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This a crazed film, which overrides many of the regular expectations of an audience. Rains is the complacent middle class American who goes on a fishing trip - only to discover upon his return that America has been turned into a dictatorship, and what he once held for granted and most dear is now denied him and trampled upon. America has been transformed into an occupied country.Obler is one of those Z-grade directors whose career often contained gems of movie making. As with the more talented Edgar Ulmer, the liberty of working with such low budgets meant that his personal vision was able to reach the screen more accurately, and without the interference common in larger studios. Whether or not he agreed with the stark warning explicit in Strange Holiday, the result is more like a cinematic rant, a government propaganda piece than a story. Claude Rains gives his usual cultured performance (and indeed is far too good for this material). His persona of cultured smugness, suddenly shocked into political reality, is all the more effective because of the actor he is. In some ways this is a noir in extremis. But unlike a 'true' film noir, the feeling of paranoia and persecution in Strange Holiday is entirely justified.The final scene, with Rains alone in his cell, at the end of his tether, repeating democratic tag lines and fragments of his hard learned experience is both monotonous and frightening at the same time.A film to watch, but not an easy one to enjoy. Perhaps that was the point, as the frightened anger, even panic, of the film makers is tangible throughout. As a relic of social hysteria, if nothing else, it is certainly unique.
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