Strangers On A Train (UK)
Click to read:
A Tennis Star Plays A Match With Murder
Certificate: PG
Running Time: 96 mins
Retail Price: £9.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
Strange thing about this trip. So much occurs in pairs. Tennis star Guy (Farley Granger) hates his unfaithful wife. Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. How perfect for a playful proposal: I`ll kill yours, you kill mine. Now look at how Alfred Hitchcock reinforces the duality of human nature. The more you watch, the more you`ll see. `Isn`t it a fascinating design?` the Master of Suspense often asked.
Actually, it`s doubly fascinating. For Hitchcock left behind two versions of `Strangers On A Train`. The original version (Side A) in an all-time thriller classic. A recently found longer pre-release British print (Side B) offers `a startling amplification of Bruno`s flamboyance, his homoerotic attraction to Guy and his psychotic personality` (Bill Desowitz, Film Comment). The laying bare of Bruno`s hidden nature, along with the great set pieces (head-turning tennis match, disintegrating carousel) and suspense as only Hitchcock can deliver, makes for a first-class trip.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Theatrical trailer
Hitchcock newsreel footage
The Hollywood original and the alternative British version
Video Tracks:
Standard 1.33:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital Mono English
Dolby Digital Mono Italian
Dolby Digital Mono French
Subtitle Tracks:
French
Italian
English
Spanish
German
CC: English
Portuguese
Dutch
Arabic
Bulgarian
Directed By:
Alfred Hitchcock
Written By:
Czenzi Ormonde
Patricia Highsmith
Ben Hecht
Whitfield Cook
Raymond Chandler
Starring:
Marion Lorne
Kasey Rogers
Patricia Hitchcock
Leo G. Carroll
Robert Walker
Ruth Roman
Farley Granger
Soundtrack By:
Dimitri Tiomkin
Director of Photography:
Robert Burks
Editor:
William H. Ziegler
Costume Designer:
Leah Rhodes
Producer:
Alfred Hitchcock
Distributor:
Warner Bros
Your Opinions and Comments
Don`t be misled by the title - the movie does not take place on a train most of the time.
The video transfer of this 50 year-old movie is average. Naturally, it`s a 1.33:1 transfer.
While there are no compression signs at all, the transfer reveals a lot of scratches and dust particles. While several scenes look rather "clean", others show their age clearly. It`s obvious that no restoration was made here.
The DD 1.0 soundtrack is satisfying. While listening to a mono track is not something I do often, this mono track sounds good and stable, without any hisses and pops. The dialog is always clear as well.
The menus are all still and silent.
The extras include a weird gag reel and an alternate British version of the movie. The differences between the two versions` content are quite subtle (the British one contains an extra scene and has an alternate ending). However, the video transfer of the British version is not good at all and reveals plenty of grain and compression signs. The DD 1.0 soundtrack is similar to the American version`s soundtrack.
One cannot ignore Walker`s (obviously gay) attraction to Granger. Sure, nowadays we can see this in various movies, but given the fact that this movie is 50 years old changes the perspective a bit.
Bottom line - a top notch thriller. Highly recommended.