Cheryl Ladd and Stuart Wilson played an American student and a British man who meet aboard a train ten years prior and have a romance. They're romance ends abruptly. Viewers learn the history through flashbacks. Ruby Wax has a supporting role as Susan Lawson, an American photographer from New York City, traveling with Lily Parker (Cheryl Ladd) from Venice, Italy to Paris, France aboard the Orient Express. Stuart Wilson played Alex Woodward, a British suitor who falls in love with Lily Parker. The love story could have been better told though. The scenery was lovely especially Paris and Venice. Sir John Gielgud played Alex's father in a few scenes. This film was probably a made for television movie in the mid-eighties. Cheryl Ladd and Stuart Wilson were fine and believable. I actually wanted to see Ruby Wax in the film and she does a fine job.
12 Reviews
a complete load of crap
sandcrab27722 January 2019
Romance re-kindled
hazells51816 February 2003
***SPOILERS**** I was prepared for this one to be a drippingly saccharine bit of foolishness, although somehow it manages to transcend that, but the script is weak and predictable. With some beautiful on-location scenes in Venice and Paris, and the luxury of the famous Orient Express, it's as good as any Barbara Taylor Bradford TV movie for a wet afternoon.
Cheryl Ladd is strikingly beautiful as Lily, who is pursued by handsome Alex (Stuart Wilson) whom she met on a train 10 years before and had an affair with while travelling through Europe. Lily harbours a secret, and so does Alex, who disappeared, abandoning her without a word in Paris, plunging Lily into a distrust of men and commitment. Wilson, in a rare romantic straight role, is gorgeous and once again handles a change between a youthful 22 year old backpacker and a groomed 10-year-older-businessman remarkably well considering he was nearly 40 when it was filmed. Wilson still manages to transcend age gaps astonishingly well (recently in MASK OF ZORRO, LUZHIN DEFENCE) and is worth the price of the video. Did anyone ever consider him for Bond ? John Gielgud hams it up as Alex's stuffy rich father. Ruby Wax provides comic uplift as Lily's brassy friend and travelling companion who eventually confides Lily's secret accidentally to Alex, bringing about the happier ending. Lily's moping indecision, stubbornness, and uncommunicative attitude when Alex desperately and apologetically tries to explain to her what happened that fateful time 10 years ago, is so irritating you want to shake her, but though tears flow, you know that everything turns out fine in the end. And ultimately that's all you want of a reasonable feelgood movie. 6.5 out of 10.
Cheryl Ladd is strikingly beautiful as Lily, who is pursued by handsome Alex (Stuart Wilson) whom she met on a train 10 years before and had an affair with while travelling through Europe. Lily harbours a secret, and so does Alex, who disappeared, abandoning her without a word in Paris, plunging Lily into a distrust of men and commitment. Wilson, in a rare romantic straight role, is gorgeous and once again handles a change between a youthful 22 year old backpacker and a groomed 10-year-older-businessman remarkably well considering he was nearly 40 when it was filmed. Wilson still manages to transcend age gaps astonishingly well (recently in MASK OF ZORRO, LUZHIN DEFENCE) and is worth the price of the video. Did anyone ever consider him for Bond ? John Gielgud hams it up as Alex's stuffy rich father. Ruby Wax provides comic uplift as Lily's brassy friend and travelling companion who eventually confides Lily's secret accidentally to Alex, bringing about the happier ending. Lily's moping indecision, stubbornness, and uncommunicative attitude when Alex desperately and apologetically tries to explain to her what happened that fateful time 10 years ago, is so irritating you want to shake her, but though tears flow, you know that everything turns out fine in the end. And ultimately that's all you want of a reasonable feelgood movie. 6.5 out of 10.
Romance on the Orient Express vs. Reunion at Fairborough
mcpruden29 April 2022
Unfortunately for this review, I have just finished viewing the Robert Mitchum-Deborah Kerr 1985 TV movie "Reunion at Fairborough" when I came upon "Romance at the Orient Express" starring Stuart Wilson and Cheryl Ladd and decided to view it. (I must have misread the title and thought it was a new version of an Agatha Christie mystery novel; I was awaiting the report of a murder at any time. I took a second look at the title and true enough, it's a romance, not a murder mystery.) Ha-ha!
Surprisingly, "Orient " and "Fairborough" have the exact same plot. It is the hackneyed template of across-the-pond lovers separated by unavoidable circumstances (a contractual marriage in Orient Express and the end of the war in Fairborough.) In the Wilson-Ladd romance, the man (Alex Woodward) is English and the woman (Lily Parker) is American. In the Mitchum-Kerr romance, the woman (Sally Wells Grant) is English and the man (Carl Hostup) is American.
Unbeknownst to the man in each story, during the long separation, the woman gave birth to his baby and singlehandedly raised it, so that there is much surprise when years later (about 40 years with the Mitchum-Kerr couple; 10 years with the Ladd-Wilson couple) they inadvertently meet again. But that's where the similarities end.
In the Wilson-Ladd romance, their baby, initially not shown in the film, is a nine-year-old girl given the feminine version of her father's name, Alexandra. In the Mitchum-Kerr romance, their baby (also not shown in the film) is a grownup wife and mother who died with her husband in an accident, leaving Mitchum and Kerr with a 19-year-old obnoxious granddaughter who is an annoying peace activist and dismissive of Americans.
I'm sorry to say, Romance on the Orient Express cannot even begin to hold a candle to Reunion at Fairborough. Aside from the sweet love between the young couple, there's very little substance to back up the story in Orient Express. Only the character of Susan Lawson as Ruby Wax gives it a small uplift but it's not enough. It shows Cheryl Ladd bitterly moping and moping and moping about something Stuart Wilson and this movie viewer could never fathom.
OK, I get it. The love-of-her-life a long time ago disappeared without a trace, leaving her to raise their daughter alone. But, lucky her (not all abandoned women have that fortune) he has come back, more loving than ever, extremely sorry for what had happened, consoles and comforts her, ready to endure whatever punishment she might want to deal him with, even makes love to her the way she had long longed for. Yet she cannot forgive and she continues to mope and mope. I'm sorry, because of her irritating endless moping, I stopped watching the film some way before the end.
Contrast that with the Deborah Kerr character (Sally Wells Grant) who receives her former lover with a cordial (courteous and friendly) wait-and-see attitude until she feels safe enough to rekindle the spark. She does it with real class and elegance that even in her old age, rekindling the romance is far from cringey. Moreover, Fairborough satisfies in many levels. The heartwarming reunion members of WWII bomb squadron provides a great back up to the story and their different tales of heartbreaks and triumphs give much substance to the film.
On the other hand, Romance on the Orient Express is a flat, slow-moving story, set in a fast-running train. Boring.
Surprisingly, "Orient " and "Fairborough" have the exact same plot. It is the hackneyed template of across-the-pond lovers separated by unavoidable circumstances (a contractual marriage in Orient Express and the end of the war in Fairborough.) In the Wilson-Ladd romance, the man (Alex Woodward) is English and the woman (Lily Parker) is American. In the Mitchum-Kerr romance, the woman (Sally Wells Grant) is English and the man (Carl Hostup) is American.
Unbeknownst to the man in each story, during the long separation, the woman gave birth to his baby and singlehandedly raised it, so that there is much surprise when years later (about 40 years with the Mitchum-Kerr couple; 10 years with the Ladd-Wilson couple) they inadvertently meet again. But that's where the similarities end.
In the Wilson-Ladd romance, their baby, initially not shown in the film, is a nine-year-old girl given the feminine version of her father's name, Alexandra. In the Mitchum-Kerr romance, their baby (also not shown in the film) is a grownup wife and mother who died with her husband in an accident, leaving Mitchum and Kerr with a 19-year-old obnoxious granddaughter who is an annoying peace activist and dismissive of Americans.
I'm sorry to say, Romance on the Orient Express cannot even begin to hold a candle to Reunion at Fairborough. Aside from the sweet love between the young couple, there's very little substance to back up the story in Orient Express. Only the character of Susan Lawson as Ruby Wax gives it a small uplift but it's not enough. It shows Cheryl Ladd bitterly moping and moping and moping about something Stuart Wilson and this movie viewer could never fathom.
OK, I get it. The love-of-her-life a long time ago disappeared without a trace, leaving her to raise their daughter alone. But, lucky her (not all abandoned women have that fortune) he has come back, more loving than ever, extremely sorry for what had happened, consoles and comforts her, ready to endure whatever punishment she might want to deal him with, even makes love to her the way she had long longed for. Yet she cannot forgive and she continues to mope and mope. I'm sorry, because of her irritating endless moping, I stopped watching the film some way before the end.
Contrast that with the Deborah Kerr character (Sally Wells Grant) who receives her former lover with a cordial (courteous and friendly) wait-and-see attitude until she feels safe enough to rekindle the spark. She does it with real class and elegance that even in her old age, rekindling the romance is far from cringey. Moreover, Fairborough satisfies in many levels. The heartwarming reunion members of WWII bomb squadron provides a great back up to the story and their different tales of heartbreaks and triumphs give much substance to the film.
On the other hand, Romance on the Orient Express is a flat, slow-moving story, set in a fast-running train. Boring.
Lovely Romantic movie!
kenday120 August 2003
Beautiful story and scenery! Great chemistry between Alex (Stuart Wilson) and Lily (Cheryl Ladd). Alex looks so pitifully sweet toward the last scene of the movie! I loved that! If the story hadn't ended the way it did, I would have been UPSET!!! This is one of my favorites for romantic movies. 10/10
Surely every aspect of this movie was a cliché even 100 years ago in 1985?... "yes, but stop calling me etc"
kevinbryant-6260914 November 2021
Where to start?
'A prize for every ticket bought'... A well known and popular TV star in the leading role: Cheryl Ladd - I'm glad she made a success of her career. However she is not the greatest actress ever, certainly not strong/charismatic enough to raise this tv movie to any level above cliché.
A legend in a subsidiary.. no... guest appearance, role - a few days easy work for the grandchildren's college fund. Sir John in automatic pilot... in fact he is asleep at the wheel: businessman, company in trouble Alex (his son being forced to give up his love.. blahdy blah).
Truly dreadful music! Really, truly hackneyed: saxophone and strings... even an exterior shot of a train - unfortunately not entering a tunnel for true comedic value, this movie is far too po- faced for that...as the returned love of Cheryl's life (Alex) gets her kit off and they 'do the dirty' in her cabin. Tho dirty+Cheryl Ladd in the same sentence is textbook oxymoron.
Bizarrely the producers have 2 marvellous musical tracks amongst the tired clichés. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (yes, Elton John) and Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce.
I'll list without comment more of the head-shakingly lazy, too satirical to satire threads.
Flashbacks - Cheryl is younger cos she has pigtails! Meets Alex (younger cos he is wearing a tank-top). Fun, joyful, 'best times of our lives' being wacky on our gap year music over appropriate scenes.
Cycling in France... as Middle - class students.. finding love?.. hey, but mummy and daddy will bail them out if reality bites.. but at a cost... They will grow up to be successful... but with secrets and regrets!
Then the Planes, Trains and Automobiles (without the comedy) scene.
Now... poor Ruby Wax. Big on tv comedy/talk shows in the early 1980s, "this is a TV film and we need some 2 dimensional comedic relief" She lives in the moment, isn't the brightest it was Ruby all the way! (If this had been a totally American production poor Ruby would have missed out to a feisty 'says it how it is' wise, not book smart, but huge fun Black woman!) anyway she is best friend and alter ego of oh so tormented Cheryl - her alter ego. A sounding board for Cheryl - verbalising the flashbacks and pivotal moments for those at home who have been making a cuppa!
Ruby is given a great billing in 1985. Now, barely a mention.
Oh yes, Frenchmen do keep their brains in their underwear.
However - a positive - it must be said, Paris as a film set might well be cliché... but what a cliché! The filthy, rubbish strewn French capital is seen at its best in movies, even with the 21 inch tv variety in 1985.
'A prize for every ticket bought'... A well known and popular TV star in the leading role: Cheryl Ladd - I'm glad she made a success of her career. However she is not the greatest actress ever, certainly not strong/charismatic enough to raise this tv movie to any level above cliché.
A legend in a subsidiary.. no... guest appearance, role - a few days easy work for the grandchildren's college fund. Sir John in automatic pilot... in fact he is asleep at the wheel: businessman, company in trouble Alex (his son being forced to give up his love.. blahdy blah).
Truly dreadful music! Really, truly hackneyed: saxophone and strings... even an exterior shot of a train - unfortunately not entering a tunnel for true comedic value, this movie is far too po- faced for that...as the returned love of Cheryl's life (Alex) gets her kit off and they 'do the dirty' in her cabin. Tho dirty+Cheryl Ladd in the same sentence is textbook oxymoron.
Bizarrely the producers have 2 marvellous musical tracks amongst the tired clichés. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (yes, Elton John) and Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce.
I'll list without comment more of the head-shakingly lazy, too satirical to satire threads.
Flashbacks - Cheryl is younger cos she has pigtails! Meets Alex (younger cos he is wearing a tank-top). Fun, joyful, 'best times of our lives' being wacky on our gap year music over appropriate scenes.
Cycling in France... as Middle - class students.. finding love?.. hey, but mummy and daddy will bail them out if reality bites.. but at a cost... They will grow up to be successful... but with secrets and regrets!
Then the Planes, Trains and Automobiles (without the comedy) scene.
Now... poor Ruby Wax. Big on tv comedy/talk shows in the early 1980s, "this is a TV film and we need some 2 dimensional comedic relief" She lives in the moment, isn't the brightest it was Ruby all the way! (If this had been a totally American production poor Ruby would have missed out to a feisty 'says it how it is' wise, not book smart, but huge fun Black woman!) anyway she is best friend and alter ego of oh so tormented Cheryl - her alter ego. A sounding board for Cheryl - verbalising the flashbacks and pivotal moments for those at home who have been making a cuppa!
Ruby is given a great billing in 1985. Now, barely a mention.
Oh yes, Frenchmen do keep their brains in their underwear.
However - a positive - it must be said, Paris as a film set might well be cliché... but what a cliché! The filthy, rubbish strewn French capital is seen at its best in movies, even with the 21 inch tv variety in 1985.
Rare Romanticism of 1980s Television
JLRMovieReviews12 December 2016
Cheryl Ladd takes the Orient Express with a girlfriend, as she remembers her past and a past love. OR is he, a past love? This must have been shown on British TV in 1985, because it doesn't look like anything that was ever on CBS, ABC or NBC in the 1980s. The locales, Sir John Gielgud and the romantic aura it has all come together to make a very rare television film, and one I think will be a favorite for true romantics. In her thoughts and the flashback, we see her and her girlfriend traveling through Europe and meeting Alex and his friend. Cheryl as Lily and Alex have an interlude but are separated. 10 years pass until present day when Cheryl and another girlfriend (who of course plays up the "where are the men on this train?" attitude and who looks a lot like Vicki Lawrence) are on the Orient Express and Alex has found her and tries to make up for what he did. Some dialogue and somewhat awkward scenes could be found unintentionally funny, but on the whole this is a very deeply felt and sincere little film for the true romantic at heart.
Excellent movie for romantic fools!
Sunny-2221 August 1999
Call me a romantic fool. But when I first did see this movie I cried. Years later there was this re-run on tv so I taped it. Now I could see this wonderful movie whenever I wanted. And now I am 29 I still cry seeing Romance On The Orient express. Wanna know why? Everything is excellent in this movie: the actors, the setting and of course the story. Its about a boy and girl who fall in love in France and they love each other so much they never will part. But of course they do and when they meet up ten years later you can feel the sorrow and the pain of ten lost years. Like I said, I am a romatic fool and now I am in love for 14 months I probably gonna see this movie with my girlfriend soon. So we can say we never will part. And if we do, we meet up in Paris ten years from now. Like the characters in this film
GREAT TV MOVIE FOR A SATURDAY 3.00 PM
cgonzalez9 February 2000
Very nice TV movie... with lovely landscapes and beautiful music! Excellent performances of the casting and 10 points photography.
The problem is that I can´t find the movie in VHS so I can buy it. Please people of AMAZON ... ! where I can get this movie? I want to buy it.
If you are at home one saturday afternoon with nothing to do... rent this movie, get a COKE some chocolate cookies and with a middle open window put the video in your player and enjoy it! It´s very smart advice from an argentinian movies expert.
The problem is that I can´t find the movie in VHS so I can buy it. Please people of AMAZON ... ! where I can get this movie? I want to buy it.
If you are at home one saturday afternoon with nothing to do... rent this movie, get a COKE some chocolate cookies and with a middle open window put the video in your player and enjoy it! It´s very smart advice from an argentinian movies expert.
My favorite
welcomer5 December 2001
It's my favorite movie, and I love the story very much from the first time I saw it. Now I taped it to make a video CD, so that I can keep it ever, and review it anytime.
I cannot forget Lily's eye sight, Alex's face, and the beautiful song when they were sightseeing on a river boat: If you could-- save the time-- in the box--
I cannot forget Lily's eye sight, Alex's face, and the beautiful song when they were sightseeing on a river boat: If you could-- save the time-- in the box--
A good movie
filmsfan388 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie on TV a while back. I thought it was a good movie. Cheryl Ladd acted well and so did her male lead. I don't know why it was never released on DVD when so many other movies are released and many are not as good as this movie. The story is about Cheryl Ladd's character meeting an old flame who abruptly ended their relationship years earlier and she meets him again on the Orient Express and wants to find out why he ended their relationship for reasons she never got to know. The Orient Express has beautiful furnishings and is very impressive. The music is romantic and well done. Too bad this movie never got on DVD or even Turner movies so I could record it on VHS.
Where's the sequel to this beautiful movie
sstevens-6053117 December 2023
Looking for a sequel to this gorgeous film with beautiful music. ... A sequel 40 years later starring Stuart Wilson. Please bring him back as a leading man. He was fun to watch then. He'll be even better to watch now. I just saw this movie on youtube. ... 40 years after it was made. It would be a treat to see more shows with the older actors we love in the starring roles we wish to watch them in.
Yes, Stuart Wilson is a standout as a leading man in a romance movie. It seems he disappears in the other types of movies where he's some uptight character. Last I saw he still had the leading man looks and his speech is just cookies to listen to. Yes, bring him back out on stage and into the leading man role he plays so well. Such a charmer. Old school charm. Miss that. Put Stuart in the leading romantic roles and we don't care he's nearing 80. He's overdo to return to the screen. But in the right part. Thank ou.
Yes, Stuart Wilson is a standout as a leading man in a romance movie. It seems he disappears in the other types of movies where he's some uptight character. Last I saw he still had the leading man looks and his speech is just cookies to listen to. Yes, bring him back out on stage and into the leading man role he plays so well. Such a charmer. Old school charm. Miss that. Put Stuart in the leading romantic roles and we don't care he's nearing 80. He's overdo to return to the screen. But in the right part. Thank ou.
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