The Stranger (1946)

An investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi.

Director:

Orson Welles

Writers:

Anthony Veiller (screenplay), Victor Trivas (adaptation),

Stars:

Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Orson Welles

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edward G. Robinson	...	Mr. Wilson
Loretta Young	...	Mary Longstreet
Orson Welles	...	Professor Charles Rankin
Philip Merivale	...	Judge Adam Longstreet
Richard Long	...	Noah Longstreet
Konstantin Shayne	...	Konrad Meinike
Byron Keith	...	Dr. Jeffrey Lawrence
Billy House	...	Mr. Potter
Martha Wentworth	...	Sara

Storyline

Wilson of the War Crimes Commission is seeking Franz Kindler, mastermind of the Holocaust, who has effectively erased his identity. Wilson releases Kindler's former comrade Meinike and follows him to Harper, Connecticut, where he is killed before he can identify Kindler. Now Wilson's only clue is Kindler's fascination with antique clocks; but, though Kindler seems secure in his new identity, he feels his past closing in.

---

Plot Keywords:

connecticut | war crime | clock | nazi | professor | 

---

Taglines:

The Most Deceitful Man A Woman Ever Loved !

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 May 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Date with Destiny

Filming Locations:

United Artists Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Pictures (I), Haig Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first mainstream American movie to feature footage of Nazi concentration camps following World War II.

---

Goofs

When Wilson runs the Concentration Camp footage for Mary Longstreet we see several shots of her face with the flickering light from the screen reflected onto her face. When the film runs out of the projector the light on her face continues to flicker as if film is still being projected instead of being a bright white light.

---

Quotes

Professor Charles Rankin: The German sees himself as the innocent victim of world envy and hatred, conspired against, set upon by inferior peoples, inferior nations. He cannot admit to error, much less to wrongdoing, not the German. We chose to ignore Ethiopia and Spain, but we learned from our own casualty list the price of looking the other way. Men of truth everwhere have come to know for whom the bell tolled, but not the German. No! He still follows his warrior gods marching to Wagnerian strains, his eyes still ...

---

Connections

Featured in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

User Reviews

I like Harper just the way it is even without a clock....

Loretta Young intones her provincial view of a small Connecticut town, and how everything is perfect, nothing terrible can ever happen in Harper.

Orson Welles deserves credit for this underrated gem. Richard Long is Noah Longstreet and Richard Merrivale as Young's father, a Supreme Court judge.

Edward G. Robinson is the government official, tracking down former Nazi Franz Kindler. Could he be in this perfect American town?. Welles is undercover as a local professor. He marries Mary Longstreet (Loretta Young) but soon some terrible things start occurring in Harper. Mary's dog, Red is missing. Then the body of a mysterious foreigner is found in the woods.

The clock plays a backdrop; Franz Kindler is an amateur clock collector. There are several intriguing scenes, such as when Welles is discussing Nazis and warfare, in the context of history. This is a brilliant suspense film. 10/10.