Review of Strangers on a Train (1951) by David D — 30 Jul 2008
There's been a great run of Hitchcock films on television lately. Strangers...is a standout from a so-so period for Hitchcock with its weird homosexual undertones, indecent frivolity and fantastic finale with a runaway carousel.
Farley Granger's preppy tennis player meets oleaginous Robert Walker on a train. Both have people in their lives whose death would be highly convenient. Walker suggests exchanging murders, but Granger thinks he's joking - until his wife is strangled and the psychotic Walker wants his quid quo pro.
Ruth Roman plays a movie rarity - a smart girlfriend; Pat Hitchcock (yes, the director's daughter) is great is Roman's morbid murder-mystery fan sister; and Kasey Rogers sticks in your mind for her portrayal of Granger's slut of an estranged wife.
I thought this was rather daring for its time, but it was based on a Patricia Highsmith novel after all. Interestingly, the ending of the film is lifted from the ending of Edmund Crispin's mystery novel The Moving Toyshop, which I read before I'd seen this film so you can imagine my outrage the first time I saw Strangers.
..! What a disappointment for an author after selling your film rights. Like the poor sap whose short story became the title for Blade Runner, but whose story was never filmed. So sad! If you've never read any Crispin, I highly recommend his books, particularly Holy Disorders.
This review of Strangers on a Train (1951) was written by David D on 30 Jul 2008.
Strangers on a Train has generally received very positive reviews.
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