Strangers on a Train (1951)

A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Raymond Chandler (screen play), Czenzi Ormonde (screen play)

Stars:

Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Farley Granger	...	Guy Haines
Ruth Roman	...	Anne Morton
Robert Walker	...	Bruno Antony
Leo G. Carroll	...	Sen. Morton
Patricia Hitchcock	...	Barbara Morton
Kasey Rogers	...	Miriam Joyce Haines (as Laura Elliott)
Marion Lorne	...	Mrs. Antony
Jonathan Hale	...	Mr. Antony
Howard St. John	...	Police Capt. Turley
John Brown	...	Prof. Collins
Norma Varden	...	Mrs. Cunningham
Robert Gist	...	Det. Leslie Hennessey

Storyline

Bruno Antony thinks he has the perfect plot to rid himself of his hated father, and when he meets tennis player Guy Haines on a train he thinks he's found the partner he needs to pull it off. His plan is relatively simple: Two strangers each agree to kill someone the other person wants gone. For example, Guy could kill his father and he could get rid of Guy's wife Miriam, freeing him to marry Anne Morton, the beautiful daughter of a U.S. Senator. Guy dismisses it all out of hand, but Bruno goes ahead with his half of the "bargain" and disposes of Miriam. When Guy balks, Bruno makes it clear that he will plant evidence to implicate Guy in her murder if he doesn't get rid of his father. Guy had also made some unfortunate statements about Miriam after she had refused to divorce him. It all leads the police to believe Guy is responsible for the murder, forcing him to deal with Bruno's mad ravings.

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Plot Keywords:

oedipus complex | swapping murders | psychopath | tennis player | perfect murder | 

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Taglines:

Warner Bros. now bring a pounding new tempo to screen entertainment!

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Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some violence and tension

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

30 June 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train'

Filming Locations:

West Side Tennis Club - 1 Tennis Place, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,630,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 96 min (cut) 103 min (preview)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Alfred Hitchcock refused to treat his daughter preferentially, which won them both the respect of the other players. "We never discuss Strangers on a Train at home", she told an interviewer at the time. "On the set, he gives me direction, as well as criticism. I might as well be Jane Jones instead of Patricia Hitchcock."

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Goofs

The whole idea behind the perfect murder scheme of Bruno's is that he and Guy are perfect strangers and don't know each other. Bruno then starts showing up around Guy in Washington, including at parties and public places, to try to coerce him into fulfilling the plot and killing his dad. This occurs even while Guy is walking with his police escort. Bruno also phones Guy repeatedly. This totally contradicts them being strangers with no links and doing the perfect crisscross murders.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bruno Anthony: I beg your pardon, but aren't you Guy Haines?

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Alternate Versions

There are several differences in the British version of the film, including:

• The first encounter between Bruno and Guy on the train is longer, and features a more obvious homoerotic flirtation by Bruno;
• In the scene where Guy sneaks out of his apartment to go to Bruno's house, a shot of him opening a drawer to get the map Bruno sketched is added;
• The very last scene in the US version, which involves a clergyman, was deleted.

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Connections

Referenced in Jurassic Park III (2001)

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Soundtracks

Ain't She Sweet
(1927) (uncredited)
Music by Milton Ager
Played at the beginning of both amusement park scenes

User Reviews

The Movie Is A Major Improvement Over The Book

Usually, it is the other way around, but in this case, the movie is a major improvement over the original book.

I had seen this wonderful movie at least a dozen times, before I managed to find a copy of the book it was taken from....the book has the same title and was written by Patricia Highsmith.

I scoured the used bookstores for years, before I finally found a copy, and because the movie was SO good, I could not wait to begin reading the story in its original version.

I was never so disappointed!

Not because the book is unreadable...but because Hitchcock made such vast improvements over the book that the book simply does not come close to measuring up to the movie version.

That said, let me now comment on Robert Walker's amazing performance as Bruno Antony.

This was Robert Walker's last completed performance...he died while shooting his final film, "My Son John," in August, 1951.

This role as Bruno was the performance of his career!

Perfect in every way.

The movie has been around now for nearly half a century. I see it every time it is shown on television, and I also watch the tape I have of it occasionally.

Robert Walker's performance only seems to improve with each new viewing.

I can not recommend this movie highly enough.

If Hitchcock and Robert Walker can read me, up there in heaven, let me congratulate them both on an absolutely superlative job!