Bill Slocum

(2012-04-25 12:33:25)

Nazis In The Belfry

The reason people talk about "The Stranger" 60 years later is becauseit was Orson Welles' first directorial effort after he was evicted fromthe Mercury Theater cocoon which gave us "Citizen Kane" as well as itsworthy follow-ups "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "It's All True." Thereason "The Stranger" is worth talking about is because it features oneof the greatest performances by that criminally-ignored actor, EdwardG. Robinson.Robinson plays Mr. Wilson, an anti-Nazi hot on the trail of awar-crimes-tribunal escapee Wilson hopes will lead him to FranzKindler, architect of the Final Solution. Kindler, we quickly discover,has set himself up as a history teacher, Mr. Rankin, at a Connecticutprep school. There he is about to marry Mary Longstreet, the daughterof a U.S. Supreme Court justice, "a liberal," Kindler relates withchilling amusement.As Kindler, Welles gives a weak performance. There's a scene where hechews on more than his dinner as he gives himself away, by saying Marxwas not a German because he was a Jew. Actually, I'd say the jig was upwhen he revealed his novel notions of reconstruction. The scenesbetween him and Loretta Young, who plays his too-trusting bride, areuncomfortably clichéd.But Robinson is a marvel throughout the film. Of course, he is bestremembered for playing a gangster, but he shone playing good guys, too."Double Indemnity" is the best of them, though "Confessions Of A NaziSpy" is good, too, and somewhat to the point here as it featuresRobinson playing a role similar to "The Stranger," though at thebeginning of World War II rather than the end.Robinson's character here, Mr. Wilson, might in fact be "the stranger"of the title, though it seems to refer to Kindler. Frankly, Kindler maybe a Nazi bent on killing innocents, but Wilson is about as coldbloodeda character. From the beginning, he seems to be half-playing a gamewith the Nazi he is chasing, smoking his pipe and staring directly intothe eyes of his fearful prey. Perhaps the war crimes he has immersedhimself in investigating have stripped him of any human kindness. Theway he works on Mary's brother Noah and his father the judge isremarkable for Wilson's lack of humane concern, perhaps necessary, butstill bone-chilling. He's like that all the way to the end. Just thinkfor a moment about that final line he says to Mary, after all she'sjust been through. He's on the side of the angels, but Robinson turnsin one of his most devilish performances.There are nice scenes in and around the town of Harper, and I agreewith those viewers who see shades of "Shadow Of A Doubt" in itsdepiction of small-town life, even though that took place in Californiaand this is happening in Connecticut. Billy House as Mr. Potterdominates the scenes he is in with his amiable whimsy and the eyeshadehe dons when he's in the middle of a serious checkers game (quarterstakes).But "The Stranger" never really gels as a movie. Welles as director isstrangely ill at ease with Wells as star. Too many cow-eyed portentousstares, not enough subtle moments like that low-key moment with Mr.Potter when he pays for a soda after finding out Mr. Wilson's hot onhis trail. Young may have been a fine actress, but she doesn't get muchhelp from a script that serves up every frail female stereotype in thebook. Her every reaction seems more suited to soap opera.Yet there's more to like here than dislike. Take the satisfyingconclusion, where Kindler/Rankin has his moment of truth in the churchtower where he has been working on the clock. It's the one effectivescene between him and Mary, and very gripping. Welles was a giftedartist, but a superb craftsman, too, and if "The Stranger" offers moreevidence of the latter, who are we to quibble? Pleasant dreams…

kingdaddy8

(2012-04-25 01:44:40)

Painfully disappointing.

You'd expect an Orson Welles movie to be better. Heck, you'd expectthat the subject matter, a major Nazi on the run, might inspire a goodscript. But it's the laughably improbable script that sucks TheStranger into the black hole of turkeydom. (How does the villain fit asquickly and smoothly into American society as we're supposed tobelieve? Isn't it a bit odd, at his own wedding, that none of hisfamily or friends show up as guests? After a certain point in the plot,why not just arrest him, rather than face screaming headlines, ESCAPEDNAZI MASTERMIND RUNS AMOK IN SUPREME COURT JUSTICE'S HOME TOWN?) Plus,the final scene is foreshadowed in such a thuddingly obvious way thatyou'll likely bust out laughing. Welles' own acting is bad, confined toraising his left eyebrow and staring distractedly away from whomever istalking to him. Skip it and watch The Third Man or A Touch of Evilagain instead.

whpratt1

(2012-04-22 02:14:39)

A Famous Classic Film!

Whenever Edward G. Robinson appeared in a picture and Orson Wellesdirected and starred, you could always count on a great film and thisparticular film will be enjoyed for many generations because of a greatplot and fantastic acting. Edward G. Robinson,(Mr. Wilson),"The RedHouse",'47 played the role of an investigator, looking for a man whocommitted horrible crimes during WW II and also a missing friend of hiswho recently visited this town. Mr. Wilson connects himself with thelocal town people and plays checkers with a man in town who knows justabout everything that goes on with everyone in an New England town.Loretta Young( Mary Longstreet Rankin),"Second Honeymoon",'37, falls inlove with Orson Welles,(Dr. Charles Rankin/FranzKindler),"Butterfly,",'82 and marries the doctor and all kinds ofstrange things start to happen. Dr. Rankin loves to fix all kinds ofclocks and especially a large church steeple clock which has not beenworking for many years. This story will keep you glued to the silverscreen and the ending is very exciting.

nateg

(2012-04-21 03:08:14)

odd that this isn't listed as study in noir

Although many classic Film Noir elements are missing, there are somefantastic ones present in The Stranger. I thoroughly enjoyed this Welles'film with its clever camera angles, good characterizations, and grippingstory. Probably a somewhat tired topic at the time, it is easy to observethe art in the movie from today's perspective.

Van Roberts

(2012-04-12 17:51:21)

Welles' Third Film Is A Corker!

Pipe-smoking Edward G. Robinson pursues an elusive Nazi war criminalplayed by Orson Welles in his third movie, "The Stranger," thetightly-knit, black & white, film noir thriller co-starring LorettaYoung, Richard Long, and Billy House as Mr. Potter. The technicalcredits are beyond reproach, especially Russell Metty's first-ratecinematography, Ernest Nims' evocative editing, and top-flightperformances by a uniformly superb cast. No, "The Stranger" isn't halfas good as "Touch of Evil," but "The Stranger" ranks as one of Welles'more palatable melodramas with intrigue and atmosphere galore. Anybodythat enjoys a gripping cat & mouse nail-biter should find themselveswrapped up in this edgy yarn. It helps considerably that the hero is arather ordinary fellow blessed with superior intuition that a cunning,cold-blooded villain challenges right up to his comeuppance. Robinson'smousy detective, Orson Welles' cornered Nazi war fugitive, and LorettaYoung's deceived wife who stands poised between them make this movieworth watching several times. According to the Internet Movie Database, "The Stranger" representedthe first Hollywood to show American audiences the infamous Naziconcentration camps. Furthermore, "The Stranger" remains Welles' onlyfilm to return a profit, and the lean, mean, no-nonsense pacingunderline the brilliant simplicity of this film. Welles appears at hisleast pretentious here, creating not only solid, three-dimensionalcharacters with his hero, heroine, and villain, but also conjuring upthe conservative mind-set in an entire community in a remote corner ofConnecticut, far removed from the outside world. You feel like you'rewatching a white-knuckled thriller in the setting of "It's A WonderfulLife." Ironically, for all its virtues, Welles had little complimentaryto say about "The Stranger." A tireless investigator, Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson of "LittleCaesar"), with the Allied War Crimes Commission, Department 12, findshimself at the end of his tether. Wilson has been hot on the trail of anotorious Nazi officer, Franz Kindler, who--in Wilson's words--evinced"the most brilliant of the Nazi minds" and conceived the theory ofgenocide, mass depopulation of conquered countries so that regardlessof who won the war, Germany would emerge the strongest in Europe,biologically speaking." Kindler disappeared after the war and destroyedall clues to his identity from Poland and Germany, and nobody has beenable to find him. Wilson convinces his reluctant colleagues to releasefrom prison convicted Nazi war criminal Konrad Meinike (KonstantinShayne) in hopes that the latter will lead Wilson to Kindler. Wilson isprepared to shoulder the burden of the blame if his plan backfires.Indeed, he is so committed that he smashes his pipe on a table to drivehis fanaticism home.Meinike believes that God performed a miracle so that he could escapefrom his captors and he sets out to find fellow Nazi Franz Kindler.Studio executives cut about 30 minutes of the film as Meinike searchesfor Kindler in South American. Welles took issue with their decision toeliminate this part, but in all fairness, they have accelerated thepace and bring the film to its setting in Harper, Connecticut wheremost of the action occurs. Sources say that producer Sam Siegelauthorized the deletion because that half-hour slowed down the action.Nevertheless, Meinike learns of Kindler's whereabouts when he obtainspicture postcard with the image of a church steeple. Presto, Wellesdissolves to the church in Connecticut and Meinike looks for HistoryProfessor Charles Rankin. Anyway, Meinike arrives in Harper and stasheshis suitcase at Mr. Potter's store. Although only a peripheralcharacter, Billy House's Mr. Potter makes quite an impression. Largely,it is the way that Potter runs his store. Potter remains seated whilehis customers serve themselves and then pay him. Occasionally, he luresWilson and Rankin separately in games of checkers, dons his visor, andbeats them for a quarter a game. Meinike visits Mary Longstreet(Loretta Young of "Ladies Courageous") in his search for Rankin. Themeeting between Meinike and Mary turns out to be crucial and Marydiscovers later on that not only her life but the life of her husbandhangs by the string of that encounter. She directs him to Rankin andthe two ex-Nazis meet his deep in the woods so that nobody can seethem. Rankin strangles Meinike and conceals the corpse. Not longafterward, the cold-blooded Rankin marries Mary Longstreet. Meanwhile,Wilson noses around Harper and poses as an antiques dealer. He meetsMary's father, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Adam Longstreet (PhilipMerivale of "Adventure") and receives an invitation to dinner oneevening. During the conversation, Rankin makes a comment thatincriminates him in Wilson's eyes. Rankin makes a disparagingobservation about Karl Marx that Wilson initially dismisses. Later,Rankin drives Mary's dog Red away from digging up the corpse. WhenRankin kicks Red, the film cuts to Wilson waking up to the realizationthat Rankin is Kindler. "Who but a Nazi would deny that Karl Marx was aGerman because he was a Jew? Earlier, Wilson was prepared to leaveHarper, deciding that Rankin was "above suspicion." Eventually,Meinike's body is found and Mary stands between her husband andjustice. The biggest flaw in "The Stranger" is how did Rankin arrive in Americaand acquire a job as a college teacher. Sometime John Hustoncollaborator Anthony Veiller penned the screenplay that leaves out someimportant information that occurred during the missing South Americascenes. For the most part, however, Veiller and other writers on "TheStranger" supply us with most of what we need to know. Veiller wrote"The Night of the Iguana," "The List of Adrien Messenger," "MoulinRouge" and "Beat the Devil" for Huston. Previously, Veiller hadcontributed his writing skills to Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series.Veiller's collaborator on "The Stranger" was German born Victor Trivaswho received an Oscar nomination for penning the original story thatVeiller rewrote as the screenplay.

ben_jm89

(2012-04-12 08:08:44)

Review for History of Cinema

as this was the first orson welles movie i was unsure what to expect, iwas amazed. first off i think the actors played their roles superbly,especially Orson Welles as Prof. Rankin, his eyes are always so creepyand suspicious. I also think that he combines a dramatic andsuspenseful feeling throughout the film. He likes to leave the audienceguessing. Not giving much backstory early on and then slipping it inlater on thus connecting some confusing aspects to the plot that havealready passed. In fact, you don't really find out what Rankin did as aNazi soldier until at least half way through the film. I think the film was meant to be a reassurance to Americans that anyNazis who had disguised themselves and gotten into the states was beingsearched for and punished for war crimes. With this message layingguidelines for the film a great, drama was created.

Jonny_Numb

(2012-03-27 20:58:06)

"dry noir"

While it contains some inventive visual flourishes and a broodingatmosphere bathed in shadow, "The Stranger" comes off as a rather dryexercise in film noir aesthetics. Orson Welles plays a Nazi warcriminal living in America, teaching at a prestigious college, andarranged to marry Loretta Young, daughter of a prominent politician. Ina great performance, Edward G. Robinson is the DC detective out to reinin Welles and his ilk. While the subject matter is rather daring forits time (the film was released in 1946), it is dated by today'sstandards, and the machinations of the plot putter along rigidly. Savefor some striking imagery, it's difficult to get worked up over "TheStranger"'s final outcome.

aimless-46

(2012-03-27 06:48:34)

Hitchcock Crossover Before and After

While not Welles best, "The Stranger" is entertaining and has a greatlook. What is most interesting is the crossover between Welles andHitchcock as much of both story and style are borrowed from "Sabotage".Hitchcock would later borrow original elements from "The Stranger" foruse in "Vertigo" - so apparently the two directors came out even.The nontechnical highlights of this film are the performances of EdwardG. Robinson and Loretta Young. Young is especially amazing, she playsSylvia Sidney's role from "Sabotage" and is literally and figurativelythe star-with more lines and screen time than Welles. Also entertainingis drug store owner "Mr. Potter" played by Billy House; who is alwaysready for a game of checkers which he plays wearing an eye shade whileshamelessly cheating.

glock38_110

(2012-03-22 22:44:16)

Deliciously campy performance from Welles makes this a must see.

"Hitchcockian" effort from Orson Welles in which a police detective,played by Edward G. Robinson, is on the hunt for a Nazi war criminal insmall town USA, played by Orson Welles. Stylish and suspenseful, Welles does a fine job behind the camera, heplays his character in an over the top "look at me I'm the bad guy!"manner, ham fisted in some scenes especially towards the end, hischaracter's final scene is both brutal and hilarious. A lesser work in his canon but a very good film nonetheless, highlyrecommended.8/10

(2012-03-22 19:59:58)

Well-paced thriller, atypical of Welles' style

The quality of this DVD is adequate: more watchable than the other Welles "Laserlight Classics," but nowhere near as sharp as, say, the recent DVD releases of "Citizen Kane" or "The Third Man." The bizarro Tony Curtis introduction is perhaps worth the price of admission alone! The bonus documentary is fairly perfunctory, but does contain some interesting and rarely seen trailers of Welles films.On to the movie itself: In a scenario reminiscient of (but far less effective than) Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt," Edward G. Robinson pursues the title character (Welles), who may or may not be an escaped Nazi, through a sleepy Connecticut town. Although "The Stranger" illustrates Welles' concerns that World War II did not spell the end of fascism, the film is by his own admission more of an attempt at profitable Hollywood product than an artistic statement. Despite this and the film's failure to live up to the inevitable comparison's with "Shadow of a Doubt," "The Stranger" remains a well-paced thriller, more enjoyable when considered apart from the rest of Welles' oeuvre. The trademark Welles style is evident in the South American prologue and the drugstore scenes, and the film achieves genuine suspense during the "paper chase" scene and the grand finale.

Snow Leopard

(2012-03-19 17:39:43)

Good Thriller With Welles, Robinson, & More

It's quite interesting to see two acting legends like Orson Welles andEdward G. Robinson working together, and with a cast that includesthose two plus Loretta Young, along with an interesting story, "TheStranger" is a pretty good thriller.Welles and Robinson play an interesting cat-and-mouse game in thesearch for a former Nazi who is hiding out in a peaceful Connecticuttown. It's fair to point out, as others have done, that the dialogue attimes leaves a little to be desired, but Welles and Robinson have morethan enough ability to carry it off anyway.Loretta Young has a difficult role as the wife of Welles's character.The script does her no favors, either, but she gives a creditableperformance as a character who is important to the story. Among thesupporting cast, Billy House particularly stands out, gettingsurprisingly good mileage out of his role as the store-keeper.Perhaps the most creative aspect of the movie is the effective use ofthe clock tower, both as a plot device and as an idea, along with therelated themes of clocks and time. The tense climax makes good use ofall of these elements.Welles and Robinson were both parts of so many outstanding movies thatsometimes their merely good movies can seem to suffer by comparison. Aslong as you don't try to compare "The Stranger" with some other film,but just watch it for itself, it's a good thriller and an entertainingmovie.

tnrcooper

(2012-03-18 23:09:10)

Superbly paced, well-plotted and directed Welles pic

This film has it all - good acting, great direction, a great plot, andWelles' technical wizardry. It's not one of Welle's more famous movieslike Ambersons or Kane or Touch of Evil but it's a great movie all thesame. It might have been a "B-movie" but there's nothing lower qualityabout this film. The only thing lower about it might have been thebudget because it was not made under the aegis of a studio. It is aWelles' film well-worth checking out.The film is about an escaped Nazi war criminal named Kindler (Welles)who is pursued by a War Crimes investigator named Wilson (Edward G.Robinson). Kindler was one of the planners of the Final Solution andeluded capture thanks to his aversion to publicity. He establishes agreat cover for himself by securing a professorship in a leafynortheastern college town but Wilson allows another Nazi, Meinike(Konstantin Shayn) to be released, believing that he will attempt tofind Kindler and will thereby bring Wilson to him. His hunch, not forthe first time, proves correct. Kindler's cover as a college professoris so convincing, however, that the town has no idea about his trueidentity until strange things start happening in Harper.The audience becomes aware of Kindler's true nature from the beginninghowever, and so the suspense comes in the form of the pace at which therest of the cast realizes it. The denouement is easily visible from thebeginning but it doesn't make its fulfillment any less rewardingbecause Welles allows the tension to build steadily. Wilson becomessuspicious of Kindler quite early and finally share's his suspicionsabout the danger in which Kindler's wife (Loretta Young as Mary) is into her brother, Noah (Richard Long). As Wilson becomes surer, he letsmore people close to Mary in on the secret but won't tell her until heis absolutely sure Kindler's capture is imminent in order that she notbe spooked. Welles slowly turns up the heat in this potboiler untilfinally the lid can't stay on anymore and it pops off. Such is thebuild-up and release of tension in this film.Edward Robinson is fantastic in his role as the determined, low-keydetective. He is so low-key Kindler never sees him coming and is sodogged that once he gets a hint, he won't stop pursuing it until itproves a dead-end or correct. Robinson makes him very easy to root for.Also excellent is Billy House as Mr. Potter, the local drug-store clerkwho is the clearinghouse for everything that happens in the small town.House makes him a little simple but charming enough that you might justspill enough beans that he can share with someone else and learnsomething important. Richard Long is very good as Noah, the innocentbut caring younger brother of Kindler's imperiled wife. Once Robinsonlets him in on his suspicions about Kindler, he respondscompassionately and judiciously. Welles is great as a truly dastardlycharacter whose evil Welles is able to convey with a serious demeanorand intensity. I found Loretta Young's performance overly melodramaticuntil she sinks her teeth into the final scene.Welles must get a lot of credit though for pacing the film just rightand allowing the tension to build to its zenith until the balloonbursts and the chips fall. His use of symbolism and his technicalvirtuosity are all over the film via cinematographic choices which onlyincrease the knuckle-clenching. I really highly recommend this film forits very good acting, direction, and plot.

Janos Smal

(2012-03-08 17:32:29)

The Stranger

A special commissioner intelligence arrives at a small Connecticut town tocatch a Nazi war criminal who lives there under a pseudonym, with a wifewhoknows nothing about his past.Unconvincing and highly artificial, if technically skillful and finelyactedsuspenser with attention to detail and sinister atmosphere, not to mentionsome typically effective touches from its director, notably the finalcliffhanging sequence at the church tower. Undermined by narrative flawsandthe impression that Welles wishes to do something else.

(2012-03-08 05:47:35)

Skip The Public Domain Versions: Get The MGM Disc!!!

This review is from: The Stranger (MGM Film Noir) (DVD) Orson Welles' THE STRANGER(1946) has finally seen an official release from original vault elements. Is is perfect? No, there are a few negative blemishes here and there. Is it better than any public domain version on the market? YES! If you're a fan of this film, the MGM version is the one to have. Only carp: The price is a bit steep, especially given that there are NO extras whatsoever.

(2012-03-06 03:25:45)

The Stranger

This review is from: The Stranger (DVD) This is a very tight movie and is very typical of Orson Welles style. Heis the director, and while it is not "Citizen Kane", it is a very goodmovie.

KFL

(2012-03-05 19:17:35)

Full marks

Atmosphere, storyline, and the performances of most players receive fullmarks. Camera-work is also very good. Some symbolism is a bit heavy-handed,especially Kindler's finally being killed by the avenging angel of the clocktower.The choice of a sleepy little town in Connecticut was especiallysignificant. The people here can't begin to imagine the evil that occurred aworld away ("I've never seen a Nazi"), making it that much easier forKindler to escape suspicion. Only Wilson (Edward G Robinson) knows whatKindler is capable of; and Kindler's evil appears that much more profoundwhen contrasted with the simpleminded good-naturedness of thetownfolk.

(2012-03-05 16:04:38)

The Best Edition Available

This review is from: The Stranger (MGM Film Noir) (DVD) When looking for a good DVD edition of "The Stranger," it's difficult to tell from among all the copies floating around which one is a quality transfer from an actual print of the film. The problem arises because "The Stranger" has fallen into the public domain. That means any basement-dwelling hustler can legally download it for free from some site like Internet Archive, slap it onto a blank DVD, print a label for it, and sell the slapdash product as "remastered" or some such. And a lot of these customer reviews aren't much help, reviewing the movie itself instead of telling you what you really want to know, which is the quality of the image on the disc. So there's no way to tell what you're getting until after you've ordered it. Well, I'm more than happy to tell you exactly what you need to know. Bottom line: if you're looking for a good copy of this movie, The Stranger (MGM Film Noir) is the best available edition. It's manufactured by MGM, and bears the studio logo when the DVD starts up. The image itself is a quality transfer from a good master from a consistently clear print, fully intact. That's important, because some of these extremely messy public domain copies are missing the "Independent Releasing Corporation" banner before the credits begin, a sure sign that worse things are to follow. Though this edition has not undergone a frame-by-frame digital restoration, it's sharp, with rich blacks and good contrast, with enough detail to reveal the flaws in the source material, the ordinary marks of age such as scratches in some spots, which I noticed only because I was viewing it so critically. Otherwise, these flaws are negligible. The important point is that, while it's not perfect, it's a studio transfer from a good master of a preserved print, free of jumps or jiggling from bad splices, and no cracks or pops on the soundtrack. And even more satisfying, when upconverted on my HDTV, soft natural grain was visible, which demonstrates just how accurate the transfer is. I was very, very pleased by this edition. VERY pleased. A couple of weeks ago, I ordered the trashy Triad edition because of the claim that it was "remastered." It was expensive enough, so I believed it. It was an out-and-out fraudulent claim, and I immediately returned it and bought this one instead. It doesn't matter that it's not remastered, because whatever master they're using meets the studio standard, and manufactured with regard for customer satisfaction. Perhaps one day we'll get a fully digitally restored edition, but for now, The Stranger (MGM Film Noir) is the best edition on the market. ________________________________________

(2012-03-04 17:41:58)

A clockwork oddity

Orson Welles's 1946 film noir seems to have been largely inspired by Hitchcock: the basic plot of a murderous wolf among the trusting lambs of an American small town (and a few other story points) owes much to SHADOW OF A DOUBT, while the heroine's central dilemma seems lifted from SABOTAGE. (There are other debts, too, to such films as DOUBLE INDEMNITY, with a central investigator played by Edward G. Robinson trying to gain the trust of the villainous protagonist.) On paper, this film's basic set-up may sound irresistible: Welles plays a high-ranking Nazi fugitive hiding in a small Connecticut prep school town while posing as a teacher, and his unsuspecting wife (Loretta Young) must decide what to do when his identity is revealed to her by the investigator. There are all kinds of amusing Gothic touches--a buried body hidden in the woods, a deathtrap involving a high ladder, and a mammoth medieval Glockenspiel installed in the town clock tower that plays a deadly part at the film's conclusion--but it all seems undigested and poorly executed. Welles took this project on to prove he could direct a film on time and under budget, but he seems to have suffered from the constraints put on his imagination. You keep glimpsing great ideas, and there are some excellent camera shots that rival some of his best work, but it all seems finally to disappoint in the end.Part of the problem lies with the performances. Welles himself seems unconvincing in his role as the architect of the Final Solution, and sweats too much and gives away too much. Loretta Young, who so often seemed as if she could do so much more than she was asked in the usual fluffy fare Hollywood handed her, gives a wildly erratic performance as the tortured wife. As usual she's superb in her smaller scenes (particularly near the film's beginning, when she gains just an inkling of what lurks sub rosa), but in two of her biggest scenes--when Robinson reveals to her the truth about her husband, and a terribly conceived scene where she attempts to rush into a death trap and is stalled by the complaints of her housekeeper--she fails to bring her part off. Still, there's much of interest here, especially if you're a Welles fan, and the screenplay does some very clever things involving moral ambiguity among all the characters (as the film progresses, both the wife and the investigator begin to behave cruelly and inhumanly, suggesting their own mutual identification with the enemy).

bobsgrock

(2012-03-02 02:24:58)

Marvelous work by the "would-be genius."

The Stranger is Welles' first film as a director under a new studiowith new rules. After the incredible works of Citizen Kane and TheMagnificent Ambersons, Welles directs and stars in this tight, intensefilm noir that plays as well as any other great film from the 1940s.Edward G. Robinson is very well cast as the lead agent trying to huntdown the dangerous Nazi spy played by Welles. Loretta Young is alsovery good as the naive woman who marries Welles not knowing who hereally is. The direction is flawless, especially the final scene withthe clock tower. Overall, this is yet another masterpiece to add toOrson Welles' matchless resume. It is films like these that convince mehe is the greatest director of all time.

Robert J. Maxwell

(2012-03-01 20:52:37)

Impaled on the Sword of Justice.

No, it's not Albert Camus. It's better -- more dramatic, more visual,more bombastic -- it's Orson Welles. Welles at the time was havingtrouble with his reputation. He couldn't finish a movie, it dragged onforever, it cost a fortune, and so on. So he ran into difficultiesraising money, as he would for the rest of his life. This was his shotat proving he could turn in a commercial success as well as anyoneelse. Don't know if it convinced the venture capitalists but it's anabove-average tale of Edward G. Robinson uncovering the identity ofFranz Kindler (Welles), one of the more atrocious of the Nazicriminals, who has hidden himself as a teacher at the elite HarperSchool. (The name of the prep school Welles himself attended as achild.) Welles is a respectable figure in this small New England town.When a deliberately released ex-Nazi tracks him there, with Robinson inhis wake, Welles kills his old friend without a qualm and buries him in"a densely wooded area." Welles, as Kindler, even kills his wife's dogthat threatens to dig up the body.It's not a sinister/comic masterpiece like "The Third Man," though theplot conforms to a similar template. And it's certainly not "CitizenKane." It's Welles bringing it all home. But, the thing is, he does agood job of it too. Commercial it may be, but it's unmistakably Welles.It's as if Copley had painted a portrait of Paul Revere and had addedat the bottom a slogan -- "Buy Revere Copper." Welles simply can't keephimself out of the picture. There are all sorts of quirky camera anglesand strange shadows and overlapping dialog. Best scene: Welles isenclosed in a phone booth. He's calling his wife and inviting her to ameeting that will result in her death without his being there. Welleswhistles tunelessly, waiting for the call to go through, and on anotepad with a pencil tied to it, he sketches a clumsy swastika, thenturns it into a box and crosses it out. And all the time he projectsplacidity, even boredom.There are a couple of the unusual character actors that Welles liked toinclude in his films. Nobody is the equivalent of Dennis Weaver in"Touch of Evil." (This is a commercial effort, right?) But Mr. Potter,who runs the general store comes close. Nobody else comes close. EdwardG. Robinson is fun as the war crimes investigator. Loretta Young was aname but adds nothing special. Richard Long is a disaster.Welles gives his real identity away at dinner when he carries on abouthow the Germans are all into racial superiority and Siegried's swordand whatnot and, when somebody objects that Marx wasn't dictatorial, hereplies that Marx wasn't a German, he was a Jew. (Why couldn't Robinsonsimply have vetted Welles' curriculum vitae?)Somebody quotes Emerson's famous statement that, to someone who hascommitted a crime, the earth is made of glass. Emerson was into"immanent justice," meaning that even if men didn't catch you at it,God would give it to you in the neck in the form of bad luck. (That'sNew England for you.) Welles doesn't get it in the neck. He gets it inthe abdominal cavity in a very dramatic (and commercial) climax.The movie was made to satisfy all tastes and it gets the job done.Really worth seeing.