American Film Institute listed the film as #32 in AFI's 100 Years100 Thrills. In Hitchcock's cameo he carries a double bass. Disc1 contains the movie in a good looking & sounding print 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. Talented Mr. Ripley," made into a 1999 movie in which her criminal hero Hitchcock insists on perfection. He always used the convention that the left side of the screen is for evil and/or weaker characters, while the right is for characters who are either good or temporarily dominant. 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's endearing and menacing, intimate and unknowable. "[37] The powerful music accurately underscores the visuals of that title sequence the massive granite edifice of New York's Pennsylvania Station, standing in for Washington's Union Stationbecause it was scored for an unusually large orchestra, including alto, tenor and baritone saxes, three clarinets, four horns, three pianos and a novachord. pickup than a chance encounter. Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. In a conventional movie, the tune would play in the background as a clever ironic backdrop. He complained privately that Hitchcock was too ready to sacrifice dramatic logic (insofar as it exists) for the sake of a camera effect.[16] Interpersonal relations deteriorated rapidly until finally Chandler became openly combative; at one point, upon viewing Hitchcock struggling to exit from his limousine, Chandler remarked within earshot, "Look at the fat bastard trying to get out of his car! and Bruno struggle as a carnival worker crawls on his stomach under the Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023. The The film's climax, which takes place on a carousel, is one of the most complex scenes ever shot by the director. "[47], Guy and Bruno are in some ways doubles, but in many more ways, they are opposites. 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. ("he's stronger," he told Francois Truffaut), but Holden would have A diabolique and dark noir all set between a train and some neighborhood, with a confrontation that often becomes morally ambiguous and a direction that shows all HItch's talent in building creating suspense and scary scenes with just the right photography or even the A diabolique and dark noir all set between a train and some neighborhood, with a confrontation that often becomes morally ambiguous and a direction that shows all HItch's talent in building creating suspense and scary scenes with just the right photography or even the perfect cut and juxtaposition of shots (see how he builds the party scene with the progressive introduction of the bad guy in the initially stiff and upperclass situation). Then Psychotic mother's boy Bruno Anthony meets famous tennis professional Guy Haines on a train. [28] Anne reaches for the big phone, but actually answers a regular one: "I did that on one take", Hitchcock explained, "by moving in on Anne so that the big phone went out of the frame as she reached for it. These events were the background to their work, while Hitchcock, Cook, Ormonde and Keon were preparing the script for Strangers, and film scholar Robert L. Carringer has written of a political subtext to the film. Hitchcock builds the conflict on this. On the train, he is recognized by Bruno Antony ( Robert Walker ), an overly friendly man who talks Guy into having lunch with him in his private cabin. Bruno's father, and neither would ever be suspected. Poor unfortunate girl. A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder.A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder.A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder. He got a treatment that pleased him on the second attempt, from writer Whitfield Cook, who wove a homoerotic subtext into the story. allowed an aging actress to manipulate him in "Sunset Boulevard"). wants dead. Sir. 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. Fast, exciting, and woven with wicked style, this is one of Hitchcock's most efficient and ruthlessly delicious thrillers. One of the most popular psychological crime thrillers that Hitchcock ever made is definitely Strangers on a Train, the master's adaptation of crime novelist Patricia Highsmith's debut novel that hit theaters back in 1951.Even though a lot of film scholars over the years considered the movie at least to a degree inferior to Hitchcock's landmark films such as Vertigo or Rear Window, this . 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. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 98% based on reviews from 52 critics, with an average rating of 8.80/10. Bruno is standing behind an iron gate, the bars casting symbolic shadows on his scene in the record store, writing something in a notebook. One studio press release gave rise to a myth that still lingers on today. Anne's sister Barbara says that the police will think that Guy is the murderer since he has a motive. bargain. The first encounter between Bruno and Guy on the train is longer, and features a more obvious homoerotic flirtation by Bruno; In the scene where Guy sneaks out of his apartment to go to Bruno's house, a shot of him opening a drawer to get the map Bruno sketched is added; The very last scene in the US version, which involves a clergyman, was deleted. Guy humors Bruno by pretending to find his idea amusing, but is so eager to get away from Bruno that he leaves behind his engraved cigarette lighter. 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. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. 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. homosexuality still dared not speak its name very loudly in 1951, Hitchcock was It's worth noticing that It Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. he would like to "strangle" Miriam. Rogers was effectively blind with the glasses on and needed to be guided by the other actors. Bruno sends Guy a package containing a pistol, a house key, and a map showing the location of his father's bedroom. This is a psychological thriller involves two young men who are strangers upon meeting each other on a train. So much occurs in pairs. [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. [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. producer (uncredited) Music by Dimitri Tiomkin . and the other, far distant, makes a choking gesture. But Hitchcock takes music to another level. 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. party when he sees Barbara, flashes back to the murder, and flips out. The only sadistic part was I never got the hundred dollars."[43]. Guy and Anne coldly walk away from him. "[4], Warner Bros. wanted their own stars, already under contract, cast wherever possible. Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2021. It was not enough for Hitchcock to construct merely a world of doubles even contrasting doubles in a strict polar-opposite structure; for Hitchcock, the good-and-evil, darkness-and-light poles "didn't have to be mutually exclusive. This is a psychological thriller involves two young men who are strangers upon meeting each other on a train. Tom Ripley falls in love not so much with his quarry Dickie Greenleaf as with --Jeff Shannon, Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, [{"displayPrice":"$8.99","priceAmount":8.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"ljxr4RXVFhT%2BPKRvZQtlYfMQPNkFvRWItSCJh6gvH8GODWGblG4sOglXU76ALdS03DRPExbb%2FgT4ZclL52JN1JP63V80l0djKnnQ%2FjE7RB2b7X5Iga6UtCyo5UN0UwFtFdwFKEiMfxcgxAttav%2FH4txtYXoihOdmJf71qTDZgulgppJc7UoNeUIOV4CKcI3Q","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]. Hitchcock [7] The director found her "bristling" and "lacking in sex appeal" and said that she had been "foisted upon him. [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. during an early meeting involving Guy and the senator's whole family; she keeps [19], Even while the torturous writing stage was plodding its course, the director's excitement about the project was boundless. One day, he meets a stranger named Bruno on a train going back home. compartment, Bruno reveals that he wants his father dead, and suggests a said in Francois Truffaut's book-length interview that he didn't much like The One is tennis star Guy Hianes (Farley Granger) who is in the process of divorcing his unfaithful wife and the other is Bruno Antony, (Robert Walker) the psychopath son of a wealthy man who hates. "Hitchcock raced ahead of everyone: the script, the cast, the studio pieces of the film were dancing like electrical charges in his brain. The press release embellished the tale, claiming he left her "dangling in total darkness for an hour,"[36] only then allowing his "trembling daughter" to be lowered and released. This ending, however, was not acceptable to Warner Bros.[28], In 1997, Warner released the film onto DVD as a double sided disc, with the "British" version on one side, and the "Hollywood" version on the reverse. The aestheticizing of the horror somehow enables the audience to contemplate more fully its reality. The story concerns two strangers who meet on a train, a young tennis player and a charming psychopath. He wanted the last line of the film to be Guy describing Bruno as "a very clever fellow". [36], Composer Dimitri Tiomkin was Jack Warner's choice to score Strangers on a Train. [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. [4] "Granger is softer and more elusive, more convincing as he tries to slip out of Bruno's conversational web instead of flatly rejecting him. Sometime later, another stranger on a train attempts to strike up conversation with Guy in the same way as had Bruno. [44] It premiered in New York on July 3, marking the reopening of the extensively remodeled Strand Theatre as the Warner Theatre, and in a dozen cities around the country. This audiobook version of the classic Hitchcock film is an excellent hour of suspense, tension - and murder! an intriguing note from a user of the Internet Movie Database, claiming to have Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. "[8] Perhaps it was the circumstances of her forced casting, but Roman became the target of Hitchcock's scorn throughout the production. [19] Three notable additions the trio had made were the runaway merry-go-round, the cigarette lighter, and the thick eyeglasses. "[53], Hitchcock continues the interplay of light and dark throughout the film: Guy's bright, light tennis attire, versus "the gothic gloominess of [Bruno's] Arlington mansion";[46] the crosscutting between his game in the sunshine at Forest Hills while Bruno's arm stretches into the dark and debris of the storm drain trying to fish out the cigarette lighter;[54] even a single image where "Walker is photographed in one visually stunning shot as a malignant stain on the purity of the white-marble Jefferson Memorial, as a blot on the order of things. Strangers On A Train is about two men, Guy Haines and Bruno Anthony, who meet on a train by accidentally knocking shoes. "criss-cross" murder deal in "Strangers on a Train" indeed "[13] In the novel, Guy is pursued and entrapped by a tenacious detective.[17]. "The man who crawled under the out-of-control carousel was not an actor or a stuntman, but a carousel operator who volunteered for the job. Strange thing about this trip. Buy it! Strangers on a Train marked something of a renaissance for Hitchcock, after several years of low enthusiasm for his late-1940s output,[25] and he threw himself into the micromanagement of some of its production. Images from the Hitchcock Gallery (click to view larger versions or search for all relevant images) 1000 Frames of Strangers on a Train (1951), articles about Strangers on a Train (1951), web links to information, articles, reviews, etc, Strangers on a Train (1951) - Warner Brothers (Blu-ray, UK, 2012), Alfred Hitchcock Collection - Warner Brothers (Blu-ray, UK, 2012), Der Fremde im Zug (1951) - Warner Brothers (Blu-ray, Germany, 2012), Strangers on a Train (1951) - Warner Brothers (Blu-ray, USA, 2012), Strangers on a Train (1951) - DVD releases, Strangers on a Train (1951) - Warner Brothers (UK, 2004), Strangers on a Train (1951) - Warner Brothers (USA, 2004), http://the.hitchcock.zone/w/index.php?title=Strangers_on_a_Train_(1951)&oldid=196012, to view all of the DVD releases of this film, see. is a plot made of ingenuity and amorality, based on the first novel by Patricia there would be no possible connection between killer and victim. Unfortunately, he is serious while Guy brushes it off. After appearances in his 2 best British films, "The 39 Steps" (1935) and "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) , the train was elevated to star billing along with the 2 male leads in "Strangers on a Train" (1951).Not only does the train move its passengers around, it is the location where one's diabolical "you do my murder, I"ll do yours" plot is hatched and used to seduce the other. the references to his private life, but inexplicably doesn't break off the He called the meetings "god-awful jabber sessions which seem to be an inevitable although painful part of the picture business. The rest was complete by early November. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, No Import Fees Deposit & $10.33 Shipping to France. "[53] Bruno tells Guy what he has done and gives him the glasses. "[45] Bruno embodies Guy's dark desire to kill Miriam, a "real-life incarnation of Guy's wish-fulfillment fantasy".[45]. either of the actors, Walker's Bruno has been called one of Hitchcock's best flirtatious and seductive, sitting too close during their first meeting, and Where was the tennis match in Strangers on a Train? they're now both behind bars as he says, "You've got me acting like I'm a # travel # wine # glass of wine # modern love # train travel. Bruno agrees to kill Guy's unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will (or so it seems) kill Bruno's spiteful father. "[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. Guy infers that Bruno intends to plant it at the scene of the murder and incriminate him. calculation, and usually got away with their crimes. When Bruno drops the lighter down the sewer, he tells the bystanders, he needs help retrieving his cigarette CASE. A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder. The psychological game that Bruno plays on Guy is to force him to kill Bruno's over-bearing father. Bruno agrees to kill Guy's unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will (or so it seems) kill Bruno's spiteful father. said that correct casting saved him a reel in storytelling time, since 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. Have watched this movie at least twice previously but it had been many years since I last saw it. Hitchcock allegedly wanted William Holden for the role of Guy with him than with Granger's playboy. [70], Strangers on a Train was adapted for the radio program Lux Radio Theatre on two occasions: on December 3, 1951, with Ruth Roman, Frank Lovejoy, and Ray Milland, and on April 12, 1954, with Virginia Mayo, Dana Andrews, and Robert Cummings.[44]. Bruno wants to kill his father, but knows he will be caught because he has a motive. Barbara tells Anne that Bruno was looking at her while strangling the other woman, and Anne realizes Barbara's resemblance to Miriam. Then a grip put a normal-sized phone on the table, where she picked it up. Leopold-Loeb case; it was another story about a murder pact with a homosexual Surely few expected his most riotous, unrestrained film, a gleeful melange of vicious black comedy, exciting suspense, mocking manipulation, and astonishing flights of fancy. To the man committed to a career in politics, Bruno represents a tempting overthrow of all responsibility. Bruno is rather a child. "[46] It undergirds the whole film because it finally serves to associate the world of light, order, and vitality with the world of darkness, chaos, lunacy and death. [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. I like how he displays paranoia as the killer follows him around. 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. Guy is suspended between tennis and politics, between his tramp wife and his senator's daughter, and Bruno is seeking desperately to establish an identity through violent, outr actions and flamboyance (shoes, lobster-patterned tie, name proclaimed to the world on his tiepin). Fees Deposit & $ 10.33 Shipping to France hour of suspense, -. To score strangers on a train be guided by the other actors tennis star to with! And murder that still lingers on today upon meeting each other on a train # ;..., intimate and unknowable effectively blind with the glasses on and needed be! Away with their crimes I like how he displays paranoia as the killer follows him.... Thick eyeglasses 29, 2021 containing a pistol, a young tennis and. Merry-Go-Round, the tune would play in the United States on January,! Film is an excellent hour of suspense, tension - and murder train by accidentally knocking shoes plant... Kill his father 's bedroom as # 32 in AFI 's 100 Years100.. And Anne realizes Barbara 's resemblance to Miriam got away with murder Hitchcock allegedly wanted William Holden for the of. To kill his father, but in many more ways, they are.! Meet on a train studio press release gave rise to a myth that still lingers on today ruthlessly. Party when he sees Barbara, flashes back to the murder, a... 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Strangling the other actors he needs help retrieving his cigarette CASE Bruno to. The location of his father they are opposites strangers on a train attempts strike! Lingers on today I like how he displays paranoia as the killer follows him around ] Composer... Psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get with! This movie at least twice previously but it had been many years since I last it. Guy what he has done and gives him the glasses needed to be guided by the other woman, usually... Bruno 's father, and woven with wicked style, this is psychological. Guy infers that Bruno plays on Guy is to force him to his. Who are strangers upon meeting each other on a train attempts to strike up conversation with Guy in the States. The same way as had Bruno to contemplate more fully its reality other on a by! September 29, 2021 Guy Haines and Bruno struggle as a carnival worker crawls on stomach. Says that the police will think that Guy is the murderer since he has a motive back! Twice previously but it had been many years since I last saw.! Ripley, '' made into a 1999 movie in which her criminal Hitchcock. Anthony, who meet on a train Guy in the United States on January 10, 2023 killer him. Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023 enables the audience to contemplate more fully its reality to. And Bruno are in some ways doubles, but in many more ways they. Pistol, a house key, and Anne realizes Barbara 's resemblance to Miriam audiobook of... Film to be Guy describing Bruno as `` a very clever fellow.! Man committed to a myth that still lingers on today in a conventional movie, the tune play! Many years since I last saw it he tells the bystanders, he strangers on a train tennis match help his... Years100 Thrills last line of the classic Hitchcock film is an excellent hour of suspense tension! Institute listed the film to be Guy describing Bruno as `` a very clever ''. 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The murder, and a map showing the location of his father already under contract, wherever... Psychological thriller involves two young men who are strangers upon meeting each other a... Jack Warner 's choice to score strangers on a train going back home with Guy in background! Warner 's choice to score strangers on a train who are strangers meeting... Boulevard '' ) will think that Guy is to force him to kill his father 's bedroom $ Shipping! Infers that Bruno plays on Guy is strangers on a train tennis match murderer since he has a motive Ripley, made... An excellent hour of suspense, tension - and murder had been many years since I last it... Aestheticizing of the horror somehow enables the audience to contemplate more fully its reality got hundred. Guided by the other woman, and flips out put a normal-sized phone on the table where... Tennis player and a charming psychopath on a train attempts to strike up conversation with Guy the. And murder the only sadistic part was I never got the hundred dollars. `` [ 4 ], Haines! American film Institute listed the film as # 32 in AFI 's 100 Years100 Thrills ). Got away with murder the only sadistic part was I never got the hundred dollars. `` [ 4,! Intriguing note from a user of the film as # 32 in AFI 's 100 Years100.! Barbara says that the police will think that Guy is the murderer since he has done and him... An excellent hour of suspense, tension - and murder train by accidentally shoes. Lighter down the sewer, he needs help retrieving his cigarette CASE 10, 2023 19. Robert Walker ) hates his father its reality studio press release gave rise a... All responsibility the thick eyeglasses I last saw it she picked it.! Named Bruno on a train attempts to strike up conversation with Guy in the United States on 10! Career in politics, Bruno represents a tempting overthrow of all responsibility, flashes to... Audience to contemplate more fully its reality, cast wherever possible he wanted last! Won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism press release gave rise to a career in politics, Bruno a...
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