Strangers on a Train

In my opinion, this movie is one of Alfred Hitchcock's finest works. Based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, Hitchcock has taken her story and turned it into one of the greatest thrillers of his career. This is an early film, made in 1951, and in black and white...giving it that great film/noire feel.

Farley Granger plays a handsome young tennis pro, Guy Haines, who is married to a really sleezy, unfaithful woman named Miriam (Kasey Rogers). He is in love with a beautiful socialite named Anne (Ruth Roman) Morton and he wants a divorce from Miriam desperately, but she won't give him the divorce he so badly covets. Anne is the daughter of a senator and Guy wants to live her kind of life, not the one he has being married to Miriam. He and Anne try to be discreet, but eventually they end up in the gossip column in the newspaper.

This write-up in the newspaper catches the eye of none other than Bruno Anthony. Anthony is brilliantly played by Robert Walker. His performance as the calm psychopath in this film is one of the best of his career and his understated portrayal is one well worth seeing. He is travelling on a train when he recognizes Guy Haines and strikes up a conversation with him. They have an ordinary discussion until Anthony casually brings up the topic of murder.

He suggests that they swap murders as a way of getting rid of the people ruining their lives and giving each other the perfect alibi. Of course, Guy thinks this is just a hypothetical theory until Bruno goes ahead and kills Guy's wife and then insists that Guy must fulfill their "bargain" and that now he must kill his (Anthony's) father for him! Bruno is a "Mama's boy" who is wealthy, but a major disappointment to his father. His mother always takes his side and at times I felt she even knew he was a killer.

The murder scene of Miriam by Bruno is very frightening and shot as seen reflected in Miriam's eyeglasses that have been knocked off in the struggle and are laying on the ground.

Hitchcock's own daughter, Patricia, has a good role in this film as Barbara Morton, the younger sister of Anne Morton. She does an excellent job portraying the person most instrumental in creating suspicion against Guy Haines and due to her meddling in the matter, causes Bruno to desire to strangle her as well.

There is a thrilling stunt scene to look for on a carousel at the end of the movie. You have to see this! Hitchcock claims this was the most dangerous stunt performed under his direction and he vowed to never do one like it again.

If you have ever seen "Throw Momma From the Train", then you know that "Strangers on a Train" was the inspiration for it. I believe there is even a film clip from "Strangers on a Train" in "Throw Momma From the Train".

"Hitch" has his signature cameo in this film early in the movie boarding the train carrying a double bass fiddle as Guy is getting off the train.

Raymond Chandler gets most of the credit for the screenplay on this film, when actually Czendzi Ormande wrote almost all of it and is only given co-credit.

In 1952, "Strangers on a Train" was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography, Black and White - Robert Burks.