ORIENT EXPRESS : BACK TO THE BELLE ÉPOQUE

The Orient Express was a place of intrigue, a backdrop to important political agreements, a world of sleeping Madonnas, royal blood and, at times, even terrorists. Its first journey was during the glory days at the beginning of the 20th century and represented a unified Europe preceding the Treaty of Maastricht. Soon the train became a mythical dream, consecrated by Diagliev and Joesephine Baker and immortalised by filmmakers. THE ORIENT EXPRESS presents the true story behind the legend of this train. Even before the success of the detective novel by Agatha Christie and the hit film THE ORIENT EXPRESS, this train was the epitome of luxury, reserved for the elite members of European society. Its history spans a rare assortment of significant political and historical world events – there’s hardly a VIP who lived between the two world wars who didn’t step on board. Today, after having been forgotten for nearly half a century, the Orient Express is ‘back on track’ and proudly travels its new route from London to Istanbul. This film takes us on a journey through space and time through Europe’s most spectacular sites from Paris to Budapest, through Venice, Romania and Bulgaria to the stunning Turkish capital of Istanbul. Throughout this exclusive excursion, we meet some of the eccentric and celebrated characters who traveled on the Orient Express.