The kid Guy wants [12], Hitchcock then tried Raymond Chandler, who had earned an Oscar nomination for his first screenplay, Double Indemnity, in collaboration with Billy Wilder. Anne visits Bruno's home and tries explaining to his befuddled mother that her son is a murderer. Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022. One gets the feeling of a closeted homosexual constantly coming onto Guy. The laying bare of Bruno's hidden nature, along with the great set pieces (head-turning tennis match, disintegrating carousel) and suspense as only Hitchcock can deliver, makes for a first-class trip. Morton (Ruth Roman), the daughter of a U.S. senator. [69] According to biographer Charlotte Chandler (Lyn Erhard), Hitchcock himself did not like either the "British" or the "American" version: Hitchcock told [Chandler] that the picture should have ended with Guy at the amusement park after he has been cleared of murdering his wife. [40] It is a score that "goes largely uncelebrated."[40]. "[65], Patricia Highsmith's opinion of the film varied over time. The and Bruno struggle as a carnival worker crawls on his stomach under the Guy is offended by stunt man could have been killed; Hitchcock said he would never take such a The story concerns two strangers who meet on a train, one of whom is a psychopath who suggests that they "exchange" murders so that neither will be caught. On a train, wealthy smooth-talking psychopath Bruno Antony recognizes Haines and reveals his idea for a murder scheme: two strangers meet and "swap murders" Bruno suggests he kill Miriam and Guy kill Bruno's hated father. A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder. Have watched this movie at least twice previously but it had been many years since I last saw it. Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2022. Two strangers will "exchange murders," each killing the person the other But Hitchcock takes music to another level. Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023. Having given his characters overlapping qualities of good and evil, Hitchcock then rendered them on the screen according to a very strict template, with which he stuck to a remarkable degree. Guy Haines, a famous tennis player, is recognized on a train by Bruno Anthony, whose conversation shows a detailed knowledge of Guy's private life. Behind the Story contains these featurettes: Strangers on a Train: A Hitchcock Classic (SD; 36:44) is a nice overview with Peter Bogdanovich and several others discussing the importance of the film in the Hitchcock canon; Strangers on a Train: The Victim's P.O.V. [38], Tiomkin's contrasting musical themes continued throughout the film, delineating two characters with substantial differences: "For 'Guy's Theme', Tiomkin created a hesitant, passive idea, made-to-order music for Farley Granger's performance. Bruno mentions Guy's missing cigarette lighter to Anne and claims that Guy asked him to search the murder site for it. An early preview edit of the film, sometimes labeled the "British" version although it was never released in Britain or anywhere else, includes some scenes either not in, or else different from, the film as released. The "[48] They also demonstrate Hitchcock's gift for deft visual storytelling: For most of the film, Bruno is the actor, Guy the reactor, and Hitchcock always shows Bruno's feet first, then Guy's. The copy is terrific and worth every penny. Strange thing about this trip. Bruno is rather a child. The laying bare of Bruno's hidden nature, along with the great set pieces (head-turning tennis match, disintegrating carousel) and suspense as only Hitchcock can deliver, makes for a first-class trip. He knows that Guy is about to divorce his wife, and that he is also in love with Anne, the daughter of a US Senator. It is a twisting story of a male-on-male relationship that Patricia Highsmith often proffered (same-sex, male or female) in her best novels like this one. [46], This doubling has some precedent in the novel; but more of it was deliberately added by Hitchcock, "dictated in rapid and inspired profusion to Czenzi Ormonde and Barbara Keon during the last days of script preparation. either of the actors, Walker's Bruno has been called one of Hitchcock's best How perfect for a playful proposal: I'll kill yours, you kill mine. The website's consensus reads, "A provocative premise and inventive set design lights the way for Hitchcock diabolically entertaining masterpiece. at a carnival; Miriam and two boyfriends are in the boat ahead, and shadows on Hitchcock himself designed Bruno's lobster necktie, revealed in a close-up to have strangling lobster claws,[26] and "he personally selected an orange peel, a chewing-gum wrapper, wet leaves, and a bit of crumpled paper that were used for sewer debris"[22] in the scene where Bruno inadvertently drops Guy's lighter down the storm drain. Guy and Anne coldly walk away from him. With an emphasis on narrative and visual strategy, Hitchcock controls the escalating tension with a master's flair for cinematic design, and the plot (coscripted by Raymond Chandler) is so tightly constructed that you'll be white-knuckled even after multiple viewings. in Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondent," where all the windmills Man on a train is about evil and destiny hiding behind the corner, about life changing in a bit because threat is waiting for us, and it's a fantastic example of great storytelling developing a simple yet effective subject: two men meets on a train, and one word too many could change everything. The director told Ormonde to forget all about the book, then told her the story of the film himself, from beginning to end. Strangers on a Train . A film of noir moments galore. Bruno follows Guy around Washington, introduces himself to Anne, and appears at a party at Senator Morton's house. In accordance with the cautious censorship guidelines of the period, Hitchcock would later tame these elements of Walker's memorable performance by trimming and altering certain scenes, so the differences between the original and prerelease versions provide an illuminating illustration of censorship's effect on the story's thematic intensity. Some audience feedback arriving at Jack Warner's office condemned the film for its sordid story, while just as many others were favorable. ( IMDB). Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2022. Barbara Morton: From what I hear she pursued it in all directions. Granger is excellent as the harassed young man innocently involved in murder. Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2021. There are two sets of two detectives in two cities, two little boys at the two trips to the fairground, two old men at the carousel, two boyfriends accompanying the woman about to be murdered, and two Hitchcocks in the film. similar eyeglasses; Bruno is playfully demonstrating strangling techniques at a Strangers On a Train 14+ HD CC Thriller 1 Hour 40 Minutes 1951 4.1 43 Ratings Strange thing about this trip. [11] Highsmith was quite annoyed when she later discovered who bought the rights for such a small amount. Robert Walker plays a psychopathic murderer that is an apathetic rich boy with a lust for the eccentric. Hitchcock's trademark cameo) but you can look for yourself, in chapter six of "[4], Warner Bros. wanted their own stars, already under contract, cast wherever possible. In accordance with the cautious censorship guidelines of the period, Hitchcock would later tame these elements of Walker's memorable performance by trimming and altering certain scenes, so the differences between the original and prerelease versions provide an illuminating illustration of censorship's effect on the story's thematic intensity. Guy infers that Bruno intends to plant it at the scene of the murder and incriminate him. This includes lots of great home movies; Alfred Hitchcock's Historical Meeting (SD; 1:08) is a weird little snippet without sound that shows Hitch interacting with actors made up as historical characters. Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. While there, the crew had done some other location scouting. The psychological game that Bruno plays on Guy is to force him to kill Bruno's over-bearing father. Highsmith Over lunch in his private "[23], Burks considered his fourteen years with Hitchcock the best of his career: "You never have any trouble with him as long as you know your job and do it. "[14] But Chandler was a notoriously difficult collaborator and the two men could not have had more different meeting styles: Hitchcock enjoyed long, rambling off-topic meetings where often the film would not even be mentioned for hours, while Chandler was strictly business and wanted to get out and get writing. "Hitchcock raced ahead of everyone: the script, the cast, the studio pieces of the film were dancing like electrical charges in his brain. One of my top 50 movies, never seen on a big screen. Guy Haines (Granger), an amateur tennis star, chances to meet the eccentric Bruno Anthony (Walker) on a train. A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder. only the whites of his eyes showing. Co-adapted by Raymond Chandler from a novel by Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train perfectly exemplifies Hitchcock's favorite theme of the evil that lurks just below the surface of everyday life and ordinary men.CREDITS:TM \u0026 Warner Bros. (1951)Cast: Farley Granger, Georges Renavent, Robert Walker, Patricia Hitchcock, Odette Myrtil, Ruth RomanDirector: Alfred HitchcockProducer: Alfred HitchcockScreenwriters: Raymond Chandler, Whitfield Cook, Ben Hecht, Patricia Highsmith, Czenzi OrmondeWHO ARE WE?The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. By the time Guy disembarks from the train, he has unwittingly entered into a deal with the devil, and his life almost immediately begins to unravel. British version of the film -- cutting down the intensity of the Guy effective scene shows Guy floating in a little boat through the Tunnel of Love strangers agrees to it. Unfortunately, that was about it. Hitchcock also cast Granger in "Rope" (1948), based on the While Hitchcock strips out much of the textured sociopathy of Bruno's machinations, Hitchcocks preserves the ripely perverse relationship and its intimacy and murderous expression. Ebert wrote: Hitchcock was a classical technician in terms of controlling his visuals, and his use of screen space underlined the tension in ways the audience isn't always aware of. "[59], Conversely, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times criticized the film: "Mr. Hitchcock again is tossing a crazy murder story in the air and trying to con us into thinking that it will stand up without support. [10], Hitchcock secured the rights to the Patricia Highsmith novel for just $7,500 since it was her first novel. revolving ride to get to the controls. For his part, Bruno, a rich and spoiled ne'er-do-well, chats amiably about his deep hatred of his father, and how he wishes someone would kill the old man. "You're a free man now", he says, just as a police car drives up, looking for the husband of a certain recent murder victim. Senator Morton: Dreadful. When Bruno drops the lighter down the sewer, he tells the bystanders, he needs help retrieving his cigarette CASE. excellent suspect because of the genius of the actual killer's original plan: was a classical technician in controlling his visuals, and his use of screen Another out. (SD; 7:22) focuses on Kasey Rogers, who performed under the name Laura Elliot in the film; Strangers on a Train: An Appreciation by M. Night Shyamalan (SD; 12:46) has the director espousing his love for Hitch and the film; The Hitchcocks on Hitch (SD; 11:20) features Hitch's daughter and granddaughter talking about Hitch. "[13], Even before sewing up the rights for the novel, Hitchcock's mind was whirling with ideas about how to adapt it for the screen. Robert Walker is fabulous as the twisted Bruno. strangers on a train. is softer and more elusive, more convincing as he tries to slip out of Bruno's He wanted the last line of the film to be Guy describing Bruno as "a very clever fellow". Strangers on a Train is a 1951 American psychological thriller film noir produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith. Walker eats up the scenery and appears charming at first, if too friendly, then he delves into hatred and . Hitchcock's biggest changes were in his two lead characters: The character called Bruno Antony in the film is called Charles Anthony Bruno in the book. [21], Carringer has argued that the film was crucially shaped by the Congressional inquiries, making Guy the stand-in for victims of the homophobic climate. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. Is he just lonely? Rogers was effectively blind with the glasses on and needed to be guided by the other actors. Some people are better off dead.") If you haven't seen it, it's time to change that! [18], There was not much time though less than three weeks until location shooting was scheduled to start in the East. But Miriam does not want the divorce, and instead plans to live off Haines's money. [8], Nevertheless, the score does pick up on the ubiquitous theme of doubles often contrasting doubles right from the opening title sequence: "The first shot two sets of male shoes, loud versus conservative, moving toward a train carries a gruff bass motif set against Gershwin-like riffs, a two-part medley called "Strangers" and "Walking" that is never heard again. Burks was an exceptionally apt choice for what would prove to be Hitchcock's most Germanic film in years: the compositions dense, the lighting almost surreal, the optical effects demanding. What is the climax in Strangers on a Train? Disc1 contains the movie in a good looking & sounding print with optional subtitles + French & Italian language versions and has a very good,entertaining commentary with various people talking about the film, book and much else, with the highlight for 'Hitchophiles' being interview segments of director & Hitchcock biographer Peter Bogdanovich questioning the man himself. in front of Guy's house, and he quickly moves behind the gate with Bruno; his best films, including "Strangers on a Train" (1951), in which a He told the obscure writer that the famous one hadn't written a solitary line he intended to use, and they would have to start all over on page one, using Cook's treatment as a guide. Review of 2 Disc 2004 Warner Bros edition(with orange & white cover)- As this well known film(from 1951) is equally well analysed & described In many other reviews I'll just give an overview of what's on the discs. No Highsmith cameo with any force or conviction. "Shadow of a Doubt"), and its appeal is probably the linking of an [44] Of greater interest to Warner was the box office take, and the "receipts soon told the true story: Strangers on a Train was a success, and Hitchcock was pronounced at the top of his form as master of the dark, melodramatic suspense thriller. producer (uncredited) Music by Dimitri Tiomkin . Leopold-Loeb case; it was another story about a murder pact with a homosexual There are several differences in the British version of the film, including: One would have expected Hitchcock's return to major studio filmmaking to err on the side of chastened caution. From its cleverly choreographed opening sequence to its heart-stopping climax on a rampant carousel, this 1951 Hitchcock classic readily earns its reputation as one of the director's finest examples of timeless cinematic suspense. I suspect the things we might see so plainly now - the homosexual longing in Bruno, the wicked contrast of the man of action and the man of ideas, the superficiality of Guy and the hungry depth . The police assign an escort to watch him. [22] The rest of the shooting would take place on Warner soundstages, including many seemingly exterior and on-location shots that were actually done inside in front of rear-projection screens. [19], Even while the torturous writing stage was plodding its course, the director's excitement about the project was boundless. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. "criss-cross" murder deal in "Strangers on a Train" indeed Aboard a train bound for New York, Guy, the tennis pro, is shocked to discover how much information the wealthy stranger, Bruno, knows about him. [33], The explosion is triggered by the attempts of a carnival man to stop the ride after crawling under the whirling carousel deck to get to the controls in the center. weaker characters, while the right is for characters who are either good, or "I have always given it careful consideration, so that my characters never eat out of character. Great transfer, great black and white contrast. That was my favorite part of the movie. Bruno's father, and neither would ever be suspected. Fast, exciting, and woven with wicked style, this is one of Hitchcock's most efficient and ruthlessly delicious thrillers. Highly recommended. In Alfred Hitchcock's suspense classic, "Strangers On a Train", a naive and weary tennis pro unwisely allows himself to be enticed into the confidence of a seemingly silly stranger. Better still, the two-sided DVD edition of this enduring classic includes both the original version of the film and also the longer prerelease British print, which offers a more overt depiction of Bruno's flamboyant and dangerous personality, and his homoerotic attraction to Guy by way of his deviously indecent proposal. "Isn't it a fascinating design?" ingenious plot with insinuating creepiness. used to finish his final film, "My Son John.") It Tom Ripley falls in love not so much with his quarry Dickie Greenleaf as with Dimitri Tiomkin's score, Robert Burke's cinematography, and Raymond Chandler's screenplay all add to this masterpiece. Strangers on a Train Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras: Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich, Peter Benchley, Alfred Hitchcock and many more. is this sense of two flawed characters -- one evil, one weak, with an unstated [9] Granger described Hitchcock's attitude toward Roman as "disinterest" in the actress, and said he saw Hitchcock treat Edith Evanson the same way on the set of Rope (1948). But that is precisely what they got: STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play broadcast on 29 September 2011 was Strangers on a Film by Stephen Wyatt, which gives an imagined account of a series of meetings between Hitchcock (Clive Swift) and Raymond Chandler (Patrick Stewart), as they unsuccessfully attempt to create the screenplay for Strangers on a Train. He called the meetings "god-awful jabber sessions which seem to be an inevitable although painful part of the picture business. The psychopath suggests that because they each want to "get rid" of someone, they should "exchange" murders, and that way neither will be caught. Guy, then, in a sense connives at the murder of his wife, and the enigmatic link between him and Bruno becomes clear.[51]. Granger # staring # stalker # alfred hitchcock # strangers on a train # tennis match. Although American Film Institute listed the film as #32 in AFI's 100 Years100 Thrills. Great transfer, great black and white contrast. He found exactly what he needed right on the Warners lot in the person of staff cameraman Robert Burks, who would continue to work with Hitchcock, shooting every Hitchcock picture through to Marnie (1964), with the exception of Psycho. director of photography Bruno sends Guy a package containing a pistol, a house key, and a map showing the location of his father's bedroom. Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Co-adapted by Raymond Chandler from a novel by Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train perfectly exemplifies Hitchcock's favorite theme of the evil that lurks just below the surface of. sexual tension -- that makes the movie intriguing and halfway plausible, and So much occurs in pairs. Hitchcock A very good choice for train food. His gaze falls upon Barbara, whose appearance resembles Miriam's. [12], Securing the rights to the novel was the least of the hurdles Hitchcock would have to vault to get the property from printed page to screen. A recently found longer prerelease British print (Side B) offers "a startling amplification of Bruno's flamboyance, his homoerotic attraction to Guy and his psychotic personality," according to Bill Desowitz of Film Comment. probably find at the top. He makes an His best performance and best casting. By month's end, they were back in California. He is also something of a hedonist. was above all the master of great visual set pieces, and there are several In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[3]. a divorce from his cheating wife, Miriam (Kasey Rogers), in order to marry Anne Is he dishonest? DVD Features:Interactive MenusNewsreel:Hitchcock newsreel footageProduction NotesScene AccessTheatrical Trailer:Five trailers of Hitchcock movies, From its cleverly choreographed opening sequence to its heart-stopping climax on a rampant carousel, this 1951 Hitchcock classic readily earns its reputation as one of the director's finest examples of timeless cinematic suspense. fiction when she actually writes mainstream fiction about criminals. [7] The director found her "bristling" and "lacking in sex appeal" and said that she had been "foisted upon him. "[21] Hitchcock, who had drawn gay characters so sharply yet subtly in Rope in 1948, "drafted the left-leaning Cook expressly because he was comfortable with sexually ambiguous characters. Patricia Hitchcock and Kasey Rogers look a little alike and wear very The theme of doubles is "the key element in the film's structure,"[46] and Hitchcock starts right off in his title sequence making this point: there are two taxicabs, two redcaps, two pairs of feet, two sets of train rails that cross twice.