Which is your most/least favorite performance?

MOST FAVOURITE:

Jean Pierre Cassel - he underplayed his role, but when you look at the film for a second time you see that his reactions are perfect. When he is introduced to Ratchett, the man responsible for his daughter's death (and, indirectly, also his wife's)the look he gives him is glacial. He comes across as a man who is under a great deal of tension in his role as Pierre, and when he breaks down at the end he is quite heart breaking. Lovely performance. Also he speaks in about four or five different languages at the beginning of the film - French, English, German, Swedish and also Russian!

LEAST FAVOURITE:

Sean Connery - I thought he was very flat - he could have been playing Bond - James Bond. At least Anthony Perkins was amusing, with the constant Psycho allusions to his mother fixation.

The rest of the cast were very entertaining, although I did not like Albert Finney as Poirot, and much prefer David Suchet who, after Dame Agatha's death, was chosen for the role by her daughter, Rosalind, who presumably knew her mother's preferences about who would make a good Poirot.

Favorites: Anthony Perkins, though typecast, filled out every second of his performance with interesting, well thought-out details and surprising choices, as do Rachel Roberts and Ingrid Bergman, all with lovely comic touches; Gielgud makes you think he really is a butler; Wendy Hiller, Martin Balsam for making me believe he belonged in this setting at all, and Cassell was perfection.

Least favorites: York, who doesn't convince as the hot-blooded Hungarian ambassador, Connery doesn't stand out much, nor did the actor playing the Pinkerton's detective.

I'm watching it now for the first time in years after reading the book for the first time ever.

Of the major, most well known stars, Perkins sticks out like a sore thumb. His performance is 'Norman Bates' - lite. The stuff they added about the mother and whatnot is completely unneeded and I'm surprised Perkins took the role since it's blatantly meant to allude to his most famous role. It completely ruins the McQueen character, who comes off as more stilted, awkward and guilty than he should at first. Whoever claims it was a distraction is correct.

Best performances? Well, the rest of the cast is uniformly terrific, though for me the most well known names leave the biggest impression: Finney and Bacall are delightfully over the top, Connery plays a great pompous ass, Bergman makes you sympathize with her character wonderfully (I'm convinced she deserved the Oscar), and everyone else deserves plaudits.

I'm A Lead Farmer, *beep* - Lincoln Osiris

The movie is full of great acting but I would have to say Wendy Hiller was my favorite.

I liked Finney, Bacall, and Connery. Disliked Balsam, Perkins, Gielgud (!), Michael York is an actor who I just find annoying no matter what movie he's in. It's just something about him that grates... unfair, but there you go. I thought Vanessa Redgrave was wasted in a too small role. Jaqueline Bisset stunningly beautiful but that's all.