Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Well is it a fluke, or is it Memorex? I don't claim to be an expert on Orson Welles (surprised?) but of the movies directed by the maestro, this particular one is the runt of the litter, so far. So let's mix these metaphors some more and say this is stone as opposed to crystal.

The film is shorter, and the plot linear, and uncomplicated compared to the Welles' films I've seen so far. It also has very little "time out" for humor, character development, or the classic Welles wit. Suspense is there to be sure, but spoiled by being predictable. Even the dramatic final scene could be imagined in the first ten minutes.

And then we have the MUSIC. Shamelessly leading the audience, it was wholly unnecessary. In fact it was distracting, worthy of the worst hack work in Hollywood, with notes mimicking foot falls, and crashing cymbals when the action gets tight. It sure has the feel of Hollywood, not Welles, who set up each scene PERFECTLY to build tension visually. He didn't need those stinkin' cartoon music hacks to turn what could have been a simple, elegant story into a work of lesser value. Bronislaw Kaper is the guilty party.

The Stranger is one of the darkest Welles offerings I have yet seen. It isn't really a thriller because of its predictability, but it must have given the post war audience exactly what it wanted, a chance to participate in the punishment of a known War criminal.

That was my first impression based on what I know of Welles' career. CITIZEN KANE had failed at the box office, due to a direct and heavy handed Hearst influence on all the media of the day. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS had also failed badly. This movie was done to prove that Welles could work with a standard Hollywood premise, make a film that would meet the dubious standards of the Industry, and from his point of view, go on and do more of what he wanted. In spite of the fact that this movie STILL gets bad press, it was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Plot

"Who but a Nazi would say that Karl Marx wasn't a German because he was a Jew?" (Wilson)

The movie opens with the release of war criminal Meinike from detention as he was waiting for trial in Geneva. This is 'allowed' for a purpose. Former first officer Meinike makes his way to South America, with an 'agent' on his tail. He gets a new passport, and makes a contact, to find out what happened to Franz Kindler, a BIG Nazi criminal. Using a Nazi button pushing technique, he finds out Kindler is in the United States, in Harper Connecticut.

Meinike is kept shadowy, and devious, as well as threatening at first. He is sneaking around, but when he gets to America, our man 'Wilson', the investigator who was "in" on the release, is on his tail. Meinike knows this, leads Wilson into an empty building and ambushes him, leaving him for dead.

Meinike then goes to the home of his former Nazi buddy, whose name in small town Harper, is Charles Rankin. He teaches at an exclusive private school (although these boys look a little old to be high school age). He meets Mary, who is hanging curtains. It is her wedding day, they are getting married at 6 pm. He goes out to intercept Rankin on his way home, and they arrange to meet in the woods.

Here comes the first of our shattered illusions. Meinike turns out to be 'born again' and has come only to get his former boss to repent of his sins. Listen carefully to Rankin's description of his activities in America. It is done in such a low key, colorless manner that you might not hear exactly what he is saying, or understand his long range plans. But there can be no question of his evil as he kills Meinike, while pretending to pray, and hides his body in the woods.

Rankin then gets hitched, without a twitch. Wilson wakes up, with a headache. When the Rankins get back from their honeymoon, Wilson is posing as an antique dealer, one of the town's "industries" and gets to know Harper, through the town clerk, who knows all the goings-on in town.

That's as far as I'm going to take you. A lot happens in a short time, so keep your eyes and ears open!

******
The Cast

Edward G. Robinson as Wilson, the Nazi hunter. This was an absolutely brilliant performance from the guy so often type cast as a mobster. Even in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS this type casting prevails. So this was a refreshing and eye-opening performance, as Robinson is cast as the good guy.

Loretta Young as Mary Longstreet Rankin. Loretta was one of classiest acts in town, although not the cute star then popular in Hollywood. She also plays this part very convincingly, first as a new wife in love, standing by her man. She is transformed by degree into something more. Strange that she calls her Dad by his first name, and he calls her "sister".

Orson Welles as Charles Rankin/Franz Kindler. Fascinating portrayal of a man who could be charming and believable when he wanted to, a performance within a performance. His evil is never in question. The opposite side of what he was is shown in the perception of Mary, as an invisible counterpoint to his rapidly developing persona of evil. He is obsessive, and his focus on his hobby is key to revealing who he is to the Nazi hunter.

Philip Merivale as Judge Longstreet, Mary's father. A good Dad, intelligent and "liberal", which incidentally, is shown as somewhat of a flaw. His daughter calls him 'Adam'. Does that strike anyone else as odd?

Richard Long as Noah Longstreet, Mary's brother. You may remember him as Jared in The Big Valley. This is an interesting character, and the one most susceptible to hearing bad news about his brother in law. An interesting and convincing performance, although he looks a bit too old for the part.

Byron Keith as Dr. Jeff Lawrence. Necessary character, no development.

Billy House as Potter, the store keeper, town clerk, chief gossip in town. This guy is a hoot, providing most of the comic relief for this flick. When it comes, it is welcome. Watch him cheat at checkers.

Martha Wentworth as Sara, Mary's housekeeper. This is the other 'comic' character. Watch for her heart attack scene. Another performance within a performance. Outstanding.

Konstantin Shayne as Konrad Meinike. Nazi at first, almost cliche, he becomes a religious zealot, and a bit of a nut, seeing Wilson as some incarnation of evil, all believable in the short time he was in the film. Well done!


*****

NOW LISTEN UP!

MY SECOND IMPRESSION is that I should have watched it better the first time. Because this movie, although devoid of DEEPER meaning, and uncharacteristically no frills for Welles, is nevertheless an astoundingly well constructed, if bleak, film noir of its day. It is not ambivalent, and we don't have to guess who the bad guys are...or do we?

First the title. If you think about it, there is more than one "Stranger" in town. Look at it from that perspective. Stand Edward G. Robinson's character, and Orson Welles' character side by side. Let them chat a little. Who, of the two would be more suspicious to small town "Harper" USA? That tension actually pervades this film, from the first early scenes where Wilson (Robinson's) character is chatting with the store owner, and gets furtive glances, and pointed questions which he shrugs off, or deliberately ignores. It surfaces again at a social event, where one of the town ladies tells Wilson (off handedly and casually) that HE is the town's suspect in a murder.

Second, look at little more closely at the character of Wilson, the Nazi war criminal investigator. Watch how he smoothly works on the town to cast suspicion on the character of his suspect. He takes them one by one, starting with his suspect's young brother in law. He first makes him his collaborator. Then he broadens the information to the family, then the town.

Wilson convinces small town people in Harper that a respected teacher is a war criminal.

He appeals to their sense of injustice, shows them graphic newsreels of the worst atrocities at Auschwitz, and casually manipulates them to a group of villagers storming the castle with torches to destroy the "monster".
Hollywood? No, this is done dispassionately, implying that it was done knowing full well what was being done. At one point, Wilson even tells Mary's father the judge, exactly what her psychological reaction will be to the information he has disclosed, and predicts, accurately, how she will react. So the question is, did he come to bring the Nazi to trial, or did he, in fact, come to kill him?

Mary's dream, a nightmare about the "funny little man" Meiniki is a metaphor, for the spread of evil in the world, although for at least a minute or two, you wonder why it was "stuck" in the film.

"The little man was walking all by himself across a deserted city square. wherever he moved, he threw a shadow. But when he moved away, Charles, the shadow stayed there behind him and spread out, just like a carpet. Wish I could think of who he might have been..." So we don't always recognize evil behind its facade.

There are still the Welles elements that put me in open mouthed awe at Welles the director. The photography, while not as meticulous as CITIZEN KANE, and not as interesting as LADY FROM SHANGHAI, show some outstanding examples of a director who was willing to experiment with the camera. EXTREME close-ups head the list, besides retreating and advancing shadows, that grow larger with the growing evil in our lead villain, Welles himself.

One shot in particular occurred in the opening minutes, when Edward G Robinson follows his man into the gymnasium, with the focus on the gymnasium, his silhouette going OUT of focus, without ever losing the field detail. I frankly don't know how he did it, but it was pure genius.

Unfortunately it was followed by an event that was executed so poorly, it lost one full point of credibility for this otherwise very interesting,( although far from perfect), movie.

The time that was spent in the Clock tower in the church was also done brilliantly. The ladder, is shown first in it's normal, non threatening proportions. As the action progresses, the ladder seems to get longer and longer. In one scene, where Rankin is plotting evil, the ladder has become a bizarre surrealistic distortion, with a small furtive Rankin framed in the light at the top. The clock is a persistent and often used prop (and symbol) in this film.

The final scene, if you can watch it without being distracted by the sound track, is an incredibly complex and definitive scene, both in imagery and symbolism. "Space" closes in. Is it after all, just a matter of time before justice is done?

I hope sooner or later, that everyone sees this film. I take back any reservations. Because every time I see it, I discover something new.


***


(This DVD version has captioning only in Japanese, and no frills. It was a rental. If you buy it, get the collector's edition, which should include more data on Welles, or a commentary.)




Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older