Student Film Reviews

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1. AdrianHill 10.17.08 / 9pm

   I love the plot of this movie and completely agree. Strangers on a Train is so much fun. Hitchcock is a masterful and brilliant storyteller and has become one of my favorite directors. I immediately became attached to the overall composition and design, from the entertaining characters (both major and minor), to the creepy decor and set design. Lighting and the use of shadow and black and white add an intensity to the story line and a depth to the visual aspect of the film. The fun quirkiness of Strangers on a Train, and Hitchcock’s own appearance in the film completely demonstrate the auteur theory. Hitchcock’s flair with visual continuity and dramatic emphasis demands that we are aware of the mise-en-scene he creates. He is not subtle. That is part of the fun.
2. Cynthia Cloyd 02.02.09 / 9am

   Raymond Chandler, best known for his Philip Marlowe detective novels and co-author of Double Indemnity with Billy Wilder, does a great job here at adapting the Patricia Highsmith novel for this classic Alfred Hitchcock film. The premise of two individuals swapping murders to provide themselves with alibis (called criss-cross here) is now long familiar to us, but very well-executed in this 1951 black and white thriller. Robert Walker is memorable in one of his last films as a repressed psychopathic killer determined to have his father killed. The battle of wits that ensues has real tension and surprise throughout. The film has a large number of memorable scenes, in particular the tennis match, building to the climax at the carousel.
3. Michael Piechota 07.01.11 / 11am

   I watch the film Stranger on a Train as well, and had similar feelings towards it. I really enjoyed the film, also I thought that it was a very creative plot. Your description of the plot was very clear and easy to understand. I like the how you explained how Guy took the idea of exchanging murders as a joke, because it was hard for me to describe this. I also thought that Bruno was a very creepy guy who runs on the fine line of psychotic. Bruno is one that has an objective and he is willing to do whatever it takes in order to complete it. In all, I am on the same page as you with this film by Alfred Hitchcock. I find it to be one of my favorites.
4. brennamahoney 03.03.17 / 3pm

   I was completely taken aback by this film. To be honest, I haven’t seen many Hitchcock films but from this movie alone I don’t doubt that the innumerable praises of his work are merited. Just as you said, Bruno was an utterly terrifying character for audiences and I think that it is because he provides the distinct connectedness between the fiction of the film and the real world. Bruno isn’t a boogeyman that hides under your bed, he is human just like the audience, yet he possesses attributes that make for a person’s worst nightmare. In addition to crafting such a realistic yet fearful character, Hitchcock utilizes setting brilliantly, such as the carnival scene you mentioned, by having certain components of the setting function, rather abnormally, as manifestations of the meaning of the story. The settings also provide the audience with a means of understanding the story in a way that might not have been communicated through just the dialogue.
5. Christina 04.05.17 / 10pm

   I love the parallel you made between Bruno and Norman Bates. Both suffer from psychosis and therefore do not function in reasonable and socially acceptable ways adding to the overall suspense of the narratives. Hitchcock’s use of mise-en-scene is so powerful especially in the merry-go-round scene that you referred to. The suspense builds to a climax in those final scenes as the two men attempt to conquer each other while the world around them is spinning out of control in a literal and figurative way. While I have only seen his “masterpieces,” I do plan to watch some of his other sixty films.
6. Jonathan Keller 03.17.18 / 6pm

   I completely agree that the scene at the carnival was really suspenseful and Bruno gave me the chills. It was so creepy seeing Bruno smiling even though he was about to murder someone he didn’t even know. The mis-en-scene throughout the movie with the lighting and locations was stunning and helped make the scenes have such an impact. This is one of my favorite films and I will definitely be checking out some of Hitchcock’s other works.
7. Hudson Ablitt 06.09.18 / 1pm

   Strangers on a Train, as said in this review, is one of Hitchcock’s many underrated films. Though it is not as widely known as films like “Psycho” and “Vertigo”. I agree that this film does move “thoroughly”, meaning that through the entire run length, it is smooth and there are no points that are unnecessary. Everything in this film is put there, or said for a reason, which is why Alfred Hitchcock is such a good storyteller. Another thing Hitchcock uses to his advantage is the lighting and sound. The lighting is very genuine and believable, but still sets an eery mood while the sound seems almost naturalistic. It’s almost as though they edited the sound so we would be completely emerged in the story with the other characters.
8. Christa Schmitt 07.21.18 / 3pm

   I chose to read this review because I will be writing my term paper on Strangers on a Train by Alfred Hitchcock. I agree with the point and plan on analyzing the brilliant creation, development and execution of the characters in the film. Especially, the character of Bruno. This review has highlighted the carnival scene and has caused me to revisit the scene I will focus on for my paper. I have to agree that no one has topped Alfred Hitchcock, in the world of creating suspense, he truly is a genius.
9. Justin Lee 03.05.19 / 10am

   Guy and Bruno are quintessential doubles that should be looked into if one wants to make a good film around character conflict. And this is not an primitive motif at all. Collateral (2004), directed by Michael Mann, is contemporary proof of how relative and powerful the motif of doubles still are to us. I’ve grown to appreciate that Bruno has qualities we deem charming with how forward and unapologetic he is, but we’re also disturbed to somewhat relate to his way of “eliminating” problems. We and Guy have some qualities we don’t like to admit that are in Bruno, but it’s also up to us on how we handle it to differentiate ourselves from being as cold as Bruno.

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