STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
US, 1951, 101 minutes, Black and white.
Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Strangers on a Train is considered one of Hitchcock 's best, especially of his middle period, before he moved to colour on a large scale and made such films as Rear Window; Vertigo. This film still generates suspense and is so carefully constructed that it repays close examination.
Hitchcock has often explored the nature of identity and responsibility, as in I Confess; The Wrong Man. He has also explored appearances and realities, especially where people are prone to make judgement merely on externals. Torn Curtain and Frenzy are more recent examples of this. However, all these themes are very effectively explored within the suspense genre of this present film. The bland hero, who appears to be good, but his inner propensity for evil is brought out by a madman who involves the hero in his amoral quest for power and control by murder. Hitchcock asks the audience to dally with murder as the hero does - especially in the famous sequence where Bruno demonstrates how easy it is to kill and then lose control. The final climax with the tennis game, Bruno's trip to the scene of his crime and losing his cigarette lighter, is justly famous.
1. Comment on the success of the swift narrative of the film, initial outlining of the plot, impact of the sequences with the feet, shoes; nature of the chance encounter between the two strangers on the train? What special techniques did Hitchcock use to communicate this?
2. How plausible was the plot? Does this matter?
3. Was Bruno a successful villain - behaviour, personality, madness, chaos he represented?
4. Was Guy a credible hero- leading an orderly, quiet life? His relationship with Miriam? Anger at her and threats of violence? Relationship with Anne? How did this effect his relationship with Bruno?
5. The nature of the pact about the murders?
6. What was audience reaction to Miriam? ,
7. How did the Walton family atmosphere balance Bruno's chaos?
8. How real was Guy's dilemma about the murder of Miriam?
9. How important was Barbara to the film - her lack of hypocrisy?
10. How did the film communicate Bruno's relationship with his mother} father?
11. How important was the sequence where Bruno began to strangle Mrs. Cunningham?
12. Comment on the sequence where Guy goes to warn Bruno's father.
13. How successful was the suspense gained by parallelling the tennis with Bruno going to Metcalf and trying to recover the lighter from the drain?
14. Was the climax of the film in the fair-ground successful?
15. How callous was Bruno even in his death? Did this fit in with his whole life?
16. Was the ending happy, amusing, trite? Did this matter?
17. How did Hitchcock use the thriller genre to examine themes about human behaviour?
18. Did you find the film enjoyable, thrilling, interesting? Do you think that Hitchcock is a clever producer/director?
19. Special effects used by Hitchcock: face close-ups, Guy at tennis with Bruno's watching; Miriam's flirting and Bruno's reaction, the weight-smashing etc.; Barbara's resemblance to Miriam and strangling Mrs. Cunningham; the fair and merry-go-round and the mad hurdy-gurdy.
