Although Agatha Christie's mystery novels have been continuously put on the screen in recent years, for old audiences, the translated versions of "Massacre on the Nile" and "Crimes in the Sun" translated by CCTV in the 1970s and 1980s are still eternal classics that cannot be surpassed.
Agatha christie
In fact, the three films came from the same producer, the Englishman John Brayborne. Breburn has produced blockbuster films such as "Sinking Bismarck", "Rebel Loyal", and "Romeo and Juliet" for the British Amy Film Company. In the seventies, due to the impact of television, the British film industry fell into a low ebb, and in Breburn's view, only one person could bring the audience back to the cinema, and she was Agatha Christie, the queen of mystery fiction.
Lord Mountbatten (right) and Prince Charles
Christie was still alive at the time, and because she was so dissatisfied with her previous adaptations, she refused to sell the rights to any film company. Breburn had no choice but to invite his old man, Lord Mountbatten, as a lobbyist. Lord Mountbatten, a former British Admiral, was known as a "master negotiator" for successfully brokering Indian independence, and he finally persuaded Christie to sell Four works to Breburn, namely "Murder on the Orient Express", "Massacre on the Nile", "Crime in the Sun", which told the story of Detective Poirot, and "Murder in the Broken Mirror", which told the case of Miss Marple.
Mr. and Mrs. John Breburn for the rest of their lives
Christie died on January 12, 1976, only to see Brayburn's Murder on the Orient Express. On August 27, 1979, Breburn also nearly lost his life. On the same day, Lord Mountbatten and his family took a yacht to the sea to catch shrimp, only to be murdered by the IRA bomb, Lord Mountbatten was killed on the spot, Brayburn and his wife, Mountbatten's eldest daughter Patricia, were blown off their legs and escaped.
Sidney Lumet (front row) and all the cast of Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express was filmed in 1974 and directed by American director Sidney Lumet. Lumet didn't think it was a good idea to make a movie with Christie's novel at first, "because her novels are so famous that even the most forgetful reader will remember who killed them... However, I am a train fan, especially sleeper cars, and my first train ride was from Paris to Rome, an experience that I will never forget, and my dream was to take the Orient Express on a trip across Eurasia. ”
The story of Murder on the Orient Express takes place in the 1930s, when the Orient Express was in its heyday, so Lumet decided to make a gorgeous and glamorous film with not only extravagant trains and exoticism, but also familiar stars and fashionable costumes. He asked Breburn that a luxurious all-star cast must be assembled for the film, whether it is a popular star or a former star, they are the "clothes rack" in the eyes of fashion people.
With Lumet's appeal, such a team of stars soon formed, and the task of dressing them was entrusted to British stage and costume designer Tony Walton. Walton is the husband of Julie Andrews, the heroine of The Sound of Music, and Walton was nominated for the Oscar for the Oscar-winning song and dance film "Happy People", which was nominated for the Oscar for Best Costume Design.
The costume design of Murder on the Orient Express is an extremely onerous task, and while the film unfolds in an enclosed space, given that it was a journey that lasted several days, Walton designed at least three costumes for each character that not only highlighted the characters and the characteristics of the times, but also made the audience of the seventies shine.
Walton's attention to detail is reflected in the character of Detective Poirot. Albert Finney, who played Poirot, was only 38 years old at the time, and the makeup artist made a lot of articles to make him look old, and even put a filler in his mouth. I made a ring for him with a bullet casing, and whenever he was in danger, he would unconsciously touch it with his hand, reminding him that his limp was caused by a bullet. Although the audience may not notice this detail, it is of great help to the actors in the play. ”
Walton was nominated for an Oscar again for Murder on the Orient Express, and Albert Finney was nominated for Best Actor, but he failed to get Christie's approval. "The film is a good shot, but one mistake was made." Christie said. "It's about having Albert Finney play my Detective Hercule Poirot. He has the prettiest beard in Britain – but he doesn't in the movie. I thought it was a pity – why shouldn't he have? ”
Perhaps because of this, when filming "Massacre on the Nile" four years later, Peter Ustinov replaced Albert Finney as the new Poirot actor, which was also the first time he played the Belgian detective on screen.
Although the protagonist has changed, Breburn's production route has not changed, and it is still all-star + British retro fashion. Unlike Murder on the Orient Express, the female characters in Massacre on the Nile account for most of the total, so women's clothing design is a top priority. Maggie Smith, who plays Miss Bowles in the film, is known for her pickiness about clothing, insisting on hiring Anthony Powell as the film's costume designer. Powell, also from the United Kingdom, won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 1972 for Maggie Smith's Role in Walking with Aunts, and has since become Smith's royal designer.
All the cast of "Massacre on the Nile"
The story of "Massacre on the Nile" takes place in dusty and desolate Egypt, which is a challenge for Powell, and after negating the first few solutions, he finally adopted a black and white tone design casual wear, that is, with a large area of white, cream and a little black, which can not only make the characters and the environment blend, but also have a fashionable atmosphere.
The design of the evening dress gave Powell plenty of room to show, and he boldly used various colors and fashion elements to turn the entire cruise ship into a catwalk, and the famous ladies competed for glory.
Because these costumes are very cumbersome, if you are not careful, you may wear the wrong ones, and Powell had to personally follow the film crew to the location and be responsible for supervision. He later recalled: "Fortunately, I was there, and because the director had changed a scene temporarily, I needed to give Mia Farrow, who played Jackie, a new costume. But we were in Egypt, and there was nothing there, but fortunately I had some light blue silk in my suitcase, enough for a pair of pajama pants, and my shirt was not falling. I walked around the boat and found our cook making seafood fried rice, covered with cheese, garlic and olive oil on a red and blue striped tablecloth. I immediately had the tablecloth washed and used it to make a beautiful blouse. I put it on for her myself and put on a big straw hat for her. She said to me, 'I like this dress so much, but how can it smell like garlic?' ’”
Powell and the three Oscars he won (the third is Tess)
"Massacre on the Nile" won Powell the second Academy Award for Best Costume Design, which is the only Academy Award the film has won. Four years later, Powell took on the challenge again in Sin in the Sun.
All the cast of "Sins in the Sun"
Sins in the Sun made major changes to Christie's original book, not only deleting some minor characters, adding humor elements that were not originally there, but also transferring the story from Devonshire, England, to a fictional island in the Adriatic Sea. Breburn got a taste of sweetness through The Massacre on the Nile, where exotic scenery was a major element of the film's success, so he decided to shoot the film in a European resort, Mallorca, Spain.
However, this decision was upheld and opposed. Supporters are actresses with proud figures such as Diana Rigg and Jane Birkin, and opponents include Peter Ustinov and Maggie Smith, who can't imagine what they look like in a swimsuit.
Fortunately, swimsuits and summerwear in the 1930s were not as revealing, but Powell went to great lengths to convince Smith to show his knees on the silver screen for the first time.
Ustinov didn't even want to show his knees, and Powell designed a swimsuit for him, plus a large Indian-style bathrobe.
Even so, Ustinov put on this swimsuit and strictly forbade anyone to take pictures on the spot.
The shooting scene of "Sins in the Sun"
In his book Sin in the Sun, Christie writes, "It's calm, the sun is shining, and the waters are blue. But don't forget, under the sun, there are evil things everywhere. "Maybe we can only really feel this strong contrast when we watch the movie, and the design of the costume is naturally indispensable."
To this day, the three films murdered on the Orient Express, Massacre on the Nile and Sins in the Sun are regarded as the pinnacle of costume design in the history of cinema, in which costumes are constantly put on display or become sought-after auction items.