
01:24:17Caroline Hubbard is currently appearing
01:24:19in a Salt Lake City dinner theater production
01:24:21of Agatha Christie's The Mouse Trap.
01:24:24As for Vera Rosakov and myself,
01:24:26well, discretion commands that I be silent for the moment.
01:24:30But perhaps in due course our further adventures
01:24:32will present themselves for your attention.
01:25:12For more information, visit www.arbuthnot.com