Who plays Tom Ratchett in Murder on the Orient Express?
In the Agatha Christie's Poirot episode 'Murder on the Orient Express', Ratchett is played by Toby Jones. Ratchett is shown in his hotel, frantically packing his suitcase.
What happened to Ratchett on the Orient Express?
The twelve passengers on the Orient Express, who were each connected to Daisy or the Armstrong family in some way, collectively murder Ratchett on the train.
What is the first murder on the Orient Express?
Murder on the Orient Express. Murder on the Orient Express is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934.
Who is the main character in Murder on the Orient Express?
Murder on the Orient Express Characters. Hercule Poirot, the protagonist of the story, is a celebrated Belgian detective who stumbles on a murder investigation when a man in his train car, Mr. Ratchett, is murdered.
Who are the killers on the Orient Express?
Ratchett's true identity is revealed: he was John Cassetti, Daisy's kidnapper and murderer. The shock of her death caused her mother Sonia to suffer a fatal miscarriage; her father, Colonel John Armstrong, committed suicide shortly after.
Who killed Cassetti in the Murder on the Orient Express?
Initially, Cassetti/Ratchett appeared as the story's victim. However, he was soon revealed to be a notorious kidnapper and child murderer; soon enough Cassetti was eventually killed by the victim's relatives and friends (thirteen people in total on the same train).
What did Ratchett do in Murder on the Orient Express?
You see, "Ratchett" is actually Lenfranco Cassetti, a man who kidnapped and murdered an American toddler named Daisy Armstrong. Her mother, who was pregnant at the time, miscarried and died due to complications, her father died by suicide, and Cassetti escaped justice.
Why was Ratchett killed?
He argues that twelve of the thirteen passengers, all close to the Armstrong case, killed Ratchett to avenge the murder of Daisy Armstrong.
Who killed Bouc?
His one true love, Jacqueline De Bellefort, is devoted to him to the extent that she becomes the mastermind of their crime! To quiet the witnesses, she killed Louise and Bouc.
What was Hardman's secret?
Hardman's passport says he is a traveling salesman selling typewriter ribbons, but when Poirot tells Hardman who he is Hardman reveals his true identity. His name is Cyrus B. Hardman and he works as a private detective for McNeil's Detective Agency in New York City.
How many times has Ratchett's body been stabbed?
An investigation of the body shows that Ratchett was stabbed twelve times; however the wounds are not consistent...
How did Poirot know that Ratchett was Cassetti?
Lastly Poirot discovers a small, charred piece of paper. With a spirit stove, curling tongs and the netting from a lady's hat box Poirot is able to read the paper: "—member little Daisy Armstrong." Poirot instantly knows whom Ratchett's really is, an American named Cassetti.
How many times was Ratchett stabbed?
The only fact Poirot admits is that Ratchett or Cassetti was stabbed twelve times the last evening. Poirot has three theories on the time he was stabbed: 1:15, supported by the evidence of the watch, Mrs.
How does MacQueen feel about Ratchett's death?
MacQueen doesn't seem especially surprised at Ratchett's death, saying, “so they got him after all.” He explains his history with Ratchett, relating the story of how he joined Ratchett as a personal secretary, since Ratchett was “hampered by knowing no languages.”
What did Poirot do at the end of the Orient Express?
Breaking with his usual code of outright honesty and equality, Poirot lies to the police, letting them believe that a murderer stole onto the train in the middle of the night, killed Cassetti, and fled before anyone could catch them.
What name was Cassetti also known by?
Ratchett. Ratchett, real name Cassetti, was the kidnapper of Daisy Armstrong. Daisy was the three-year-old daughter of Colonel Armstrong, a man with great Wall St.
Who is Greta on the Orient Express?
Greta Ohlsson. Greta is a Swedish woman on the Orient Express who’s sentimental and a bit delicate. Mrs. Hubbard takes her under her wing because the murder of Ratchett seems to especially disturb Greta. Greta later admits that she used to be Daisy Armstrong ’s nurse.
Who is Hector MacQueen?
Hector is an American man around the age of thirty who took a job as an assistant to Mr. Ratchett, primarily helping him navigate the various languages of Europe in his travels. This detail… read analysis of Hector MacQueen.
Who is Colonel Arbuthnot?
Colonel Arbuthnot. Colonel Arbuthnot is an older British soldier, a veteran of British colonial projects in India. He’s a stolid, “Anglo-Saxon” type, whom Poirot describes as being “honourable, [and] slightly stupid.”. He provides an alibi for the… read analysis of Colonel Arbuthnot.
Who is Pierre Michel?
Pierre Michel. Pierre is a veteran French conductor for the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, working on the Paris-Calais car of the Orient Express. The investigators see Pierre as a dependable, honorable man, but not as one… read analysis of Pierre Michel.
Who is the Countess of Andrenyi?
Countess Andrenyi. Countess Andrenyi, a young woman of around twenty, is a Hungarian noble married to Count Andrenyi. It’s revealed at the end of the novel that her real name is Helena Goldenberg, and that she’s… read analysis of Countess Andrenyi.
When was the murder on the Orient Express made?
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) Main article: Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film) The book was made into a 1974 movie directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by John Brabourne and Richard B. Goodwin; it was a critical and commercial hit.
Who wrote the murder on the Orient Express?
For other uses, see Murder on the Orient Express (disambiguation). Murder on the Orient Express is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934.
How many stab wounds did Ratchett have?
With help from Dr. Constantine, Poirot examines Ratchett's body and compartment, discovering the following: the body has 12 stab wounds, the window had been left open, a handkerchief with the initial "H", a pipe cleaner, a flat match different from the ones Ratchett used, and a charred piece of paper written "member Daisy Armstrong" on it.
What happened to Agatha Christie?
After being harshly interrogated by police, she committed suicide. Two less notable events helped inspire her novel: Agatha Christie's first journey on the Orient Express in late 1928, and a blizzard near Cherkeskoy, Turkey, that marooned an Orient Express for six days just a few months later, in February 1929.
Who is the aunt in the second solution?
Countess Andrenyi (nee Goldenberg) is Helena, Daisy's aunt, who was a child herself at the time of the tragedy. Rudolph, her loving husband, smudged her luggage label and obscured her name to conceal her identity. Debenham was Helena and Daisy's governess; Foscarelli was the Armstrongs' chauffeur, at one time also a suspect in the kidnapping; Masterman was Col. Armstrong's valet; Michel is Susanne's father and the person who procured the false second uniform; Mrs. Hubbard is actually famous actress Linda Arden, Daisy's grandmother and Sonia and Helena's mother; Schmidt was the Armstrongs' cook; and Ohlsson was Daisy's nurse. Princess Dragomiroff, in reality Sonia's godmother, claims the monogrammed handkerchief, saying that her forename is Natalia and the "H" is actually a Cyrillic letter "N". Arbuthnot is there on Debenham's behalf and his own, as he was a personal friend of Colonel Armstrong. Hardman is an ex policeman who admits he was in love with Susanne, and McQueen, who had feelings for Sonia, was the son of the lawyer who represented the Armstrongs. The only passengers not involved in the murder are Bouc and Dr. Constantine, both having slept in the other coach, which was locked.
What happened to Charles Lindbergh's son?
An innocent, but perhaps loose-lipped, maid employed by Lindbergh's parents was suspected of involvement in the crime. After being harshly interrogated by police, she committed suicide.
What happened to the Orient Express in the 1930s?
The elegant train of the 1930s, the Orient Express, is stopped by heavy snowfall. A murder is discovered, and Poirot's trip home to London from the Middle East is interrupted to solve the case. The opening chapters of the novel tale place in Istanbul.
Who is the main antagonist in Murder on the Orient Express?
Cassetti (using the alias Samuel Edward Ratchett) is the main antagonist in Murder on the Orient Express .
Where did Ratchett talk to Hector MacQueen?
Ratchett is first introduced talking with Hector MacQueen at the main entrance of Sirkeci Station in Istanbul. Ratchett plans to bring a statue worth $4,000 back to Paris with them by way of the Orient Express, and will sell it to an unknown party who, in turn, will sell it to tourists. Ratchett comments that at least the dust on the statue looks authentic.
What does Ratchett hear when he hears a knock on his door?
As the train leaves the station, Ratchett hears a knock on his door, and notices a package with his name on it.
What did Ratchett offer Poirot?
On the morning of the first day out of Istanbul, Ratchett approached Poirot and offered $20,000. He tells Poirot that his life had been threatened. he carried a gun but wanted to be doubly sure by having Poirot protect him. Poirot declines the case on the grounds that he didn't like his face.
What scene does Ratchett introduce the audience to?
Unlike the other versions of the story, Ratchett is directly introduced to the audience with the Armstrong kidnapping scene.
How did Cassetti climb into the house?
Cassetti climbed into the house by entering through the window of the bedroom next to Daisy's, on the second floor of the house. As his partner went downstairs, Cassetti bound and gagged the nursemaid, Greta Ohlsson, to a chair. When Greta woke up, she realized that she had been tied up to a chair, and tried to stop Cassetti, crushing some of Daisy's toys in the process. The chair which she was bound to toppled over, leaving her unable to stop Cassetti. Cassetti lifted Daisy, wrapped in a blanket, from her bed and walked out into the hallway. Before heading down the stairway, he dropped what Daisy was holding: her teddy bear.
Where did Cassetti go to see Linda Arden?
They were going to Washington, D.C., to see Linda Arden perform in Salome . Cassetti climbed into the house by entering through the window of the bedroom next to Daisy's bedroom, on the second floor of the house. As his partner went downstairs, Cassetti bound and gagged the nursemaid Greta Ohlsson to a chair.
Who played MacQueen in Murder on the Orient Express?
Hector MacQueen. Anthony Perkins as MacQueen in the 1974 film. Hector Willard MacQueen is one of the main characters in Murder on the Orient Express, who acts as the secretary of Mr. Ratchett, primarily helping him navigate the various languages of Europe in his travels.
What did Poirot do after Ratchett's murder?
After Ratchett's murder, Poirot's interview with MacQueen runs on the same lines as the novel. He had worked for Ratchett for a year. Ratchett was collecting Gorgon pottery while MacQueen had ventured into an oil concession but had gone bankrupt so he got a job as Ratchett's secretary or more "as his courier", translating languages for him. He claimed he didn't know much about Ratchett's background, only that he thought Ratchett had left the United States to escape something and succeeded until 2 weeks before boarding the train, when he began to receive threatening letters.
What is the name of the room in which Poirot was moved to?
After one night, Poirot is later moved to Compartment 9. After Ratchett's murder, Poirot's interview with MacQueen runs on the same lines as the novel. He had worked for Ratchett for a year.
How many times did MacQueen cry out for his mother?
Poirot notes that MacQueen cried out for his mother twice while sleeping. MacQueen explains that his mother died when he was eight, an impressionable age.
What compartment did MacQueen travel in?
During this journey MacQueen travelled in compartment 6-7 on the Calais coach. He had booked as a single with a made-up booking for a fictitious "Mr Harris". However he was obliged to share the compartment with Poirot on the first night out of Istanbul because Monsieur Bouc, a director of the company had insisted that Poirot be accommodated.
Why did Norman Bates kill his mother?
However, Norman Bates in Psycho both killed his mother when he was still a kid, and murdered her lover because he was insane. MacQueen killed Ratchett as justice for the lives he had claimed, including his mother figure.
Why did MacQueen board the train with Ratchett?
Based on MacQueen's information, the group was able to board the same train as Ratchett to implement their plan to execute him enroute.
Overview
Plot
After taking the Taurus Express from Aleppo to Istanbul, private detective Hercule Poirot arrives at the Tokatlian Hotel, where he receives a telegram prompting him to return to London. He instructs the concierge to book him a first-class compartment on the Simplon-route Orient Express service leaving that night. Although the train is fully booked, Poirot obtains a second-class berth through …
Characters
• Hercule Poirot – World-famous sleuth from Belgium.
• Bouc – Poirot's friend and a director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits.
• Dr. Stavros Constantine - a Greek physician, who after the murder, determines Ratchett's time of death.
Reception
The Times Literary Supplement of 11 January 1934 outlined the plot and concluded that "The little grey cells solve once more the seemingly insoluble. Mrs Christie makes an improbable tale very real, and keeps her readers enthralled and guessing to the end."
In The New York Times Book Review of 4 March 1934, Isaac Anderson wrote, "The great Belgian detective's guesses are more than shrewd; they are positively miraculous. Although both the mu…
References and allusions
The kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's son in 1932 inspired that element in Christie's novel two years later. The novel used many elements of the real life case: a young child, firstborn of the family, was kidnapped for ransom directly from the crib, the parents were famous, the father was a well-known pilot and the mother pregnant, and the ransom was paid but the child found dead soon after. An innocent, but perhaps loose-lipped, maid employed by Lindbergh's par…
Adaptations
John Moffatt starred as Poirot in a five-part BBC Radio 4 adaptation by Michael Bakewell, directed by Enyd Williams, and originally broadcast from 28 December 1992 – 1 January 1993. André Maranne appeared as Bouc, Joss Ackland as Ratchett/Cassetti, Sylvia Syms as Mrs Hubbard, Siân Phillips as Princess Dragomiroff, Francesca Annis as Mary Debenham, and Peter Polycarpou as Dr Constantine.
Publication history
• 1934, Collins Crime Club (London), 1 January 1934, Hardcover, 256 pp.
• 1934, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), 1934, Hardcover, 302 pp.
• c.1934, Lawrence E. Spivak, Abridged edition, 126 pp.
See also
• Baron Hotel – where Christie wrote the first part of the novel
• Pera Palace Hotel – where Christie supposedly wrote the novel, although this is not stated in either her official biography or her own Autobiography
• Venice-Simplon Orient Express – the train using original carriages from the Orient Express on which Christie based her novel