STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1998 Ted Prigge
Director: Alfred Hitchcock Writers: Raymond Chandler, Whitfield Cook, and Cenzi Ormonde (based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith) Starring: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock, Marion Lorne, Howard St. John, Jonathan Hale, Robert Gist, Laura Elliot
What's amazing about "Strangers on a Train" is not just how absolutely thrilling it is after all these years, but also how deeply reflective it is on humanity. Here's a film which is a classic of the suspense genre, one that has been copied, parodied, and rehashed ever since its initial release. But it's depiction of the murderous and agressive qualities in man is what makes it even better, what makes it not only a popular film commercially, but also critically. Of all the films Hithcock made, this is one of his absolute masterpieces.
Guy Haines (Farley Granger), a semi-famous and respectable tennis player and his relationship with the off-kilter rich boy, Bruno Antony (Robert Walker, who slightly resembled a young Robert Vaughn), is what the film's focus is on. Both are passengers on a train one day, and over the course of a lunch, both open up to the two people they hate the most: for Guy, it's his present wife, Miriam (Laura Elliot), whom he wants to divorce so he can marry the daughter of a senator, Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), but unfortunately she won't let him; for Bruno, it's his fascist-like father (Jonathan Hale), who treats him horribly. Bruno comes up with an unthinkable plan for each to murder the other's object of hatred because they have no other connection than a coincidental meeting on a train, but Guy laughs it off, thinking of it as a joke. A couple nights later, Bruno stalks Miriam and her friends at a carnival, and when no one is around, strangled Miriam to death.
Upon learning of this, Guy's initial reaction is to turn Bruno in, but he has ran into a wall: he has no proof, and he's the chief suspect in the murder. In fact, the police have mapped out a way he could have murdered her and still gotten back home when he did. Meanwhile, Bruno still wants Guy to murder his father, and when he refuses, he begins slowly entering his life, stalking not only him, but his future family, including the Miriam-looking sister of Anne, Barbara (Patricia Hitchcock - yes, there's a relation; she's his daughter).
The finale of the film, which clocks in around 25 minutes, is one of the most carefully constructed, intelligently and deftly tailored finales of a film I've ever seen, ending in an outrageously visceral ending involving an out-of-control merry-go-round, which is even more tense when one discovers that the stunt involving the old man did not involve any kind of special effects (it's probably the most dangerous stunt of all time). The ending is a perfect finish, with an afterthought containing some extra suspense.
First off, the film is jam-packed with brilliant sequences, cool shots, and various other suspense sequences that made Hitchcock famous. The first one is the beginning, which has no action or anything, but the dialogue (co-written by none other than Raymond Chandler) is brilliant. In the scene, the two discuss the respective people who piss them off the most, and then Bruno tries to get him to "switch murders."
Two other sequences include a party held by Anne's father (Leo G. Carroll) where Bruno shows up and ends up in a discussion over how to murder someone and not have to expound a lot of energy (winding up in a demonstration how one strangles another); and a scene where Guy journeys over to Bruno's mansion to kill his father. Bruno's house is gigantic and eerily gothic, and the cinematography in this sequence is some of the creepiest I've ever seen.
But the best sequence, other than the finale, is the one where Bruno stalks and murders Miriam. Lasting about 10 minutes or so, it's a masterpiece in montage, as Bruno has to make sure he follows her but has to strangle her when none of her friends are around. Unfortunately, Bruno is hardly subtle about it, giving himself an eery presence with his head held down and a hat darkening most of his face (as well as those eyes he gives). By the time he finally strangles Miriam to death (effectively mirrored through her fallen glasses), it's not anticlimactic but silently frightening.
One of the chief powers of this film lies in the character of Bruno, who's one of the creepiest and most insane villains to ever grace any screen. Instead of being just a cold-hearted bastard, he almost seems like a harmless little boy, with a gentle presence, resulting in something which becomes a tad unerving. Bruno is completely oblivious to his lack of sanity, most notable in a scene after he kills Miriam where he approaches and talks to Guy, who is, obviously, appalled at what he did, but he acts like he did nothing wrong. He also adds a touch of homoeroticism, as he seems to attempt to seduce Guy in several scenes. Robert Walker's performance is one of the greatest in a Hitchcock film, if not the best (an observation attributed to AMC host Nick Clooney). Unfortunately, Walker died shortly following this film of "reaction to sedatives." Too bad; he was just perfect in this film.
The power of this film, though, is its presentation of human beings as having a murderous and violent nature. A lot of the characters in this film, most notably Guy, the one woman at the party, and, of course, Bruno, who all present different stages of this ailment. In one scene, Guy fumes after a heated discussion with his wife that he wishes he could strangle her, although we know he would never do it. The woman giggles along with Bruno in the party scene, but shows an active interest in the world of murder, but again, she would never do it. But Bruno, who seems to have no morals, has no problem with it, and the chief problem would be getting away with it (or having to do a lot of work). The truth is we humans have an interest in murder in general; it just piques our interest. Which is probably why Hollywood makes so many films about them.
But above all, "Strangers on a Train" is a brilliant piece of suspense. Hitchcock is at his best with this film, giving us interesting characters who we care about, a set-up which is fascinating, and sequences which are intense. The story, which has been copied many times (most recently in DeVito's "Throw Momma From the Train"), is not only a fascinating idea, but an intriguing reflection of our society. It's also one of Hitchcock's very best.
MY RATING (out of 4): ****
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