The Stranger (1946)

Director:

Orson Welles

Writers:

Anthony Veiller (screenplay)
Victor Trivas (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 May 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Most Deceitful Man A Woman Ever Loved !

Plot:

An investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi.

Plot Keywords:

Connecticut | War Crime | Clock | Nazi | Professor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Edward G. Robinson	...	Mr. Wilson
Loretta Young	...	Mary Longstreet
Orson Welles	...	Professor Charles Rankin
Philip Merivale	...	Judge Adam Longstreet
Richard Long	...	Noah Longstreet
Konstantin Shayne	...	Konrad Meinike
Byron Keith	...	Dr. Jeffrey Lawrence
Billy House	...	Mr. Potter
Martha Wentworth	...	Sara
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Bond	...	Student (uncredited)
John Brown	...	Passport Photographer (uncredited)
Neal Dodd	...	Minister (uncredited)
Nancy Evans	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Fred Godoy	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Joseph Granby	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw	...	Todd, Customer in Potter's Store (uncredited)
Ruth Lee	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Lillian Molieri	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Isabel O'Madigan	...	Mrs. Lawrence (uncredited)
Gabriel Peralta	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Gerald Pierce	...	Kid throwing newspaper shreds (uncredited)
Robert Raison	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Rebel Randall	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Johnny Sands	...	Jogging Student in Woods (uncredited)
Erskine Sanford	...	Party guest (uncredited)
Pietro Sosso	...	Mr. Peabody (uncredited)
Brother Theodore	...	Fairbright (uncredited)
Josephine Victor	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)

Directed by
Orson Welles

Writing credits
Anthony Veiller		(screenplay)
Victor Trivas		(adaptation) and
Decla Dunning		(adaptation)
Victor Trivas		(story)
John Huston		uncredited and
Orson Welles		uncredited

Produced by
Sam Spiegel	....	producer (as S. P. Eagle)

Original Music by
Bronislau Kaper		(as Bronislaw Kaper)

Cinematography by
Russell Metty

Film Editing by
Ernest J. Nims		(as Ernest Nims)

Production Design by
Perry Ferguson

Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Michael Woulfe		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Robert Cowan	....	makeup artist (as Bob Cowan)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Voglin	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Arthur Johns	....	sound
Corson Jowett	....	sound

Special Effects by
Harry Redmond Jr.	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
David Sharpe	....	stunts (uncredited)

Other crew
Gladys Hill	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• International Pictures (I) (presents)

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Independent Releasing Organization (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Take 2 Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood Classics (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Master Movies (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• United American Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Roan Group, The (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Delta Music (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• FOCUSfilm Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• FOCUSfilm Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Laserlight Entertainment (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Brentwood Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Questar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Roan Group, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Timeless Video (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Passport International Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• St. Clair Entertainment Group (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Radio Filmes (????) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Castle Communications (1993) (Finland) (VHS)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Emerald (2006) (Argentina) (DVD) (special edition)
• Ermitage Cinema (2001) (Italy) (DVD)
• Ermitage Cinema (2006) (Italy) (DVD)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Finnkino (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• St. Clair Entertainment Group (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• YLE Teema (2006) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1979) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Screen Time Images  audio restoration
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

Date with Destiny (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Hungary:14 | Iceland:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #11353) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

United Artists Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

International Pictures (I)

Trivia:

The vast New England town exterior sets including the church with its 124' clock tower were constructed in Hollywood on the back lot of the United Artists Studio located on Santa Monica Blvd. In some production shots taken by Like Magazine, the circular metal scaffolding of a huge collapsible natural gas storage tank can be seen behind some of the sets. The only such tank nearby a Hollywood studio was a block away from UA.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wilson runs the Concentration Camp footage for Mary Longstreet we see several shots of her face with the flickering light from the screen reflected onto her face. When the film runs out of the projector the light on her face continues to flicker as if film is still being projected instead of being a bright white light.

Quotes:

[after Meineke's body is dug up]
Mr. Potter: 'Course, he's changed some. Being buried in the earth does that.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Prodigal Sons (2008)

As Dark as Noir Gets

No question about it, "The Stranger" is film noir. This oppressive narrative is shrouded in what must surely be among the darkest visual styles ever. Outdoor, sunlit scenes are few and far between. Most of the picture takes place inside the shadowy mansion of Loretta Young's guardian, inside the town's general store, or within the nearly pitch-black church steeple, where the film climaxes in a highly dramatic manner. This movie is noir, without a doubt.

Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson and Loretta Young--are all beyond criticism as well, giving finely tuned, subtle performance. Also standing out is a very young, understated Richard Long--proving he had acting chops way back then.

Bronislau Kaper contributes a score to rival other, more highly-regarded composers. There are moments in it of ethereal beauty as well as intense drama.

Yet, apart from its visual style, how is "The Stranger" noir? The answer may lie in another question: who is the hero? If it's the Welles character, then he is an anti-hero and it fits pretty well. However, his new wife, played by Loretta Young, finds herself in a situation most noir, when Welles confesses the murder to her (and later plots her death as well). But Young does not seem like the main character in this tale, nor does Robinson, who is clearly a heroic figure. Perhaps what makes this one noir is the visual style in combination with character situations that complement each other.

"The Stranger" is only a few short steps below "Touch of Evil" in the Welles pantheon.