Year: 1985
Time: 96 mins
Country: UK & USA
Channel: ITV (UK) NBC (USA)
Genre: Romance/Drama
Written by: Jan Worthington
Directed by: Lawrence Gordon Clark
Executive producer: Frank von Zerneck
Production companies: Frank Von Zerneck Films and Yorkshire Television
Starring : Cheryl Ladd     - Lily Parker
Stuart Wilson - Alex Woodward
Ruby Wax     - Susan Lawson
Julian Sands  - Sandy
Betsy Brantley - Stacey
Sir John Gielgud  - Theodore Woodward
Barry Stokes        - Flavio
Danielle Tylke    - Alexandra
It's St Valentine's Day tomorrow - a day that is all about love and romance. So amid all the chocolates and flowers, candlelit dinners, and Valentine's Day proposals, there'll be couples snuggling up as they watch all kinds of movies that are very hearts and flowers and have that much longed-for happy ending! And here at Nostalgia Pie, one of our fave romantic movies is Romance on the Orient Express, starring Cherly Ladd, Stuart Wilson, and the formidable Ruby Wax.
Romance on the Orient Express may not be a film that instantly rings a bell. Despite its stellar cast, it wasn't a Hollywood blockbuster but a made-for-TV that may only have aired in Britain the one time. But for some of us, Romance on the Orient Express made quite an impression...
THE PLOT
Former lovers meet up again after being apart for ten years. There's still a spark between them but can they pick up where they left off? And what about the big secret that one of them is keeping...
THE STORY SO FAR
The story centres around Lily, a glamorous and sophisticated American magazine editor who is traveling on the famous Orient Express train from Venice to Paris with her friend, the quirky, adventure-seeking Susan. The trip brings back bittersweet memories for Lily when she first travelled to Europe ten years earlier with her friend Stacey. It was on this trip that they met two handsome young Englishmen, Alex and Sandy. Lily and Alex began a relationship and their story is told through a series of flashbacks. Their relationship ends abruptly when Alex walks out on Lily without saying a word leaving the devastated young woman to return to the States.
Fast forward ten years and the former lovers are reunited once again as Lily comes face to face with the man who broke her heart a decade ago. Alex, having tracked Lily down and knowing that she had booked a trip on the Orient Express, had booked himself on the same trip in a bid to explain to Lily what happened all those years ago. When the couple meet again, the pain and the anguish of the last ten years is still very raw, and Lily understandably doesn't want to listen to anything that Alex has to say - but for how long can she resist him?
A girls' trip - not a Ladd's holiday!
And Alex's reappearance plunges Lily into further turmoil as she now has to wrestle between her feelings for Alex and her obligation to her boyfriend back in the States. It is later revealed that her break up with Alex left Lily damaged and unable to form successful relationships with other men. And now she doesn't know whether she should accept her boyfriend's proposal or not - even though it's very evident that she doesn't love him. So therefore... She probably shouldn't!
Alex convinces Lily to meet him and the couple catch up on the last ten years and discover that they'd each been married and are now divorced, although it appeared that Lily's was the only marriage that produced a child. As the story unfolds, we soon learn that Alex isn't quite the cad that we thought he was and that his feelings for Lily were genuine. We also learn that when he left Lily, she wasn't exactly alone...
THE CAST
Romance On The Orient Express featured a host of talented and well-known actors who were familiar to British and American audiences. Cheryl Ladd had an extensive acting career having appeared in American TV shows such as The Partridge Family; Policewoman; Happy Days and The Streets of San Francisco. But it was as Kris Munroe in iconic seventies show Charlie's Angels that she found worldwide fame. In Britain 'the most delicious thing on television' Ruby Wax is very well known as a presenter and TV personality, but she's also a film and TV actress, having appeared in Girls on Top; The Professionals; Not The Nine O'Clock News, and Chariots of Fire.
Stuart Wilson has appeared on screens since the late sixties. Prior to Romance on the Orient Express, Wilson had appeared in Nostalgia Pie favourite Thriller; I, Claudius; The Sweeny and Crown Court among many other TV productions. Since his role in Romance on the Orient Express, Wilson has starred in Lethal Weapon; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III; Prime Suspect, and The Mask of Zorro.
THE WRITER
The writer who worked her magic on Romance on the Orient Express, Jan Worthington, has had a long career in writing for television that goes back thirty years. Her works have included Who's the Boss? as well as it's British remake The Upper Hand, and two TV films based on Danielle Steele novels, Heartbeat and The Perfect Stranger - two favourites of Danielle Steele fan, Angel!
A Massachusetts native and one time LA resident, Worthington is now based in Truro, Massachusetts where the prominent Worthington family have had a long history, and she is still involved in the arts.
WHY WE LOVE ROMANCE ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Even though Romance On The Orient Express is a made-for-TV movie and not a Hollywood blockbuster, there's something so beautifully moving and poignant about this film which has shades of Casablanca about it. You couldn't fail to be dazzled by the luxury of the Orient Express and the stunning on-location scenes in Venice and Paris. The story, the setting, the scenery, the acting, the wardrobe... fantastic! There is great chemistry between the lead actors Stuart Wilson and Cheryl Ladd, and we absolutely loved the riverboat scene with the significantly beautiful song, Time In A Bottle by Jim Croce.
We found the subplot of the romance between Susan and Flavio, a staff member on the train intriguing. Even though it started off as just a bit of light-hearted fun for Susan who was looking for Mr. Right-Now more than she was looking for Mr. Right, towards the end of the film, Susan had a change of heart and admitted that she does care for Flavio very much but decided to end it because there was no future in it:
"He's Italian, he lives in Rome. I'm American, I live in New York... I finally meet someone and geography kills it."
But there is hope for the couple as Lily convinces Susan that if she loves Flavio then they'll find a way, and you can't help rooting for the pair hoping that they will indeed find a way because they seem like such a cute couple.
There are some who might find Romance On The Orient Express to be a little saccharine and predictable but we think it is a very memorable, romantic movie, with a simple, easy to follow yet entertaining storyline that keeps you watching til the end because you just have to know what happens to Alex and Lily. A delightfully charming, heart-felt tale about lost love, long-held secrets and second chances all bound together with the themes of friendship, family loyalty, and surprise revelations. If you're a Mills and Boon fan, you'll feel as though you've just seen a classic Mills and Boon novel come to life on screen.
Will we watch Romance On The Orient Express again? Mais oui!
Enjoy your St. Valentine's Day!
Photos: YouTube
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
