The Stranger (1946)
Starring: Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young
Writers: Anthony Veiller, Victor Trivas, Decla Dunning
Director: Orson Welles
Synopsis:
Edward G. Robinson stars as Wilson, a
government agent who tracks down a high-ranking Nazi officer who has
managed to craft a new identity for himself in a quaint Connecticut
town, marrying the daughter of a local judge.
Review:
This new Kino Classics release is my
first outing with Orson Welles' postwar thriller, The Stranger, and
I'm pretty taken back by how masterful it is on so many levels. The
story itself is really edge-of-your-seat stuff. A Nazi criminal
-responsible for the most heinous of crimes- taking up a job as a
school teacher in a picture postcard type town and just masking
himself from his past is nothing short of creepy. Imagine ultimately
discovering that you were in contact with someone behind so much
death... had a drink with him, went to a party with him, shook his
hand. It would make me feel filthy.
The Stranger is great from a filmmaking
standpoint, and the sets -which many were shot on a sound stage- are
pretty believable... especially the town itself. The film opens with
sequences being hidden in shadows, and they are beautifully
captured moments. They kind of reminded me of the story itself, the
whole “awful man hiding in plain sight” and whatnot. I really
enjoy all the low and high angle shots that seemingly battle
themselves, and there's plenty of amazing long, tracking scenes with incredible crane work.
The acting is seriously on point here.
Orson Welles as the incognito Nazi, Professor Charles Rankin (aka
Franz Kindler), is mind blowing, so much so that sometimes you
actually feel that the character is satisfied with living an honest
life... even if deep down you know he isn't. Edward G. Robinson as Mr.
Wilson, a United States War Times Commission detective, gives a
fantastic parallel to Welles' performance. Their first interaction
takes place over a dinner scene after Rankin and his wife return to
town after their honeymoon. The indication that Mr. Wilson reads
through Rankin's words and knows something is off is truly fantastic
stuff, from both of the actors. Also, Loretta Young, Rankin's wife,
cannot be discredited in her performance, either. She's amazing in
the last act of the film, really from the point where she starts
hearing that she may be married to a man who isn't what he seems to
be. There's some solid supporting roles in The
Stranger, as well.
Final Word:
Normally when I watch classic films, I
admittedly tend to stay within the realm of Horror and Sci-Fi; that's
just what I am most comfortable with. That being said, I'm glad to be
familiarizing myself with a thriller such as The Stranger. It's a
seriously good feature, from the score, to the setting, the
performances, and everything beyond. Recommended.
Blu-Ray:
Kino Classics Blu-ray release of The Stranger is mastered in HD from archival 35mm elements preserved by the library of congress, with a 2.0 audio presentation. I've heard that past releases and TV broadcasts of this film were quite bad. Well, I'm here to say that this particular release looks pretty gorgeous and the sound is nice and ranged for a 2.0 track. Some shots look better than others, but for the most part this is a satisfying presentation. I imagine fans of the film, rather than someone like me who just took in his first viewing, will be more than pleased.
Special Features
Death Mills - Informational film on Nazi death camps. Definitely informational, but at many times is a pretty hard watch and even straight up head turning in a few instances. Grim stuff.
Welles Wartime Radio Broadcasts - Alameda, Brazil, War Workers, and Bikini Atomic Test
Trailers - The Stranger, White Zombie, Night Tide
Gallery - Includes Posters and Black & White Publicity Stills
Audio Commentary with filmmaker and historian Bret Wood, author of Orson Welles: A Bio-Bibliography - I particularly love audio commentaries with film historians. They always give you a huge amount of information and it's usually obvious that they love their craft. Wood is a talking encyclopedia of knowledge here. He talks about the sets, and symbolism behind how some of the scenes were filmed; things I never would have thought of on my own. Well worth a listen.
Final Word:
As mentioned, a fan of The Stranger is really going to want this Kino Classics release in their collection. It's an absolutely fantastic Blu-ray.
Available on DVD and Blu-ray directly from Kino HERE
Available on Blu-ray from Amazon HERE
- Eric (Brobocop)
