A Hitchcock classic: Strangers on a Train

When you get on a train or a plane do you chat with the person near you? Maybe you do or maybe you bury your nose in a book. And what happens if the person starts talking to you? You’re probably polite, but a little standoffish. And what would you think if the person suggested that you had somebody you wanted dead and so did he, so why not switch and murder each others’? Well, nowadays you’d think he was psycho. But back in the 50’s I guess people weren’t as paranoid, because this is the story of Guy Haines (Farley Granger) in Strangers on a Train.

The Plot

Guy Haines is a well-known tennis player who is married to a, hmm, how to put this nicely… a woman who is not very faithful. He’s been seeing a senator’s daughter, Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), and has fallen in love with her. One day, on his way to a tournament, he gets on the train and runs into Bruno Antony (Robert Walker), a man he’s never seen or met before. Bruno asks innocuously, “Aren’t you Guy Haines?” And a strange, twisted tale begins. Bruno, a very talkative fellow, has many theories on life and is very interested in Guy (the subtle homoerotic undertones in the first scene aren’t the key to the whole story but put a strange, uncomfortable twist on it). Bruno seems to know all about him: seems to know that Guy would like to marry Anne, seems to know his wife is an obstacle to that. And while bantering over dinner in Bruno’s compartment, Bruno talks about how much he hates his father.

One of Bruno’s theories is the idea that if two people met on a train, each with somebody that they would like to kill, they could kill the other’s target and not have any connection to each other. In this way they could get away with it and still get what they want. “Hahahaha, right!” Guy says jokingly. He obviously doesn’t take Bruno seriously. But he should, because Bruno now thinks they’ve made a pact and is determined to see it through.

That’s as far as the summary goes because, as with all Hitchcock, telling anything more than the first 20 minutes would take away from the experience of watching it. Suffice it to say the story is exciting and interesting, and filled with suspense.

The Actors

Bravo to Robert Walker for his role as the very disturbed Bruno. He is masterfully scary but not in any way you can put your finger on. You just sit watching him and sort of squirm in your seat because he looks so normal but is definitely off in a big way.

Also, Farley Granger and Ruth Roman do a great job as the lead couple. Granger is sometimes smart, sometimes scared, and a very likable attractive guy. And I love Ruth Roman’s character because she is quick as a whip. It’s always nice to see smart women, especially in old movies.

There are also a few great supporting roles, my favorite being Patricia Hitchcock (yes, Alfred’s daughter) as Anne’s sister, Barbara. She’s really funny and also quite smart, and she adds a nice lightness to most of the scenes she’s in.

The Direction

Alfred Hitchcock can pretty much do no wrong. While I’ve like a couple of other films better than this (North by Northwest, Rebecca, and Vertigo come to mind), this is truly suspenseful and the direction is fantastic. There are some amazing shots and the black and white film adds something to the dark tale being told. I particularly like Hitchcock’s use of twists and turns in story. The one thing I expect when watching a Hitchcock film is that I’ll never be able to predict what will happen. This film is no exception. I almost ripped my couch pillow apart when the exciting parts came along!

The DVD

I saw this movie on DVD format and one of the best things about the DVD is the fact that it has two versions, the American and the British. The British version only has three differences, but they’re interesting to observe (I don’t want to describe them because it might be spoilers). Another cool DVD feature is the newsreel-style trailers for several of Hitchcock’s movies. It’s neat to watch the old fashioned advertisements for the master of suspense. Finally, there’s a Hitchcock newsreel segment and a bunch of production notes about the movie.

See this movie!

So Strangers on a Train is a great movie and you should see it! If you’re still new to old films (heehee) there’s probably a few recommendations I could think of before listing this, but if you’re a fan of Hitchcock and have not yet seen this movie, make sure you do. And watch out for the creepy guy on the train!