Customer Reviews

The Stranger

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This 1946 film seems to use high-speed (and high-contrast) film, which results in a stark effect. It is also a low-budget film, comparable to some 'film noir' of the 1940s. It is about the search for a Nazi war criminal, hiding in plain sight. Franz speaks American without an accent, and shows up as a new teacher in a rural college. He romances and marries the no longer young daughter of an important man (Chief Justice). But another war criminal, who got religion, searches for Franz. Franz realizes that Meineke is being followed, and kills him to keep his secret. Meineke is also a problem since he has got religion; and religion (or personal ideals) is always a threat to any secular system whether Fascism, Communism, or Plutocracy.

Nazi hunter Edward G. Robinson arrives, posing as an antique dealer. His comments on old silver shows he has studied his cover story. There is also a clue to Franz: an obsession with clocks (symbolizing a devotion to man-made mechanical devices, like social systems). Little by little the facts come out to point to Franz. Franz tries to kill his new wife, since she knows too much about him! This symbolizes his self-destructive philosophy, which leads to his fall from the top. Can anyone hide in a small town?

This film was an unheeded warning. It would be over thirty years later before we learned about "Operation Paper Clip" and other schemes to harbor Nazis in America. It wasn't just rocket scientists. The film also records a more innocent time, when college students ran through the woods as a pastime.

This is probably Orson Welles' least-remembered film, though paradoxically it was the only one that achieved any real box office success when it was first released. In backing a Welles project most studios had to wait a decade a two for the cult fans to pick it up and turn a profit. Here Edward G. Robinson is a mysterious investigator on the trail of a Nazi fugitive happily ensconced in a small American town. The interplay between these two wonderful actors drives the whole show, although Robinson reportedly disliked Welles' directorial methods. It's a good effort, without the wild cutting and uninterpretable plots that eventually forced Welles out of commercial moviemaking.

"The Stranger" is set in an eponymous "small New England town" during the immediate aftermath of World War 2. It is framed around a Nazi who is allowed to escape in the hope of his leading War Crimes investigators to a bigger fish. An appropriately repulsive Orson Welles plays the quarry. He is leading an outwardly respectable life as a professor. Welles even marries Loretta Young-1940s Hollywood most basic "nice American girl". This is the background as the WC detective, Edward G. Robinson, arrives in town- on the same bus as the escapee. How convenient! In fact, "convenience" is the key word in TS. Although there are a few twists and turns in the story, Robinson had too easy a time of things to suit this reviewer. I refuse to believe that real life War Crime sleuths solved their cases so smoothly or that private citizens were routinely so "helpful". However, if viewers can live with that criticism, then they should enjoy TS: The setting, supporting cast and murky filming are well done. And the acting by the leads is superior. Welles may make the skin crawl but his dual performance -he also directed- is first rate. And a callow Young is excellent as she slowly recognizes the reality of just what she has married-not to mention the "little surprise" he had for her. This reviewer has never witnessed Mr. Robinson turn in anything less than a fine performance, from tough guy to kindly uncle. TS follows this form. If one concentrates on these positives, TS is more than worthwhile. Those seeking suspense may be disappointed. TS is listed in Silver and Ward's "Encyclopedia of Film Noir" but fans of that genre should also feel let down. It does not truly fit the mold. A closing note: Why did a middle aged Robinson stalk a younger and bigger Welles with no partner or backup?