Alfred Hitchcock is considered by many to be one of the best film directors of the 20 th century, and the film, Strangers on a Train (1951), is a fine example of his work. Hitchcock specialized in suspense films, dealing with murder and mystery. This time around Hitchcock introduces us to the main characters, Guy Haines (Farley Granger) and Bruno Antony (Robert Walker), who randomly meet on a train traveling along the East Coast. They had never met, and Antony engages Haines in conversation, having recognized Haines as a fairly well-known tennis player, who seems to be involved the daughter of a U.S. Senator. Haines is a bit putoff by Antony, but ends up lunching with Antony in his private compartment, where Antony suggests an idea for the perfect double-murder – he would kill Haines’ wife while Haines would kill his father. Needless to say, Haines blows off the idea as if it were some kind of joke. It turns out that the novel and film became the catalyst for a later movie, Throw Mama from the Train (1987) with Billy Crystal and Danny deVito (a pretty funny movie worth watching).
Strangers on a Train poster - IMDB
Robert Walker in his role as Bruno Antony does a great job of putting the “strange” in “stranger”, playing a psychopath very well, and convincingly so. My Bonnie Bride and both thought he looked very familiar, and it turns out he looks a lot like his son, Robert Walker, Jr., which is why we thought the elder Walker looked so familiar. A fine actor whose life was cut short. There are also a couple of actors who are familiar to us, including Leo Carroll (
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as Senator Morton, and John Doucette (way too many films, best of which is
Patton) appeared in a minor supporting role as one of the detectives.
Farley Granger and Robert Walker - IMDB
The film itself is brilliant made, keeping a good level of suspense as we learn more and more about Bruno Antony, and how creepy he is. He’s the kind of guy if you meet randomly as Haines did, don’t walk, run away fast. Antony keeps showing up in Haines’ life, stalker-like, and causing Haines a lot of anxiety, and is noticed by Haines’ love interest, Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), who becomes suspicous of Antony, and curious as to his hold over Haines. The creepy factor in this film is pretty high thanks to the way Walker and Granger are able to play well off of each other.
Interesting shot, I don't think it would have had the same impact if it had been made in color
IMDB
Filmed in black and white, which I think is a darn good medium for film noir and psycho thrillers, there are some truly incredible shots in the film that just wouldn’t work if
Strangers on a Train had been shot in color. The shot of the glasses on the ground reflecting the action taking place is one example of a cool bit of photography.
Bruno watching Guy - IMDB
Another shot that is a bit creepy is when we see Antony attending a tennis match and is focused only on Haines. The dude is completely creepy, and I can see anyone being wigged out by having someone constantly watching you, stalking you, because he has a hold on you and is trying to manipulate you.
Overall, my Bonnie Bride and I both enjoyed Strangers on a Train quite a lot and would recommend seeing it. If you do find the time to watch it, I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.
Thanks for stopping by.
Posted using CineTV
