Strangers on a Train (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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Actor: Alfred Hitchcock, John Brown, John Doucette, Leo G. Carroll, Roy EngelBrand: Warner Brothers
Primary Contributor: Farley Granger
Primary Contributor: Robert Walker
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-07
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Strangers on a Train (Two-Disc Special Edition)
DVD Review: Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go For A Merry-Go-Round Ride...
Summary: 5 Stars
We've all heard about how many viewers of PSYCHO developed a fear of taking a shower after taking in that film, well, what about the Merry-Go-Round phobia that STRANGERS ON A TRAIN must have induced nation-wide?? To say nothing of the Tunnel of Love. I'd be interested in finding out if amusement parks throughout the country experienced a significant falling off in the early 1950s. Of course, if they all started flocking to the theaters, that'd hardly be a bad thing for Alfred Hitchcock.
Suspending one's disbelief is something of a must to fully enjoy many--if not most--of the Master's films. A writer of no less stature than Raymond Chandler reportedly quit his post as scriptwriter for this project, saying that the plot was just too implausible. But in point of fact, the internal logic of the film is quite tight. No, "criss-cross" murder plots don't occur every day, let alone ones that exist primarily in the mind of a single, individual. And that's just it (mild SPOILER ALERT for first time viewers--not that it's a real surprise), the movie is really about one man's utterly delusional state of mind.
That man, one Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) seems at first blush to be nothing more than a fairly typical ne'er-do-well son of a wealthy father. Like the stranger Bruno meets on the train--tennis pro and aspiring politician, Guy Haines--the viewer may at first find Bruno a tad seductive (the homoerotic tension between the two men has often been commented upon) and perhaps a bit dangerous, but while his murderous bent is clear (and suggestive of what's to come), the full extent of his insanity is only hinted at here. A darkly comic scene between the diabolical son and his dotty, doting mother (the delightfully daffy Marion Lorne)offers clear evidence that his problems go way beyond youthful excess and alcohol abuse. Even after his murderous tendencies are realized, we are surprised by the extent of his madness. The fantasies of "tapping of the life force" and "flowers on Mars," revealed only later, provide us with definitive proof, if we needed it, that the man is beyond good and evil: he is completely and utterly insane.
Being caught up in another person's madness is a terrifying notion. Hitchcock's oeuvre consists, to a great extent, of innocent individuals caught up in the mysterious machinations of dark, outside forces (NORTH BY NORTHWEST, being but one example). It's a tough call to say which is worse, being caught up in a web spun by diabolical political forces or to be ensnared in one spun by the sick logic of a truly insane plotter. On the face of it, I'd have to say the latter. Real life, "everyday" people DO sometimes cross paths with sociopaths. Less likely is the prospect of becoming entangled with foreign agents. (Although I guess some current "terrorist scenarios" would have elements of both.)
Casting Farley Granger as the innocent man caught up in this madman's plot was a pretty clever stroke of intertextual genius on Hitchcock's part. Having previously cast Granger as the more delicate and guilt-ridden of the two "joy-murderers" in his 1948 ROPE, Hitchcock now has his young protagonist dismissing the proposed "criss-cross" murder plot out of hand. "It's illegal!" he utters--as though that would mean anything to Walker's character, and indeed it does not as Bruno interprets Guy's polite banter upon their parting as implicit consent to his scheme.
One could write a dissertation on all of Hitchcock's clever touches. His wit and visual style make for many an enjoyable moment. But all that would count for naught if he did not have a compelling story to tell. He certainly has that in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN.
DVD Review: Hitchcock and Highsmith, A Perfect Couple
Summary: 5 Stars
"Strangers on a Train" is a Hitchcock classic suspense thriller based upon Patricia Highsmith's first novel published in 1950. Viewing it today the acting seems stilted, mannered and lacking in naturalism. The filming is full of clever tricks including an initial shot of Hitch himself wrestling a bass fiddle onto a railroad car.
Robert Walker, though hammy, as deranged Bruno seems more convincing than Farley Granger's Guy, the famous tennis player. Marian Lorne as Bruno's befuddled mother is a delight. The opening of the screenplay by Raymond Chandler seems cleverer than the rather clunky opening of the novel.
Walker refers to the swapping of murders as crisscross. The way Walker stalks Miriam (Guy's wife) in the carnival grounds is done cleverly though not realistically.
There is an old-fashioned melodramatic feel to the movie. Hitchcock uses some of his typical cinematic devices. He has the camera zoom in on Bruno's tie-pin the way Ann (Guy's girlfriend, Ruth Roman) sees it. Frequently the camera zooms in on Guy's lighter. The lighter in the sewer scene is absorbing. Often Hitchcock telegraphs ideas in this manner. The reaction shots of the actors often seem simplistic and over the top.
The plot thickens when Ann's sister wearing glasses, looking like Miriam, triggers Bruno into almost strangling a woman at a party. Hitchcock tried to get to the psychology of his characters, and used camera techniques to enter their minds. When Ann suspects Bruno of a murder, she says to Guy, "How did you get him to do it?"
Though the Forest Hills tennis match seems way too drawn out, the merry-go-round scene at the end is exciting and done in a Hitchcock style, objects moving at very high speed, an out-of-control cinematic universe.
Movie fans should enjoy this black and white thriller, and it's well worth revisiting.
DVD Review: Still A Memorable Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Even though some unrealistic things happen at the end (i.e. a cop shooting a gun into a crowded merry-go-round where any number of innocent could be killed), this still was an intense, enjoyable thriller, one of Alfred Hitchcock's better films.
Robert Walker is excellent as the chilling nutcase, really convincing giving a fascinating performance that is almost too creepy at times. His co-star in here, Farley Granger, is okay but is no match for Walker, either in acting or in the characters they play.
It's the typical Hitchcock film with some strange camera angles, immoral themes, innocent man gets in trouble, etc. Unlike a lot of his other films, I thought this one was a fast-moving story with a very few dull spots.
Also of note: the DVD has both the British and American versions and there were some differences in the story. This is a classic film that is still referred to in modern-day films, even comedies such as "Throw Momma Off The Train."
DVD Review: Never buy from DVD Legacy
Summary: 1 Stars
DVD Legacy never sends you your product!!! There is no way to get in touch with them because they don't even have a real website. It's been over a month and I still haven't received my movie. And now there isn't a way to be refunded. Terrible serviceDVD Review: For Hitchcock fans only
Summary: 3 Stars
Hitchcock fans and there are many, will revere this film. I like a lot of his films but this isn't one of them and I'm not influenced by his grand reputation enough to change my opinion.
I found the plot to be so ridiculous that it failed to engage my interest at all. If you don't believe in the plot you can't get drawn into the suspense and suspense is what Hitchcock is all about. Some other reviewers gave some information about the novel by Patricia Highsmith, from which this is taken, which explains a lot. She wrote the novels from which the Amazing Mr.Ripley films were taken. Apparently in the novel, the relationship between Guy and Bruno is more overtly homoerotic than in the film. It made no sense to me, in the film, that Guy, (Granger) would have been so weak as to let himself be drawn into the insane clutches of Brunto (Walker. I guess a lot of this is made more plausible in the book. Also, the ending is different.
Anyway, I found the film, as it stands to be implausible and tedious. The performance of Robert Walker as the psycho killer is interesting in the way that creepy characters often are, but ultimately I just didn't care about any of them. The only reason I give it any stars at all is for the very handsome young Farley Granger, whose good looks kept me watching till the final, ridiculous ending. Ruth Roman has about as much personality and charm as a stone; she had one expression for all occasions. The only interesting player was Patricia Hitchcock, as the peppy little sister. All the others were stock characters--ditzy old society matrons, their stuffy rich husbands, etc.
If you're just looking for an enjoyable film, look elsewhere.
Description of Strangers on a Train (Two-Disc Special Edition)
En route from Washington, D.C., champion tennis player Guy Haines (Farley Granger) meets pushy playboy Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). What begins as a chance encounter turns into a series of morbid confrontations, as Bruno manipulates his way into Guy's life. Bruno is eager to kill his father and knows Guy wants to marry a senator's daughter (Ruth Roman) but can't get a divorce from his wife. So Bruno suggests the men swap murders, which would leave no traceable clues or possible motives. Though Guy refuses, it won't be easy to rid himself of the psychopathic Bruno. Hitchcock's daughter Patricia appears in this film. The extra features included on the DVD are: Alternate 'preview' version of the film; Commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich, Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stephano, Strangers on a Train author Patricia Highsmith and biographer Andrew Wilson; New making-of documentary Strangers on a Train: A Hitchcock Classic, with Farley Granger, film historian Richard Schickel, Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell and other Hitchcock family members and colleagues recalling the making of this suspense landmark; Three intriguing featurettes: The Hitchcocks on Hitch, Strangers on a Train: The Victim's P.O.V., Strangers on a Train by M. Night Shyamalan; Alfred Hitchcock's Historical Meeting, a vintage newsreel.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. It's not just a ripping-good thriller but a film student's delight and a perversely enjoyable battle of wits between tennis pro Guy (Farley Granger) and his mysterious, sycophantic admirer, Bruno (Robert Walker), who proposes a "criss-cross" scheme of traded murders. Bruno agrees to kill Guy's unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will (or so it seems) kill Bruno's spiteful father. 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. Strangers on a Train remains one of Hitchcock's crowning achievements and a suspenseful classic that never loses its capacity to thrill and delight. --Jeff Shannon
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