Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Story: Screenplay by Whitfield Cook, Czenzi Ormonde, and Raymond Chandler (based on the book by Patricia Highsmith)
Cast: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Time: 101 minutes
Bottom-line: May not be Hitchcock’s most recognised film, but is still a masterpiece
Hitchcock delivers another great film, in his 1951 thriller Strangers on a Train. This film may not rank with his other better-known films like North by Northwest or Psycho, but this film has some great photography, great direction, and a very memorable villain. Ranked #32 in AFI’s Top 100 thrills, this film provides a lot of smart thrills and entertainment.
Tennis pro Guy Haines (Granger) meets a wealthy man, Bruno Anthony (Walker) in a train. Though Bruno seems friendly and adulating, Guy soon realizes that Bruno peeks too much into his personal life. Bruno knows that Guy is unhappy with his current wife, Miriam (Laura Elliot), and wants to marry Anne Morton (Roman). Bruno says he wants to get rid of his father for reasons of his own, and he knows that Guy wants to get rid of Miriam. Due to motive, Guy cannot kill Miriam, and similarly, Bruno cannot kill his father. So, Bruno lures Guy into his plan of ‘switching murders’: he kills Miriam, and in exchange, Guy kills Bruno’s father. In that case, neither of them will be caught, and their lives will be better. Guy ignores this proposal, but Bruno doesn’t. After a fight with Miriam over their divorce, Guy unknowingly tells Anne, “I wish I could strangle her…” Bruno keeps up his end of the deal, and strangles Miriam in an amusement park. However, when he tells this to Guy, Guy is shocked and plans to go to the police. Bruno immediately blackmails Guy saying that if he doesn’t finish the deal, he will drop Guy’s cigarette lighter (which Guy leaves behind in the train) in the amusement park at the scene of the murder. Does Guy commit murder in order to save himself? Does Guy refrain from the deal, thereby putting himself as his wife’s murderer? Watch this film to find out!
The story is excellent. The main thing that makes this film great is the concept of ‘criss-crossing’ murders. Despite introducing this entire plot in less than 10 minutes, the film goes slow in some places here and there. Of course, you can call it slow, or you can call it ‘building up the suspense’.
I like the way Hitchcock shows the beginning of the film. First we see two taxi cabs, and two people getting out. One has tennis rackets, and we can guess that he is a tennis player. Then two pairs of shoes are shown, and the camera follows the shoes all the way into the train compartment. We see that both the men wearing the shoes sit opposite each other, and only then do we see their faces. The score during this scene, and in other places throughout the film, is also pretty good. What I am saying is, I like the way Hitchcock shows two complete strangers. Who they are doesn’t matter; what matters is that two people, unknown to each other, have met, and their lives are about to change forever.
Other than this particular sequence, the photography is also good in other places. The tennis match shown later in the film may not be filmed like modern day matches, with cameras following each and every stroke, but for a 1951 film, this match is pretty well filmed. The murder scene, where Bruno strangles Miriam, is brilliantly filmed. Unlike the shower scene in Psycho, this murder is not so brutal or gory, but the camera work is great. For two seconds, we see Bruno clutching her neck, and the remaining murder is shown as a reflection in Miriam’s glasses. This unique scene is a standout in the film, in my opinion. According to Wikipedia, this particular technique is still being studied today.
All the actors have acted well, especially Robert Walker. His character is one of the best movie characters I have known. His character which came more than fifty years before Nolan’s The Dark Knight, is exactly like the Joker: cunning, doing everything for fun etc. Moreover, Bruno is also diabolical. Throughout the film, he is always calm and smiling, but with a villainous mind. His dialogues and facial expressions are excellent. He is certainly one of the best villains in Hitchcock films, as well in Hollywood films in general.
This film was adapted in 2011, titled Muran (meaning contradiction). This Tamil film starred Prasanna (for Walker) and Cheran (for Granger) in the leads. Though the basic idea is still same, the later film was a flop. While Hitchcock only takes 10 minutes to explain the plan of switching murders, the plot is made clear only after an hour or so, in this film. Almost everything is average in this film, except Prasanna’s acting, which is pretty good.
Overall, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 thriller is a great film, though it may not be as classy as North by Northwest or Psycho or even Rear Window. Yet, with a great story, terrific photography and direction and memorable characters, Strangers on a Train will be remembered for certain scenes in the film, and the whole idea of ‘criss-crossing’ murders. From the first minute, this film is pure thrill, as this particular tagline goes: “It starts with the shriek of a train and ends with shrieking excitement!”
My Rating: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
 |
| Hitchcock adding an 'L' to 'strangers', thereby making it 'stranglers'. |
Cast: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Time: 101 minutes
Bottom-line: May not be Hitchcock’s most recognised film, but is still a masterpiece
Hitchcock delivers another great film, in his 1951 thriller Strangers on a Train. This film may not rank with his other better-known films like North by Northwest or Psycho, but this film has some great photography, great direction, and a very memorable villain. Ranked #32 in AFI’s Top 100 thrills, this film provides a lot of smart thrills and entertainment.
Tennis pro Guy Haines (Granger) meets a wealthy man, Bruno Anthony (Walker) in a train. Though Bruno seems friendly and adulating, Guy soon realizes that Bruno peeks too much into his personal life. Bruno knows that Guy is unhappy with his current wife, Miriam (Laura Elliot), and wants to marry Anne Morton (Roman). Bruno says he wants to get rid of his father for reasons of his own, and he knows that Guy wants to get rid of Miriam. Due to motive, Guy cannot kill Miriam, and similarly, Bruno cannot kill his father. So, Bruno lures Guy into his plan of ‘switching murders’: he kills Miriam, and in exchange, Guy kills Bruno’s father. In that case, neither of them will be caught, and their lives will be better. Guy ignores this proposal, but Bruno doesn’t. After a fight with Miriam over their divorce, Guy unknowingly tells Anne, “I wish I could strangle her…” Bruno keeps up his end of the deal, and strangles Miriam in an amusement park. However, when he tells this to Guy, Guy is shocked and plans to go to the police. Bruno immediately blackmails Guy saying that if he doesn’t finish the deal, he will drop Guy’s cigarette lighter (which Guy leaves behind in the train) in the amusement park at the scene of the murder. Does Guy commit murder in order to save himself? Does Guy refrain from the deal, thereby putting himself as his wife’s murderer? Watch this film to find out!
 |
| Granger as Guy and Roman as Anne |
The story is excellent. The main thing that makes this film great is the concept of ‘criss-crossing’ murders. Despite introducing this entire plot in less than 10 minutes, the film goes slow in some places here and there. Of course, you can call it slow, or you can call it ‘building up the suspense’.
 |
| Walker as Bruno |
 |
| A still from the film, where Bruno proposes his plan to Guy |
Other than this particular sequence, the photography is also good in other places. The tennis match shown later in the film may not be filmed like modern day matches, with cameras following each and every stroke, but for a 1951 film, this match is pretty well filmed. The murder scene, where Bruno strangles Miriam, is brilliantly filmed. Unlike the shower scene in Psycho, this murder is not so brutal or gory, but the camera work is great. For two seconds, we see Bruno clutching her neck, and the remaining murder is shown as a reflection in Miriam’s glasses. This unique scene is a standout in the film, in my opinion. According to Wikipedia, this particular technique is still being studied today.
 |
| The murder scene - Bruno strangling Miriam |
All the actors have acted well, especially Robert Walker. His character is one of the best movie characters I have known. His character which came more than fifty years before Nolan’s The Dark Knight, is exactly like the Joker: cunning, doing everything for fun etc. Moreover, Bruno is also diabolical. Throughout the film, he is always calm and smiling, but with a villainous mind. His dialogues and facial expressions are excellent. He is certainly one of the best villains in Hitchcock films, as well in Hollywood films in general.
 |
| Another famous scene from this film: all viewers following the ball, while Bruno only focuses on Guy |
This film was adapted in 2011, titled Muran (meaning contradiction). This Tamil film starred Prasanna (for Walker) and Cheran (for Granger) in the leads. Though the basic idea is still same, the later film was a flop. While Hitchcock only takes 10 minutes to explain the plan of switching murders, the plot is made clear only after an hour or so, in this film. Almost everything is average in this film, except Prasanna’s acting, which is pretty good.
 |
| Poster of Muran |
Overall, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 thriller is a great film, though it may not be as classy as North by Northwest or Psycho or even Rear Window. Yet, with a great story, terrific photography and direction and memorable characters, Strangers on a Train will be remembered for certain scenes in the film, and the whole idea of ‘criss-crossing’ murders. From the first minute, this film is pure thrill, as this particular tagline goes: “It starts with the shriek of a train and ends with shrieking excitement!”
My Rating: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
No comments:
Post a Comment