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Strangers on a Train (Two-Disc Special Edition)Rating:
Release Date: 07 September, 2004 Retail Price: $26.98 OUR Price: $23.99 You SAVE: $2.99! Cast: |
Strangers on a Train (Two-Disc Special Edition) Reviews
The Moose Hole - Everyone's a Potential Murderer
We have all had someone in our lives that we have wanted `disposed of', right? Nearly every human being has experienced a moment in which their emotions have overrun their sense reason and logic and, in a fit of anger, claim that they want to `strangle' or kill someone who has caused them some form of pain or anguish. It's no big secret. But what if the opportunity to do just that and get away with it scot-free presented itself to you? Would you take it? That's the idea behind Alfred Hitchcock's rather sadistic (in a good way) drama Strangers on a Train. Celebrity tennis player Guy Haines and Bruno Anthony meet on a train coincidently, or so it would seem. Bruno, recognizing Guy, strikes up a conversion in which Guy reveals that he wants a divorce from his backstabbing wife, Miriam, so he can marry Anne Morton, the daughter of a respectable U.S. Senator. Over lunch Bruno confesses to Guy that he too wants a nuisance removed from his life, his over controlling step-father. He then suggests a perfect plan to remove the obstacles of each other's lives barring their way from living a happy life. His scheme is that the two of them `exchange murders', committing the murder of the other person so that person closest to the victim has an airtight alibi and the actual murderer can not be accused of the crime because he and the victim are complete strangers.
Seems simple enough, right? That is what Bruno thinks as well but it is this precise arrogance which will inexplicably lead to his downfall. Guy, upon hearing the devious proposal, jollies Bruno along and after leaving the train tries to put the whole affair behind him. Only he can't, at least not for long. It appears as though Bruno was quite serious about his proposal, presenting Guy when he returns to his home in Baltimore with the eyeglasses of his dead wife Miriam. Guy however is extremely reluctant to follow through with his end of the bargain when he never committed to the plan in the first place, at least not seriously. And even if he were willing to do so, he wouldn't be able to, not with the police watching him like a hawk. The police have privately named Guy as a prime suspect because of his public altercation with Miriam the day of the murder (with numerous eyewitnesses), his admittance to Anne that he wanted to `strangle' Miriam, and no alibi for his exact whereabouts at the time of the murder (he does have a witness who was with him on the train to Baltimore at the time of the murder but unfortunately for Guy he was quite intoxicated and couldn't remember him the next day). What follows is a series of events in which Bruno, coming to the conclusion that Guy will not fulfill his end of the bargain, tries to frame Guy for the murder of his wife (turning his cigarette lighter which was almost left at the scene of the crime over to the police, thus incriminating him) and Guy fighting to restore his good name while at the same time keeping the police who are tailing his every move off his trail.
In the conventional vein of Shadow of a Doubt, Hitchcock uses doubles or pairs in Strangers on a Train to figure in the balance of good and evil. The pairing of Guy Haines, the dashing all-American youth, and Bruno Anthony, the obsessive and malevolent outsider, is Hitchcock most glaring example of this recurrent theme. Two seemingly distinct personalities yet at the same time each complimentary to one another. Other pairs include the two drinks Bruno orders on the train during lunch, the two crisscrossing tennis rackets on Guy's cigarette lighter, the double-vision of Miriam's death through her eyeglasses, the startling resemblance Barbara Morton shares with Miriam, and, most discreetly, the words `two imposters' (from the Rudyard Kipling poem `If') on a beam above Guy's head as he leaves the last tennis match of the film.
There are at least five scenes in particular found in this film in which the true cinematic genius of Alfred Hitchcock and his creative dramatic vision shines through brilliantly onto the screen. The first is the sequence in which Bruno follows Guy's wife, Miriam, and her two `boyfriends' into the Tunnel of Love. His shadow is projected onto the wall and from the viewpoint of the audience it appears as though he is overtaking them. A scream from Miriam, which later reveals to be out of excitement and pleasure, not terror and death, while the two boats are still inside the tunnel creates an image in our minds of what may be taking place. Instead it is a foreshadowing of what is yet to come.
The second scene takes place immediately after the Tunnel of Love sequence when the actual murder of Miriam occurs. Miriam and her two `boyfriends' have just exited their boat in a secluded area not far off from the fair grounds when in their excitement they become separated. Bruno comes up from behind Miriam and asks if she who he believes her to be. He then grabs her neck and proceeds to strangle her to death, leaving her barely able to let out even a whisper in her pleas for help. Though Hitchcock does not show the actual murder directly, he goes one step further, from an artistic standpoint that is. He shows the strangulation of Miriam through her eyeglasses which have fallen to the ground. These eyeglasses are of particular importance as they will reappear on the face of another character (similar but not the exact same glasses as Miriam's) later on in the film. This in turn will cause Bruno to flashback to the night of the murder and pass out.
The third is easily the most recognizable. In this scene Guy as he prepares for his tennis match pans the crowd of spectators sitting in the grandstands observing the tennis match in front of them, each one with his or her head swiveling back and forth as each volley is shot across the court. All, that is, with the exception of one, Bruno Anthony, whose gaze is set unwavering on Guy. This hair-raising moment demonstrates the merciless persistence of Bruno.
The fourth takes place in the midst of yet another tennis match, this one involving Guy who must win in three sets if he wishes to beat Bruno back to his hometown and retrieve his cigarette lighter before Bruno has the chance to plant it at the scene of Miriam's murder and frame him for the crime. He must compete in the match and go on with his usual lifestyle to avoid further suspicion on the part of the police. Bruno arrives in Guy's hometown aboard a train just as Guy's tennis match is taking place. Suddenly, as he is pretentiously tosses it slightly in his right hand, Guy's cigarette lighter, the solitary advantage he holds over Guy's head, drops directly into a sewer drain. The tension of Guy's pivotal tennis match and Bruno's insufferable struggle to reach the cigarette lighter just barely out of his grasp adds further vigor to the film. Two different yet at the same time congruent personalities, both in actions and words.
And then of course there is the merry-go-round sequence, Hitchcock's crescendo for Strangers on a Train. Here the operator of the classic carnival favorite is accidentally shot in the head by a police officer who is in hot pursuit of Guy Haines who races across the fair grounds having just spotted Bruno Anthony. The dead man's last act is to pull on the lever controlling the amusement park ride causing it to careen out of control (to the delight of a five-year old boy who believes this to be part of the thrill of the ride). A carnival worker crawls on his belly under the gyrating carousel, reaches the control switch, and pulls it back which then causes the ride to short-circuit and collapse on the ground below. The scene itself is technologically marvelous, especially given the time period in which it was shot.
Guy escapes relatively unscathed. Bruno on the other hand is not so lucky. His body is pinned under the weight of a carousel horse and other debris. Guy pleads with Bruno in his last breathes to fess up and reveal who really strangled Miriam, but he refuses, resolute to the bitter end. However, even in death his bitter arrogance does him in, his right hand clutching Guy's cigarette lighter. As soon as the police realize Bruno has Guy's cigarette lighter, they clear him of murder charges against his wife.
While Patricia Highsmith, the lesbian author of the Tom Ripley book series, deserves credit for the basis for Strangers on the Train, true credit lies with Czenzi Ormonde who broke dramatically from the source material to fit the inspirational vision of director Alfred Hitchcock. It's not perfect, by any means, and certainly far from the director's best work, though arguably within the top ten of films made while he was in the United States. Strangers on a Train remains an engaging, first-rate thriller even by today's standards.
Another Classic By The Master of Suspense
There is an old saying in Hollywood. Even a bad Hitchcock film is better than most films. But when his films are great, they are far superior to other films. Narrative, acting, pacing, technical work all excel in Hitchcock's films and "Strangers on A Train", made in 1951, is one of his best effects. Less an icon than "Vertigo", "Rear Window" or "Psycho", "Strangers" is a rare combination of brilliant character study, moody atmospheric story and advanced technical achievement (at least for the period).
Guy Haines (Farley Granger), a rising star on the tennis scene, takes a train to Metcalf, New York. On the train, he meets Bruno Antony (Robert Walker) who recognizes Guy and begins a conversation, inviting the tennis player to lunch. Bruno soon reveals he knows a lot about Guy's life, including the story of his wife, Miriam (Kasey Rogers), who still lives in Metcalf and refuses to divorce Guy so he can marry Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), the daughter of a Senator (Leo G. Carroll). Bruno is an unhappy man and would love nothing more than to have his father killed. But of course, he can't kill his father, he would be put away for life. But if a stranger committed the murder, the problem would be solved. Bruno offers to kill Miriam if Guy will kill his father. Neither has a connection to their victims, they would never be found out. Thinking his companion unhinged, Guy laughs off the suggestion and leaves to meet Miriam. However, Miriam soon ends up murdered on an island in the middle of an amusement park and Bruno begins to get testy that Guy is not holding up his end of the bargain.
So begins Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train", based loosely on a book by Patricia Highsmith, who would go on to write "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and it's many sequels. Hitchcock based many of his films on books, taking intriguing ideas and changing them to meet his cinematic needs and making them memorable. I doubt many would remember the book "Psycho" without the memorable film.
"Strangers" is classic Hitchcock featuring many of his trademark touches. Shot in black and white, the film begins with the now classic sequence showing two separate pairs of shoes traveling through a train station from different directions. As they finally meet, in the lounge car of the train, the camera shifts up and we see the faces of the two main characters for the first time. Bruno quickly proves to be the living embodiment of every gossip columnist, reciting every detail about Guy's life, revealing he is the tennis star's number one fan. What is so brilliant about this relationship is the hint of a threat. Even as Bruno details the plan to the disbelieving Guy, we know Bruno will carry through with the plot, but Guy doesn't. This is classic Hitchcock. From his earliest films, Hitchcock has created suspense by telling the audience more than the central characters. If we know they are walking into a trap, we want to yell at the screen "Watch out!', but of course, they can't hear us and walk blissfully into danger. Throughout their conversation, Bruno talks about various theories and plans he has, giving Guy the impression that he is crazy. Bruno talks about taking a trip to the moon (remember, its 1951) and other crazy ideas, leading Guy to believe Bruno's plans for them to switch murders is just crazy talk. As he leaves Bruno's compartment, he says "Sure, Bruno. Sure," completely discounting the sociopathic tendencies of his new friend.
Of course, Bruno is serious and sets off to fulfill his end of the bargain. He travels out to Metcalf and quickly finds Miriam, follows her and two boyfriends, as they travel to the local carnival. As Miriam flirts with her two friends, her thick glasses quickly spot the following Bruno and she begins to size him up. Could he be a better suitor than the other two? He follows them throughout and Miriam can't take her eyes off of him. As the threesome make their way out to an island in the middle of the carnival, a "sordid place. A sort of lover's lane" as the Senator (Carroll) later comments, Bruno quickly confronts Miriam. Sensing that he is just making a move, she is caught completely off guard as he begins to strangle her, her thick glasses falling to the ground, showing us the murder in the reflection of the eyewear.
After Guy learns the news, he becomes horrified, but he finds he can't turn to many people. A rising tennis star and his relationship with Anne, a Senator's daughter, already make him the focus of the gossip columns, he eventually enlists the aid of Anne and her sister, to help prove his innocence. Two police officers begin to tail Guy, throwing a wrench into the works. Guy soon realizes he will have to do something as he spots Bruno sitting in the stands at a Tennis match, staring at him, as the rest of the spectators are turning right and left watching the ball. The sociopath begins to further insinuate his way into Guy's life, introducing himself to friends, showing up at a party and more.
As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent the police will soon just pull Guy in, preventing him from exposing Bruno. He has to take action, but if he doesn't show up for a tennis match, he will raise everyone's suspicions. As Guy rushes to finish the match and race to Metcalf, Bruno rushes to get to Metcalf and plant a piece of incriminating evidence. They eventually meet at the carnival and the police, still suspecting Guy, put their lives and the lives of many others in peril during the exciting climax.
If you are even just slightly familiar with Hitchcock's films, you will probably recognize some of the many themes prevalent in his works. The wrong man accused of the crime, the two men chasing each other, the veiled relationship fraught with sexual intrigue and more. "Strangers" is worthy of discussion in any conversation about "Vertigo", "Rear Window" or "Psycho". It has all of the same elements, touches and style of these later acknowledged classics.
Warner Bros. has given the film the deluxe DVD treatment is deserves. The two disc set contains two different versions of the film; the "American" version and the "preview" or "British" version. The "American" version is the film we have all come to know and love. A few years ago, a preview version of the film was discovered and screened at the British Film Theater. Living in London at the time, I sped to the South bank and watched the film. It was not entirely different, but the extra few minutes of screen time allowed for a couple of significant moments. Many of the more veiled allusions to the homosexual nature of the friendship between Bruno and Guy are just slightly more overt, sometimes laughably so, but it gives the film a deeper feeling. Hitchcock was a powerful force in Hollywood and had ways of getting around the censors. But even he had his limits. In "Rope", based on the story of Leopold and Loeb, a gay couple murders a fellow student for the thrill of it, we barely ever see any mention of the couple's relationship. Three years later, in 1951, America still wasn't ready for "Brokeback Mountain", so Hitchcock resorts to veiled comments and moments. In the `Preview' version, these are just slightly more overt. The ending is also a little different, and less satisfying. The "American" version trimmed these moments down, to appease the censors. The difference between the two films is noticeable and interesting.
As with most Hitchcock DVDs, the obligatory "Making Of..." documentary is a cut above the rest; the studios really went all out for these DVD releases. Featuring interviews with Farley Granger (who also appeared in "Rope"), Robert Walker's son, Pat Hitchcock O'Connell (the director's daughter and an actress in many of his films), Peter Bogdanovich and others, we get a more complete view of what went into the making of this classic. Using new interviews, clips, production photos, deleted scenes and behind the scenes footage, this documentary walks us step by step through the production of the film.
Perhaps most interesting is a documentary called "The Hitchcocks on Hitch". Pat Hitchcock O'Connell relates stories of her childhood and working with her father on this film. There are also interviews with Pat's three daughters, Hitch's granddaughters, who talk about life with their famous grandfather. Naturally, these stories occur many years after "Strangers", but they are still interesting. As they talk about their grandparents, we see family photos and home movies, giving us a glimpse into the life of the director.
There is also a short interview with director M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable") who talks about how great the film is and how it influenced his career. This curio offers little except the opportunity to see some clips from the film.
There is also a new interview with Kasey Rogers, who played Miriam Haynes, Bruno's victim. During the interview, she describes what it was like to work with Hitchcock, describes how the studio system worked for a young actress and talks about her career after the film.
"Strangers on a Train" is a Hitchcock classic, worthy of being mentioned in the same conversations as the director's more widely recognized classics. It has everything from interesting performances to intriguing killers, from intriguing set pieces to interesting locations.
This DVD is a must have for any collection.
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