Strangers on a Train

Starring:Al Bridge, John Brown, Leo G. Carroll, John Doucette, Roy Engel, Robert Gist, Farley Granger, Jonathan Hale, Edward Hearn, Harry Hines, Patricia Hitchcock, Marion Lorne, Odette Myrtil, Kasey Rogers, Ruth Roman, Howard St. John, Laura Treadwell, Norma Varden, Robert Walker
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
From its cleverly choreographed opening sequence to its heart-stopping climax on a rampant carousel, this 1951 Hitchcock classic readily earns its reputation as one of the director's finest examples of timeless cinematic suspense. It's not just a ripping-good thriller but a film student's delight and a perversely enjoyable battle of wits between tennis pro Guy (Farley Granger) and his mysterious, sycophantic admirer, Bruno (Robert Walker), who proposes a "criss-cross" scheme of traded murders. Bruno agrees to kill Guy's unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will (or so it seems) kill Bruno's spiteful father. With an emphasis on narrative and visual strategy, Hitchcock controls the escalating tension with a master's flair for cinematic design, and the plot (coscripted by Raymond Chandler) is so tightly constructed that you'll be white-knuckled even after multiple viewings. Better still, the two-sided DVD edition of this enduring classic includes both the original version of the film and also the longer prerelease British print, which offers a more overt depiction of Bruno's flamboyant and dangerous personality, and his homoerotic attraction to Guy by way of his deviously indecent proposal. In accordance with the cautious censorship guidelines of the period, Hitchcock would later tame these elements of Walker's memorable performance by trimming and altering certain scenes, so the differences between the original and prerelease versions provide an illuminating illustration of censorship's effect on the story's thematic intensity. Beyond all the historical footnotes and film-buff fascination, Strangers on a Train remains one of Hitchcock's crowning achievements and a suspenseful classic that never loses its capacity to thrill and delight. --Jeff Shannon
Description
Strange thing about this trip. So much occurs in pairs. Tennis star Guy (Farley Granger) hates his unfaithful wife. Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. How perfect for a playful proposal: I'll kill yours, you kill mine. Now look at how Alfred Hitchcock reinforces the duality of human nature. The more you watch, the more you'll see. "Isn't it a fascinating design?" the Master of Suspense often asked. Actually, it's doubly fascinating. Hitchcock left behind two versions of Strangers on a Train. The original version (Side A) is an all-time thriller classic. A recently found longer prerelease British print (Side B) offers "a startling amplification of Bruno's flamboyance, his homoerotic attraction to Guy and his psychotic personality," according to Bill Desowitz of Film Comment. The laying bare of Bruno's hidden nature, along with the great set pieces (head-turning tennis match, disintegrating carousel) and suspense as only Hitchcock can deliver, makes for a first-class trip.

DVD Features:
Interactive Menus
Newsreel:Hitchcock newsreel footage
Production Notes
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer:Five trailers of Hitchcock movies

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)

Average customer rating:

Alfred Hitchcock Signature Movie Collection DVD set
Wonderful Collection
a must for a fan
Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection
Alfred Hitchcock

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

Signature Collections | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
Lifeboat (Special Edition)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One
To Catch a Thief (Special Collector's Edition)
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 1 (The Asphalt Jungle / Gun Crazy / Murder My Sweet / Out of the Past / The Set-Up)

ASIN: B0002HOES0
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Description

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection contains the DVD debut of 8 Hitchcock classics including "Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Special Edition," and the following 7 new single-disc DVDs: "Dial M For Murder," "Foreign Correspondent" "Suspicion," "The Wrong Man," "Stage Fright," "I Confess" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." The previously released "North by Northwest" is also included in the 10-disc Signature Collection. Each of the 9 films in the collection shows why Hitchcock is regarded as one of Hollywood's most esteemed and important directors, and also brings legendary stars to the digital front including Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Montgomery Clift and many others.

Strangers on a Train - En route from Washington, D.C., champion tennis player Guy Haines (Farley Granger) meets pushy playboy Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). What begins as a chance encounter turns into a series of morbid confrontations, as Bruno manipulates his way into Guy's life. Bruno is eager to kill his father and knows Guy wants to marry a senator's daughter (Ruth Roman) but can't get a divorce from his wife. So Bruno suggests the men swap murders, which would leave no traceable clues or possible motives. Though Guy refuses, it won't be easy to rid himself of the psychopathic Bruno. Hitchcock's daughter Patricia appears in this film. The extra features included on the DVD are: Alternate 'preview' version of the film; Commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich, Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stephano, Strangers on a Train author Patricia Highsmith and biographer Andrew Wilson; New making-of documentary Strangers on a Train: A Hitchcock Classic, with Farley Granger, film historian Richard Schickel, Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell and other Hitchcock family members and colleagues recalling the making of this suspense landmark; Three intriguing featurettes: The Hitchcocks on Hitch, Strangers on a Train: The Victim's P.O.V., Strangers on a Train by M. Night Shyamalan; Alfred Hitchcock's Historical Meeting, a vintage newsreel.

Each DVD will be presented in a format preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition and will include the original theatrical trailer, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Customer Reviews:

Alfred Hitchcock Signature Movie Collection DVD set.......2007-04-12

A Must have for all hard-core Alfred Hitchcock movie fans

Wonderful Collection.......2007-04-06

This collection is absolutely fabulous. All the movies are remastered and are excellent quality especially on a big screen. Just as I remembered them. Too cool...

a must for a fan.......2007-03-08

As a long time fan of Hitchcock, I am always looking for more. I have approx. 20 of his films on DVD. This collection has some that I had never seen before. In addition, the "making of" special features are great for someone who wants to know what made Hitch so unique as a film director. I have (and will) spend many hours viewing these discs.

Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection.......2007-01-29

If you an Alfred Hitchock movie fan, you need to get this box set. There are some movies, I haven't seen before, but I did enjoy them.

Alfred Hitchcock.......2007-01-16

This was a gift to my son, he was thoroughly excited about it, he said he loved it.

Strangers on a Train (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Stranger things have happened! Another Hitchock classic!
Never talk to a stranger
Beware of Friendly Well-Dressed Strangers
Strangers on a Train
strangers on a train

Strangers on a Train (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock , John Brown , Leo G. Carroll , John Doucette , and Roy Engel
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Two-Disc Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Dial M for Murder
Shadow of a Doubt
Rope
North By Northwest
Rear Window (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0002HOERG
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Amazon.com essential video

Description

En route from Washington, D.C., champion tennis player Guy Haines (Farley Granger) meets pushy playboy Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). What begins as a chance encounter turns into a series of morbid confrontations, as Bruno manipulates his way into Guy's life. Bruno is eager to kill his father and knows Guy wants to marry a senator's daughter (Ruth Roman) but can't get a divorce from his wife. So Bruno suggests the men swap murders, which would leave no traceable clues or possible motives. Though Guy refuses, it won't be easy to rid himself of the psychopathic Bruno. Hitchcock's daughter Patricia appears in this film. The extra features included on the DVD are: Alternate 'preview' version of the film; Commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich, Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stephano, Strangers on a Train author Patricia Highsmith and biographer Andrew Wilson; New making-of documentary Strangers on a Train: A Hitchcock Classic, with Farley Granger, film historian Richard Schickel, Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell and other Hitchcock family members and colleagues recalling the making of this suspense landmark; Three intriguing featurettes: The Hitchcocks on Hitch, Strangers on a Train: The Victim's P.O.V., Strangers on a Train by M. Night Shyamalan; Alfred Hitchcock's Historical Meeting, a vintage newsreel.

Customer Reviews:

Stranger things have happened! Another Hitchock classic!.......2007-05-14

This is one of my most favorite movies and wow, Granger stole the movie from Walker. Walker died soon after making this movie, but it was a true classic. This movie is reasonably priced on Amazon, so buy it with true faith in how great it will be. The movie lasts for generations. I enjoy it every time I see it.

Never talk to a stranger.......2007-04-04

In Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a train" (1951), Robert Walker gave a remarkable and disturbing performance as Bruno, a spoiled playboy - psychopath who came up with a brilliant idea of committing a perfect murder - find a stranger who hates someone strong enough to wish them dead and swap murders with him - he kills yours, you kill his. While on a train, Bruno introduces himself to a handsome rising tennis star, Guy (Farley Granger) who is going through a rather nasty public divorce with his unfaithful wife Miriam in order to marry the woman he loves, Anne Morton. Guy hates his wife but would he kill Bruno's dominating father if Bruno murders his wife?

One of the most discussed and analyzed Hitchcock's films, "Strangers on a train" is considered one of the most satisfying thrillers ever. It is based on the early novel by the master of the psychological crime thrillers, Patricia Highsmith and it is a great artistic achievement in the thriller genre due to the masterful and creating Hitchcock's directing. Many scenes stand out and some are simply carved in the viewer's memory like the head turning tennis match with only one head never turned and the eyes fixed on Guy's's face and these are Bruno's eyes.

Beware of Friendly Well-Dressed Strangers.......2007-03-24

Two cabs drop off two men at a train station in Washington DC for long distance travel. Bruno Antony makes his acquaintance with Guy Haines, the tennis star. Their characters are quickly established. Bruno is a too-friendly stranger (a bad sign?), a ne'er-do-well rich man's son. Bruno has the idea of committing the perfect murder: no motive to point to the killer. Guy humors Bruno instead of telling him where to get off (not a New Yorker). Guy's wife, pregnant with another man's child, no longer wants the divorce. Guy is so angry he threatens to strangle her. We see Bruno described as a "naughty boy". Bruno's father threatens to get medical treatment for him. [Does the apple fall far from the tree?] So Bruno goes ahead with this imagined contract, He stalks Miriam, Guy's wife, who goes to an amusement park with two men. [This shows popular entertainment before television.] And Bruno carries out his self-appointed mission.

Guy returns on another train. Bruno is lurking in the shadows of night to see him. The police drop by Guy's home. Guy visits Ann Morton, a Senator's daughter, and hears of Miriam's murder. There is humor in the Senator's remarks. The professor on the train remembers little. Now Bruno begins to stalk Guy. [The police don't notice this?] There is a funny scene at the tennis club where people's heads move mechanically, except for one man. Bruno's conversation with the Senator shows his increasing insanity, and so does his trick with the old lady. He is so weird it can create a scandal in Washington! Ann Morton figures out what happened: her sister Barbara resembles the late Miriam Haines! The watching detectives also see that "something funny is going on".

Guy calls Bruno to tell him his plan will be followed. [We see a watchdog that doesn't bark as a stranger?] There is a surprise here! The police learn of Guy's absence from home. Ann visits Bruno's mother, but little is accomplished. Bruno plans his revenge. Luck upsets Bruno's plan when the lighter slips from his hands. A crowd watches its retrieval. Once again Bruno visits the amusement park [remember them?] waiting for the darkness to cover him so he can plant Guy's lighter at the crime scene. The merry-go-round plays "Ain't We Got Fun". Guy shows up to follow Bruno, a fight on the carousel while "The Band Played On". There is a dramatic finish to the ride, and the truth is discovered at last when it slips from Bruno's hand.

You can pick out some faults in this story, but it seems quite good with its mixture of drama, suspense, and humor. Raymond Chandler wrote the screenplay.

Strangers on a Train.......2007-03-19

I'm not a real Hitchcock fan, but this movie by far is my favorite of anything he's done. The story line, suspense and drama is absolutely first rate. If you want to try a Hitchcock film, this one is it.

strangers on a train.......2007-03-09

This Albert Hitchcock film based on a Patricia Highsmith novel was not successful by normal standards when released. long undervalued as one of Hitch's suspense movies, it is now being given the credit it deserves. This movie is both sudtle and startling in revealing the underbelly of those attractive people who walk among us harboring malice and death. Like Highsmith's Ripley character, Walker plays a composed neurotic as he convinces a stranger on a train to swap murders with him. Problem is only one of them was serious. Grand fun, and the ending will blow you away.

Average customer rating:

Stranger things have happened! Another Hitchock classic!
Never talk to a stranger
Beware of Friendly Well-Dressed Strangers
Strangers on a Train
strangers on a train

Strangers on a Train [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Film Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Dial M for Murder
Shadow of a Doubt
Rope
North By Northwest
Rear Window (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B000056BB2

Amazon.com essential video

From its cleverly choreographed opening sequence to its heart-stopping climax on a rampant carousel, this 1951 Hitchcock classic readily earns its reputation as one of the director's finest examples of timeless cinematic suspense. It's not just a ripping-good thriller but a film student's delight and a perversely enjoyable battle of wits between tennis pro Guy (Farley Granger) and his mysterious, sycophantic admirer, Bruno (Robert Walker), who proposes a "criss-cross" scheme of traded murders. Bruno agrees to kill Guy's unfaithful wife, in return for which Guy will (or so it seems) kill Bruno's spiteful father. With an emphasis on narrative and visual strategy, Hitchcock controls the escalating tension with a master's flair for cinematic design, and the plot (coscripted by Raymond Chandler) is so tightly constructed that you'll be white-knuckled even after multiple viewings. Better still, the two-sided DVD edition of this enduring classic includes both the original version of the film and also the longer prerelease British print, which offers a more overt depiction of Bruno's flamboyant and dangerous personality, and his homoerotic attraction to Guy by way of his deviously indecent proposal. In accordance with the cautious censorship guidelines of the period, Hitchcock would later tame these elements of Walker's memorable performance by trimming and altering certain scenes, so the differences between the original and prerelease versions provide an illuminating illustration of censorship's effect on the story's thematic intensity. Beyond all the historical footnotes and film-buff fascination, Strangers on a Train remains one of Hitchcock's crowning achievements and a suspenseful classic that never loses its capacity to thrill and delight. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Stranger things have happened! Another Hitchock classic!.......2007-05-14

Never talk to a stranger.......2007-04-04

Beware of Friendly Well-Dressed Strangers.......2007-03-24

Strangers on a Train.......2007-03-19

strangers on a train.......2007-03-09

Average customer rating:

Stranger things have happened! Another Hitchock classic!
Never talk to a stranger
Beware of Friendly Well-Dressed Strangers
Strangers on a Train
strangers on a train

Strangers on a Train
Starring: Al Bridge , John Brown , Leo G. Carroll , John Doucette , and Roy Engel
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Murder & Mayhem | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Dial M for Murder
Shadow of a Doubt
Rope
North By Northwest
Rear Window (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: 0790731029
Release Date: 1997-06-11

Amazon.com

Description

Strange thing about this trip. So much occurs in pairs. Tennis star Guy (Farley Granger) hates his unfaithful wife. Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. How perfect for a playful proposal: I'll kill yours, you kill mine. Now look at how Alfred Hitchcock reinforces the duality of human nature. The more you watch, the more you'll see. "Isn't it a fascinating design?" the Master of Suspense often asked. Actually, it's doubly fascinating. Hitchcock left behind two versions of Strangers on a Train. The original version (Side A) is an all-time thriller classic. A recently found longer prerelease British print (Side B) offers "a startling amplification of Bruno's flamboyance, his homoerotic attraction to Guy and his psychotic personality," according to Bill Desowitz of Film Comment. The laying bare of Bruno's hidden nature, along with the great set pieces (head-turning tennis match, disintegrating carousel) and suspense as only Hitchcock can deliver, makes for a first-class trip.

DVD Features:
Interactive Menus
Newsreel:Hitchcock newsreel footage
Production Notes
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer:Five trailers of Hitchcock movies

Customer Reviews:

Stranger things have happened! Another Hitchock classic!.......2007-05-14

Never talk to a stranger.......2007-04-04

Beware of Friendly Well-Dressed Strangers.......2007-03-24

Strangers on a Train.......2007-03-19

strangers on a train.......2007-03-09