Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express (1974) on November 22. The featured attraction in this Agatha Christie mystery is the Orient Express itself, the luxurious train on a run between Istanbul and Calais. Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, and Richard Widmark are all along for the ride, under the fretful eye of Monsieur Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney). Rated PG. (128 min.)

Climb into the Stanley H. Durwood Film Vault for Steam on the Silver Screen, a weekly film series dealing with the impact of the railroad on American and British society. Screenings take place every Saturday in November at 1:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Admission is free. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.

This series complements the Art in the Age of Steam exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and supporting programming at the Library’s Plaza Branch.

The film line-up includes:

The Iron Horse (1924) on November 1. Premier American director John Ford found his themes and his look in this silent feature that tracks the laying of the first transcontinental railroad across the country, opening the West to expansion and settlement. Locomotives as well as some of the laborers from the original project lend an air of authenticity to the story of the bonding of the West with the East. Not rated. (133 min.)

Union Pacific (1939) on November 8. Cecil B. DeMille gives his unique stamp to the epic story of the building of the transcontinental railroad complete with a U.S. Cavalry charge to wrap things up. Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck star. Not rated. (136 min.)

Silver Streak (1976) on November 15. Businessman Wilder is looking forward to a leisurely train trip on board the Silver Streak, only to find his plans derailed by international intrigue, a beautiful woman, and Richard Pryor. It’s a Hitchcock express gone terribly awry. This first pairing of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder remains the best. Rated PG. (113 min.)

Murder on the Orient Express (1974) on November 22. The featured attraction in this Agatha Christie mystery is the Orient Express itself, the luxurious train on a run between Istanbul and Calais. Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, and Richard Widmark are all along for the ride, under the fretful eye of Monsieur Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney). Rated PG. (128 min.)

The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953) on November 29. The residents of a quaint English village are up in arms over the threatened closure of their railroad, the Thunderbolt, and resolve to save it even if it means destroying the town. Against them are arrayed the railroad company bureaucrats in league with rascally local bus company operatives. Financing is obtained under the auspices of Stanley Holloway (My Fair Lady), who promises anything that allows him to retain the use of his favored mobile bar. Hugh Griffith (the memorable Squire Western in Tom Jones) is providing the technical expertise, so expect a bumpy ride. This is the first Technicolor Ealing comedy, beautifully filmed in the Cam valley near Bath. Not rated. (84 min.)