I'm adverse to black and white films. Probably because I'm a child of the 80s and thus unable to focus on anything that was not proven to cause epileptic seizures in Japanese school children. However, Alfred Hitchcock's film Strangers on a Train, was not just an all around fantastic film, but the dizzying pace and onslaught of surreal situations made me forgot that I was watching a movie that came from the 50s.
I really, truly enjoyed this movie. And after having watched Rear Window and liked it only "very much" because I thought it was a little soft on the gore, and a little heavy on the Jimmy Stewart, I'd like to say that Hitchcock delivers a superb cinematic masterpiece with this movie.
Why, you ask?
1) As you may have figured out, awkward sexual tension and strained relations as a result of that, are my M.O. And so when we have a character who's a bit of a homely hussy, that enjoys a ride through the tunnel of love with not one, but two ineligible bachelors (who doesn't?), you've already got me.
And as it turns out, Hitchcock also loves strange sexual encounters and other sorts of bad behavior. Let's face it, Miriam is ugly and as opposed to most movies where only pretty girls get laid, is a total tramp. I love that whole chasey-chasey scene at the fair where she plays coquette with Bruno Anthony. Just brilliant! Couple that with the fact that she's kind of a bitch and ruses to exploit her husband's celebrity status (as a tennis star?) despite the fact they were going to get a divorce and she's unapologetically knocked up by a different man, and well, we have the making of a fabulous villain.
2) And while we're on the subject of fabulous villains and sexual tension, Bruno Anthony is simply the the most relentless, difficult, and possibly gayest villain ever. What with his his Oedipal familial relations, his OCD-like behaviors and sexual ambiguity, Bruno Anthony is the perfect candidate for being the kind creepy-weirdo who you might meet on train and then find out he's killed your wife. Plus that robe he wears when relaxing at home - also fabulous.
3) Every character in this movie serves a purpose beyond entertainment. And while Guy Haines is not an exceptional character, he's the perfect door-mat for Bruno Anthony's sheer evilness. And as annoying as Anne Morton is, with her constant state of doe-eyed, half-open-mouthed anguish that makes me want to throw things at her, she actually makes great companion for Guy. Well suited for each other in their patheticness. Then there's the tenacious Babs. The uglier, brainier sister to Anne, who also may have a little crush on Guy. She's awesome in how she wants to help exonerate Guy and unabashedly cops a feel of Hennessey's no-no bits in the meantime (awkward). And what about that Hennessey? Why is he so considerate of Guy's feelings, its so weirdly paternal.
I can go on and on with this movie, that's how much I liked. Of course I love the ending with the carousel, which Hitchcock made seem as though people really got hurt (thank you). And the unsuspecting girl that was riding it - brilliant! While Guy and Bruno were fighting and the carousel was spinning faster and faster out of control, she was having a total blast!
Of course there were some inconsistency issues, like when they were looking at the map with the flashlight, or those tennis montages where there appears to be a glitch in the time/space continuum. Um, hello? But we can forgive this, since, as my partner so astutely put it, this movie was made in time when you had to wait for film to develop.
Anywho. Great movie. In fact, so great, I think it may just deserve a 10.
