The stranger

Year of release : 1946

 

Run time : 1h31min

 

Genre : Noir / Thriller

 

Cast : Orson Welles

 

 

The movie was co-written and directed by Orson Welles .

 

Mister Wilson is a part of the United Nations War Crimes Commission, trying to track down nazi fugitive Franz Kindler, a mastermind behind the Holocaust. The man is so good at hiding he erased anything that could identify him. The only clue they have on him, is a hobby 'that almost amounts to mania', his passion for clocks.

 

Wilson releases Kindler's former colleague, in the hope he will lead him to him. Wilson follows the man to a small town in Connecticut, but the man hits him with a rope (a ridiculous scene,as he though he k1lled him just by hitting him with a rope!) knocking him unconscious, and running away.

 

The man goes to a house where the woman puts up curtains ,asking for a man, and hearing he's out, he leaves.

When he finally meets him, the man is trying to keep his composure, about him coming to see him, afraid he led the officials his way. So ..he k1lls him.

 

Charles Rankin is a teacher at the prep school, and was the only one who could fix the old clock of the church. It's his wedding day, and after burying the man who came to see him in a shallow grave, goes to church to marry,then leaves for his honeymoon.

 

A week later, mister Wilson is convinced he lost his man,and is ready to go home, when he realizes Rankin called Marx a j3w instead of a German, and only nazis make this differentiation between people.

 

The movie was the 1st Hollywood movie to present documentary footage of the Holocaust. The movie was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 8th Venice International Film Festival,while the screenwriter (Welles is not credited) was nominated for the Oscar,in the Best Story category .

 

The actors were good.

 

I didn't like the soundtrack.

 

You can watch the full movie here ,for free : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-iglYhLl-8&t=16s&ab_channel=CultCinemaClassics

 

Rating : Worth a watch !