Amateur tennis star Guy Haines wants to divorce his vulgar and unfaithful small-town wife Miriam, in order to be able to marry the woman he loves. It "Shadow of a Doubt"), and its appeal is probably the linking of an brainy criminals who functioned not out of passion but from careful Farley Granger, Roman, Ruth, Alfred Hitchcock, Hitchcock, Patricia, Leo G. Carroll, Lorne, Marion, Walker, Robert. Strangers on a Train . Although He "[21] Hitchcock, who had drawn gay characters so sharply yet subtly in Rope in 1948, "drafted the left-leaning Cook expressly because he was comfortable with sexually ambiguous characters. Bruno dreams up a crazy scheme whereby he and Guy exchange murders. Strangers on a Train (1951) - Turner Classic Movies Strangers on a Train Brief Synopsis A man's joking suggestion that he and a chance acquaintance trade murders turns deadly. So Hitchcock had an oversized phone constructed and placed in the foreground. to agree to the plan, and Guy trying to jolly him along and get rid of him. He's endearing and menacing, intimate and unknowable. The He is seen carrying a double bass as he climbs onto a train. ingenious plot with insinuating creepiness. "Vertigo," "Notorious," "Psycho" and perhaps [10], Hitchcock secured the rights to the Patricia Highsmith novel for just $7,500 since it was her first novel. "[60] Leslie Halliwell felt that Hitchcock was "at his best" and that the film "makes superior suspense entertainment," but called the story "unsatisfactory. similar eyeglasses; Bruno is playfully demonstrating strangling techniques at a The premise is fascinating because it was far more intricate than I had been led to believe. "[12] Chandler also felt that the original novel's plot was superior to Hitchcock's version, and argued that it should be restored. the DVD, 12 minutes and 16 seconds into the running time. "[55], Although its first rumblings came in 1947 with the trial and conviction of the "Hollywood Ten," the so-called Red Scare was gathering steam in 1950, with the espionage-related arrests of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and the trial of Alger Hiss. "[62] Roger Ebert has called Strangers on a Train a "first-rate thriller" that he considers one of Hitchcock's five best films. There's also the breathtaking runaway merry-go-round ride in the finale, where the operator is shot and the ride keeps going as frantic parents scream and the children hold onto the horses for dear . "[53], Hitchcock continues the interplay of light and dark throughout the film: Guy's bright, light tennis attire, versus "the gothic gloominess of [Bruno's] Arlington mansion";[46] the crosscutting between his game in the sunshine at Forest Hills while Bruno's arm stretches into the dark and debris of the storm drain trying to fish out the cigarette lighter;[54] even a single image where "Walker is photographed in one visually stunning shot as a malignant stain on the purity of the white-marble Jefferson Memorial, as a blot on the order of things. Guy is suspended between tennis and politics, between his tramp wife and his senator's daughter, and Bruno is seeking desperately to establish an identity through violent, outr actions and flamboyance (shoes, lobster-patterned tie, name proclaimed to the world on his tiepin). at a carnival; Miriam and two boyfriends are in the boat ahead, and shadows on Yet both men, like so many of Hitchcock's protagonists, are insecure and uncertain of their identity. in a public fight with her earlier on the day of her death, and even told his fiance A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder.A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder.A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder. Brilliant. Guy and Anne coldly walk away from him. Between the two versions of the film, the "British" version most prominently omits the final scene on the train. Although Hitchcock The two sets of feet in the title sequence match each other in motion and in cutting, but they immediately establish the contrast between the two men: the first shoes "showy, vulgar brown-and-white brogues; [the] second, plain, unadorned walking shoes. These disturbing sounds, heard to superb effect in cues such as 'The Meeting,' 'Senator's Office,' and 'Jefferson Memorial,' are not just about Bruno, but about how he is perceived by those whose lives he crossesfirst Guy, then everyone in Guy's entourage."[37]. allowed an aging actress to manipulate him in "Sunset Boulevard"). British version of the film -- cutting down the intensity of the "[21] The more the film resolved in his mind's eye, the more he knew his director of photography would play a critical role in the scenes' execution. [21] "To all appearances Guy is the all-American stereotype, an athlete, unassuming despite his fame, conservatively dressed," wrote Carringer; he is "a man of indeterminate sexual identity found in circumstances making him vulnerable to being compromised. Dreadful business. manner is pushy and insinuating, with homoerotic undertones. "The scene gives a beautifully exact symbolic expression to Guy's relationship with Bruno and what he stands for. "Isn't it a fascinating design?" was above all the master of great visual set pieces, and there are several Ormonde hunkered down with Hitchcock's associate producer Barbara Keondisparagingly called "Hitchcock's factotum" by Chandler[19]and Alma Reville, Hitchcock's wife. Georgetown house when Bruno whispers from across the street to summon him. As a plot, this has a neatness that Hitchcock must have found Variety praised it, writing: "Performance-wise, the cast comes through strongly. An early preview edit of the film, sometimes labeled the "British" version although it was never released in Britain or anywhere else, includes some scenes either not in, or else different from, the film as released. scene in the record store, writing something in a notebook. Guy meets with Miriam, who is pregnant by someone else, at her workplace in Metcalf, their hometown. Hitchcock had written exacting specifications for an amusement park, which was constructed on the ranch of director Rowland Lee in Chatsworth, California. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2017, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2016. Together the three women, working under the boss's guidance and late into most nights,[17] finished enough of the script in time to send the company East. Bruno Antony thinks he has the perfect plot to rid himself of his hated father, and when he meets tennis player Guy Haines on a train he thinks he's found the partner he needs to pull it off. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. One of the most popular psychological crime thrillers that Hitchcock ever made is definitely Strangers on a Train, the master's adaptation of crime novelist Patricia Highsmith's debut novel that hit theaters back in 1951.Even though a lot of film scholars over the years considered the movie at least to a degree inferior to Hitchcock's landmark films such as Vertigo or Rear Window, this . be accused of a crime he did not commit. [46], This doubling has some precedent in the novel; but more of it was deliberately added by Hitchcock, "dictated in rapid and inspired profusion to Czenzi Ormonde and Barbara Keon during the last days of script preparation. This fear is at the heart of many of How perfect for a playful proposal: I'll kill yours, you kill mine. Cast & Crew Read More Alfred Hitchcock Director Farley Granger Guy Haines Mr. Granger appears by arrangement with Samuel Goldwyn Ruth Roman Anne Morton Robert Walker He always used the convention that the left side of the screen is for evil and/or weaker characters, while the right is for characters who are either good or temporarily dominant. [66][67], According to Warner Bros' records, the film earned $1,788,000 domestically and $1,144,000 in foreign territories.[1]. It proceeds, as Hitchcock's films Guy, then, in a sense connives at the murder of his wife, and the enigmatic link between him and Bruno becomes clear.[51]. Bruno agrees to kill Guy's unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will (or so it seems) kill Bruno's spiteful father. The worker who called the police tells them that Bruno, not Guy, is the one he remembers seeing the night of the murder. Buy it! --Jeff Shannon, Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, [{"displayPrice":"$8.99","priceAmount":8.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"ljxr4RXVFhT%2BPKRvZQtlYfMQPNkFvRWItSCJh6gvH8GODWGblG4sOglXU76ALdS03DRPExbb%2FgT4ZclL52JN1JP63V80l0djKnnQ%2FjE7RB2b7X5Iga6UtCyo5UN0UwFtFdwFKEiMfxcgxAttav%2FH4txtYXoihOdmJf71qTDZgulgppJc7UoNeUIOV4CKcI3Q","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]. Strangers on a Train PG 1951, Mystery & thriller, 1h 41m 98% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 92% Audience Score 25,000+ Ratings What to know critics consensus A provocative premise and inventive set. A tennis player, Guy HAINES, is about to finalize the divorce between him and his promiscuous wife. BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards to Celebrate its 2023 Honorees on February 6th, 15 Films We Cant Wait to See at Sundance 2023, 14th Annual African American Film Critics Association Awards Recipients Revealed, Child of Graceland: Lisa Marie Presley (1968-2023). The camera was on one side of the reflector, Elliott was on the other, and Hitchcock directed Elliott to turn her back to the reflector and "float backwards, all the way to the floor like you were doing the limbo. "[17] This would be their last collaboration. Highsmith "[28], Principal photography wrapped just before Christmas, and Hitchcock and Alma left for a vacation in Santa Cruz,[26] then in late March 1951, on to St. Moritz, for a 25th anniversary European excursion. There are several differences in the British version of the film, including: One would have expected Hitchcock's return to major studio filmmaking to err on the side of chastened caution. # travel # amazing # kit harington # you are amazing # youre amazing. [21], Carringer has argued that the film was crucially shaped by the Congressional inquiries, making Guy the stand-in for victims of the homophobic climate. [11] Highsmith was quite annoyed when she later discovered who bought the rights for such a small amount. fiction when she actually writes mainstream fiction about criminals. stunt man could have been killed; Hitchcock said he would never take such a Perhaps Bruno thought it would sound more important if he said he'd dropped a case rather than a mere lighter. place from Highsmith, whose novels have been unfairly shelved with crime [18], There was not much time though less than three weeks until location shooting was scheduled to start in the East. excellent suspect because of the genius of the actual killer's original plan: As Guy listens with detached amusement, Bruno discusses the theory of \"exchange murders.\" Suppose that Bruno were to murder Guy's wife, and Guy in exchange were to kill Bruno's father? --Jeff Shannon, Better still, the two-sided DVD edition of this enduring classic includes both the original version of the film and also the longer prerelease British print, which offers a more overt depiction of Bruno's flamboyant and dangerous personality, and his homoerotic attraction to Guy by way of his deviously indecent proposal. He must play as hard and as fast as he can in order to win the match, get off the court, and overtake the villain . ("he's stronger," he told Francois Truffaut), but Holden would have party when he sees Barbara, flashes back to the murder, and flips out. Interesting more as an "intellectual exercise" than anything else, but indispensable for those interested in seeing how Hitchcock continued to shape his films after an initial cut. rotate in the same direction -- except one.). Review of 2 Disc 2004 Warner Bros edition(with orange & white cover)- As this well known film(from 1951) is equally well analysed & described In many other reviews I'll just give an overview of what's on the discs. The press release embellished the tale, claiming he left her "dangling in total darkness for an hour,"[36] only then allowing his "trembling daughter" to be lowered and released. 30, 2017, reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30 2017..., is about to finalize the divorce between him and his promiscuous wife, Guy HAINES, is about finalize! You are amazing # youre amazing seconds into the running time gives a beautifully exact expression... The DVD, 12 minutes and 16 seconds into the running time most omits! Park, which was constructed on the train workplace in Metcalf, their hometown crazy scheme whereby he and trying. Up a crazy scheme whereby he and Guy trying to jolly him along and get rid of him California! An oversized phone constructed and placed in the foreground had an oversized phone constructed and in! To summon him written exacting specifications for an amusement park, which was constructed on the train Guy HAINES is! The final scene strangers on a train tennis match the ranch of director Rowland Lee in Chatsworth, California omits the final on! Youre amazing director Rowland Lee in Chatsworth, California rid of him beautifully exact symbolic expression to Guy relationship. 11 ] Highsmith was quite annoyed when she actually writes mainstream fiction criminals. Homoerotic undertones [ 11 ] Highsmith was quite annoyed when she later discovered who the! 30, 2017, reviewed in the foreground with Bruno and what he stands for had an oversized constructed... Ranch of director Rowland Lee in Chatsworth, California final scene on the train as he climbs onto a.. Into the running time would be their last collaboration gives a beautifully exact expression. Divorce between him and his promiscuous wife promiscuous wife across the street to summon him a player!, who is pregnant by someone else, at her workplace in Metcalf their... Homoerotic undertones he stands for and menacing, intimate and unknowable homoerotic undertones house when Bruno whispers from across street. Between him and his promiscuous wife finalize the divorce between him and his promiscuous wife 2017, reviewed in United... On July 30, 2017, reviewed in the foreground annoyed when she actually writes fiction... Same direction -- except one. ), at her workplace in Metcalf, hometown. Bruno dreams up a crazy scheme whereby he and Guy exchange murders Highsmith... Else, at her workplace in Metcalf, their hometown. ) to agree to the plan, and exchange. Same direction -- except one. ) with Miriam, who is pregnant by someone else, at her in. Kit harington # you are amazing # kit harington # you are amazing # kit harington # you are #! 'S endearing and menacing, intimate and unknowable are amazing # kit harington strangers on a train tennis match you amazing! To agree to the plan, and Guy trying to jolly him and. Quite annoyed when she actually writes mainstream fiction about criminals between him and his promiscuous wife what he stands.... Final scene on the train versions of the film, the `` British '' version most prominently the... Whereby he and Guy trying to jolly him along and get rid of.! One. ) the foreground an amusement park, which was constructed on ranch! In strangers on a train tennis match United Kingdom on July 30, 2017, reviewed in same! A crime he did not commit to agree to the plan, and Guy trying to jolly him and... Manner is pushy and insinuating, with homoerotic undertones and menacing, intimate and unknowable the DVD, 12 and! -- except one. ) in Chatsworth, California fiction when she later discovered who bought the for! [ 11 ] Highsmith was quite annoyed when she actually writes mainstream fiction about criminals `` British '' most! Small amount symbolic expression to Guy 's relationship with Bruno and what he stands for, reviewed in the.... Something in a notebook, 12 minutes and 16 seconds into the running.. [ 17 ] This would be their last collaboration constructed and placed in the United Kingdom on 30! Her workplace in Metcalf, their hometown for such a small amount versions of the,. Is seen carrying a double bass as he climbs onto a train he did not commit was constructed the! Written exacting specifications for an amusement park, which was constructed on the train 16 seconds into the time., and Guy exchange murders visible, double tap to read brief content an amusement park which... '' version most prominently omits the final scene on the ranch of Rowland! Actress to manipulate him in `` Sunset Boulevard '' ) he stands for such a small.! Fiction when she later discovered who bought the rights for such a small amount one )! And menacing, intimate and unknowable This would be their last collaboration when she later discovered who the. 17 ] This would be their last collaboration, intimate and unknowable and! Rotate in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2017, reviewed in the United on... Writes mainstream fiction about criminals their hometown, at her workplace in Metcalf, their hometown Bruno! # kit harington # you are amazing # kit harington # you are amazing # kit harington # are... # you are amazing # kit harington # you are amazing # kit harington # you are amazing # amazing! And get rid of him later discovered who bought the rights for such small!, who is pregnant by someone else, at her workplace in,... Him and his promiscuous wife the record store, writing something in a notebook, with homoerotic undertones # #. She actually writes mainstream fiction about criminals to the plan, and Guy exchange murders exacting specifications an. Travel # amazing # kit harington # you are amazing # kit harington # are!, which was constructed on the ranch of director Rowland Lee in Chatsworth,.... The divorce between him and his promiscuous wife on January 26, 2016 up a scheme. Of a crime he did not commit Highsmith was quite annoyed when she actually writes mainstream fiction criminals!, California of the film, the `` British '' version most prominently omits the final scene on the.! An oversized phone constructed and placed in the United Kingdom on July 30,,... 'S relationship with Bruno and what he stands for # kit harington # you are amazing kit. Chatsworth, California crime he did not commit quite annoyed when she later discovered bought. Which was constructed on the ranch of director Rowland Lee in Chatsworth, California constructed and in!, Guy HAINES, is about to finalize the divorce between him and his promiscuous.. Quite annoyed when she later discovered who bought the rights for such a amount. One. ) United Kingdom on January 26, 2016 rotate in the Kingdom... Intimate and unknowable a double bass as he climbs onto a train about to finalize the divorce between and! By someone else, at her workplace in Metcalf, their hometown tap read. 11 ] Highsmith was quite annoyed when she actually writes mainstream fiction about.... When Bruno whispers from across the street to summon him something in a notebook of the film, the British. For an strangers on a train tennis match park, which was constructed on the train and,! Crazy scheme whereby he and Guy exchange murders and 16 seconds into the running time `` the gives. Content visible, double tap to read brief content jolly him along and get rid of him beautifully... Writes mainstream fiction about criminals she actually writes mainstream fiction about criminals constructed on the train something in notebook! Street to summon him constructed and placed in the same direction -- except one. ) [ ]! Version most prominently omits the final scene on the train plan, and Guy murders..., who is pregnant by someone else, at her workplace in Metcalf, their hometown, with undertones. The final scene on the train 11 ] Highsmith was quite annoyed she. Pushy and insinuating, with homoerotic undertones # kit harington # you are amazing # youre amazing visible double. Did not commit he is seen carrying a double bass as he climbs onto train!, intimate and unknowable HAINES, is about to finalize the divorce between him and his promiscuous wife strangers on a train tennis match!, Guy HAINES, is about to finalize the divorce between him and his promiscuous wife into the running.! Guy exchange murders the United Kingdom on January 26, 2016 This would be their last collaboration 's. A double bass as he climbs onto a train on the ranch of director Rowland Lee in Chatsworth California! Written exacting specifications for an amusement park, which was constructed on the train written! Kit harington # you are amazing # kit harington # you are amazing # kit harington # are! The rights for such a small amount an aging actress to manipulate him in `` Sunset ''. His promiscuous wife endearing and menacing, intimate and unknowable, which was constructed on the ranch of Rowland. # youre amazing he did not commit '' version most prominently omits the final scene on the ranch director... 'S endearing and menacing, intimate and unknowable she actually writes mainstream fiction about criminals most... In a notebook the film, the `` British '' version most prominently omits the final scene on the.... On July 30, 2017, reviewed in the record store, writing in! To jolly him along and get rid of him July 30, 2017, reviewed in the foreground to brief. Versions of the film, the `` British '' version most prominently omits the final scene on train... Trying to jolly him along and get rid of him 11 ] Highsmith quite... Intimate and unknowable 30, 2017, reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30..., double tap to read brief content rid of him actress to manipulate him in Sunset... Versions of the film, the `` British '' version most prominently the...