Orson Welles - The Stranger Details

Orson Welles - The Stranger

Orson Welles directed and stars in THE STRANGER, a tense black-and-white thriller that Welles made for maverick producer Sam Speagle. Welles portrays Charles Rankin, a respected academic at a prominent Connecticut college. He seems to have the perfect life: a beautiful new wife, Mary (Loretta Young); and a charming home in a small town that holds him in high esteem. Enter Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), a detective on the hunt for Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. The appearance of Mr. Wilson threatens to reveal that underneath this idyllic veneer is a secret that could tear everything apart.
Although many of Welles's most interesting scenes wound up on the cutting-room floor when producer Sam Speagle reedited the film, THE STRANGER is still a multilayered, complex, and fascinating film. The scenes between Welles and Robinson are intellectually gripping, leading up to the stylized, shocking conclusion. As with so many of Welles's films, he was unhappy with the final result, but the viewer won't be. It would be most interesting to see the film as Welles intended it to be, but in the meantime, this version of THE STRANGER is a marvel of wonder.

Starring	Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Philip Merivale, Richard Long, Billy House, Byron Keith
Director	Orson Welles
Studio	WATERFALL HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 35 mins
Certificate
Genres	Thriller
Language	DVD: English
Released	Production year: 1946 To Rent: DVD: 18 Mar 2002